PARAPHRASE AND SUMMARY

Paraphrase and summary are different writing strategies that ask you to
put the argument of the author in your own words. This can help you
better understand what the writer is saying, so that you can
communicate that message to your own reader without relying only on
quotes. Paraphrases are used for short passages and specific claims in
an argument, while summaries are used for entire pieces and focus on
capturing the big picture of an argument.
Paraphrase
When you paraphrase, using your own words, you are explaining one of
the claims of your source's argument, following its line of reasoning and
its sequence of ideas. The purpose of a paraphrase is to convey the
meaning of the original message and, in doing so, to prove that you
understand the passage well enough to restate it. The paraphrase
should give the reader an accurate understanding of the author's
position on the topic. Your job is to uncover and explain all the facts and
arguments involved in your subject. A paraphrase tends to be about the
same length or a little shorter than the thing being paraphrased.
 Alters the wording of the passage without changing its meaning.
 Retains the basic logic of the argument.
 Retains the basic sequence of ideas.
 Can even retain the basic examples used in the passage.
 Most importantly, it accurately conveys the author's meaning and
opinion.
Summary
A summary covers the main points of the writer’s argument in your own
words. Summaries are generally much shorter than the original source,
since they do not contain any specific examples or pieces of evidence.
The goal of a summary is to give the reader a clear idea of what the
source is arguing, without going into any specifics about what they are
using to argue their point.
In your own words:
 State the thesis
 Main claims of their argument
 conclusion of the original material
In both the paraphrase and summary, the author's meaning and opinion
are retained. However, in the case of the summary, examples and
illustrations are omitted. Summaries can be tremendously helpful
because they can be used to encapsulate everything from a long
narrative passage of an essay, to a chapter in a book, to an entire book.

DOCUMENTING
A document (noun) is a piece of information that one can use for
communicating something. In most of the cases it is a paper, that
contains information in the form of ink marks. But nowadays documents
can be digital as well.
Documenting is the art and science of creating, managing and keeping a
document.
To document means to produce an object by collecting and
representing information.

Different sorts of documents:

Prototypical Documents: Letters, memos, legal forms, Instruction

Manual

Documents of Record: Newspapers and magazines

Books: Text book, Novels, Recipe books, Encyclopedia, Comic books

Canonical Documents: The Bible,Iliad and Odyssey,Vedas, Ramayana,
Mahabharata, Quran, Code of Hammurabi,Tao Te Ching
Transactional Documents: Cheque, Contracts, Prescription, Receipt,
Form (document), Postage Stamp
Functional Documents: PDF files, PostScript files, XML files, Email
Non-Prototypical Documents: Post-it notes, Fortune cookie strips, Maps,
Paintings, milk cartons, cereal boxes
Non-Classical Digital Documents: Web Page, Weblog, Wiki

Note Making
Note Making is a way of recording important details from a source. This
source can be any book, article, meeting or any oral discussion. In note
making, the writer records the essence of the information. It helps us to
understand and clarify thinking. Note making saves a lot of time by going
through the notes made. One can get a glimpse of a lot of information
from a short note.
Advantages of Note Making
A note making is a skill which improves by practicing. There are some
advantages of note making. Let us get to know some of them.

 It has great importance in exams or in academic writing

 It is an organization of main points for future use
 Note making helps in keeping the information handy whenever we
require
 It helps in recollecting and recalling the past events said or heard
 It helps in concentrating, understanding and provides a permanent
record
 Note making format helps a writer to go through bulky documents
quicker
 It helps in understanding a material if the notes are in own words
 It distinguishes between main points and details
Note Making Format
There is a fixed note making format. One needs to follow this note making
format in order to have a clear and unambiguous understanding from it.
The note making format has:
Heading - It shows the title or the heading of note.
Subheading - As the name suggests, a subheading is a subdivision of the
main topic. One can use as many subheadings as he or she wants.
Point - Below subheading, there are some points which are the part of
the main topics.
Sub-subheading - One can add more headings below the points for
showing the category, types, advantages, etc.

Key or Keywords - The key portion of the note shows the various codes,
symbols or the abbreviation used. It helps to get a clear understanding of
the keys used in the note making format.

The Procedure of Note Making

 Read the passage provided
 Underline the important sentences. It helps to make headings and
subheadings
 Make a rough note first so as to get an idea
 Organize them in logical order or sequence for the final note
 Use the appropriate note making format
 Do not change the idea or the message of the passage
Points to Remember for Note Making Format
 Avoid using long sentences as heading or title
 Never lose the main idea of the passage
 Ignore information which is less important
 Be brief, clear, and specific
 Use logical sequencing
 Use proper indention
 Leave no spaces to avoid confusion
 Do not include your own version or understandings
 Use abbreviations
 Make your note more memorable by adding colors, drawings, and
Symbols

REPORT WRITING
Reports generally involve presenting your investigation and analysis of
information or an issue, recommending actions and making proposals.

Depending on the type of report, the structure can include:

 A title page.
 Executive summary.
 Contents.
 An introduction.
 Terms of reference.
 Procedure.
 Findings.
 Conclusions.
 Recommendations.
 References/Bibliography.
 Appendices.
 The sections, of a report usually have headings and subheadings,
which are usually numbered
A report is a brief account of an event that has already taken place. The report
helps in recording the events of importance that occur in our day-to-day life. It
attempts to present the firsthand information of an incident or event. A report
of an event presents a record of events that took place. A report of an event
includes one’s ideas, opinions and impressions about the event.

♦ Points to Remember:

 Mention the place, date, time and other relevant facts about the
event.
 Include information collected from the people around or affected by
the event.
 Write the name of the reporter.
 Provide a suitable title/heading.
 Write in past tense.
 Write in reported speech and use passive form of expression.
 Develop ideas (causes, reasons, consequences, opinions) logically.
 Write in a less formal and more descriptive manner, while writing a
report for a school magazine.
 Present your ideas and impressions to make the report interesting.

Example:

You are Suresh of L.M. Jain college, Ajmer. As Secretary of your college Co-
curricular Activities Club, you visited a slum area in your city where the people
suffered a great loss of life and property in a massive fire. The students of your
college rendered their services and material help to the victims. Write a report
in 100-125 words for your college magazine. (Delhi 2010)

Answer:
 Students Service To Victims Of Fire
By: Suresh
L.M. Jain college

14th February, 20xx. A major slum area in Vilas Nagar was gutted by a massive
fire on 10th February, 20xx. The fire whose exact cause is still not very clear
caused extensive damage to life and property. Ten persons lost their lives,
many were injured and about two hundred people were rendered homeless.
Our college joined and relief to the victims. The students of our college got
together and collected food packets, old clothes, medicines, utensils, etc. to be
distributed to these homeless and helpless people. Ten students and three
teachers personally visited this slum area to ensure proper and fair distribution
of the items that had been collected and thus provided some relief to these
unfortunate people in their time of crisis and misery.

LETTER-WRITING is an important channel of communication between people

who are geographically distant from one another. In earlier times when the
telephone and e-mail were not available, the only means of communication
between people was through letters.

Letter-writing is a skill that has to be developed. In general there are two types
of letters: formal, that are written to convey official business and information
and informal, which are personal letters to communicate with friends and
family. Formal letters are sent out when we need to write to various public
bodies or agencies for our requirements in civic life. For example, we might
have to ask for a certificate or to inform a change in our address. A letter is
usually one in a series of exchanges between two people or parties

Formal Letters
Let us now examine some of the steps in writing formal letters.
1. (i)Introducing oneself if it is the first time you are writing
(ii) Referring to an earlier letter if you are responding to it.

2. Stating the purpose of the letter

3. (i)Stating action/information required from the addressee

(ii)Explaining action taken/supplying information

4. (i) Urging action to be taken

(ii) Offering assistance in future
This is the basic structure of a letter. It will have to be modified according to the purpose for
which it is written and the person to whom it is addressed.

When you write a letter you should keep in mind the following points:
1. Purpose
2. Person to whom it is addressed
3. Tone you should adopt
4. Completeness of the message
5. Action required
6. Conciseness of expression

Example:
 Business Letter

EXAMPLE OF A BUSINESS LETTER

Date
July 20, 20xx
Sender's Address
GP & Associates
2053 SW Channing Avenue, Suite 400
Denver, CO 80016
Inside Address
Ms Tia Turfingeon
ACTION ITEMS
3400 Onesite Parkway
Denver, CO 80016
Sub:
_________________________________________________
Saluation
Dear Ms. Turfingeon,

Body Text: I understand from our mutual acquaintance, Chad Johnson,

that you are looking to retain an accountant to assist you in the sale of
your business. I would welcome the opportunity to show you how GP &
Associates was able to help Chad successfully sell his business earlier
this year.
As you'll see on our website, my associates and I have extensive
experience in financial accounting, internal audits, and tax compliance.
For the past several years, we have specialized in business evaluation
and transition services for sellers. We enjoy working closely with clients
throughout the sale process to ensure a smooth transition. As our
clients can attest, our various pre-sale price improvement strategies can
significantly optimize a business's sale price.
Should you be thinking of purchasing another business, please note that
we also offer business acquisition services. For your convenience, I have
enclosed additional information describing GP & Associates full range of
services.
Call to action: To set up an appointment to discuss your specific needs,
please contact me at 303-449-0037. I know how busy you are, so I will
give you a call on Tuesday to follow up if I haven’t heard from you.
Best Regards,
Signature Block
Greg Parker
Enclosures
CC:
_______