Lesson 7 | Avoiding the pitfalls
Lesson intro: refining your skills in paraphrasing
In this lesson our focus will return to paraphrasing. We have already covered a variety of points to help develop your skills in accurately restating a text in your own words:
Lesson 3.4 Paraphrasing is valuable as both a test and a demonstration of your understanding of the text.
Lesson 3.5 The aim of paraphrasing is not simply a restatement with different words but a clear expression of your understanding of a text.
Lesson 4.7 Use paraphrasing to unpack all the logical connections within the passage. That is, clearly restate the logical connectors in the text and make the implied connections explicit.
Lesson 5.6 Use paraphrasing as a tool to test your understanding of the main point. Although a paraphrase does not focus exclusively on the main point and its key supporting ideas like a summary does, the main point should still be identifiable in a paraphrase.
You have also had some practice at paraphrasing in a few of the assignments. It is now time to hone your skills. This lesson will focus on common pitfalls and problems in paraphrasing. Then, lesson eight will explore a handful of situations that may present unique challenges.
