Lesson 2 | Expansion
Lesson Objectives
In this lesson, you will learn a key paraphrasing skill—expanding the details of a passage through description.
Throughout Sherlock Holmes' Adventure of The Boscombe Valley Mystery, Lestrade—the leading detective from Scotland Yard—is convinced that young Mr. James McCarthy is guilty of murdering of his father. But what seem to be a few “trifling details” strongly suggest to Holmes that the truth lies elsewhere.
‘By an examination of the ground I gained the trifling details which I gave to that imbecile Lestrade, as to the personality of the criminal.’
‘But how did you gain them?’
‘You know my method. It is founded upon the observation of trifles.’
Arthur Conan Doyle, “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.” The Adventure of the Boscombe Valley Mystery.
Holmes proceeded to paint a different picture of the real suspect—”a tall man, left-handed, limps with the right leg, wears thick-soled shooting-boots and a grey cloak, smokes Indian cigars, uses a cigar-holder, and carries a blunt pen-knife in his pocket.” Subsequently, the landlord John Turner was arrested, and James McCarthy exonerated.
How did he know all that?
Answer: He expanded the details
- Height - the length of his stride as seen by the footprints.
- Left-handed - the direction from which came the blow.
- Limp with the right leg - one footprint is more indented than another.
- Boots - the footprints.
- Grey cloak - found at the scene and later disappeared, according to James McCarthy's testimony.
- Indian cigars - the ashes found at the scene.
- Cigar holder - the end of the cigar has not been placed in a mouth.
- Blunt knife - rough cut on the cigar.¹
Similarly, “triflying details” fill the pages of Scripture, giving us insight into the emotions, context, and structure of the text. But only as we slow down to take notice are we forced to incorporate them into our understanding. When magnified, expanded, expounded, explained, and unpacked, these seemingly disconnected and insignificant details lay out a panoramic picture of the passage.
Specific Goals
- Distinguish between paraphrasing and summarizing.
- Apply the seven unpacking principles to add description to a paraphrase.
- Draw insights from other translations and paraphrases.
- Avoid overstating your case while expanding upon the wording of the text.