The Painter in You: Exploring the Art of Vigorous Sentence Manipulation

3 Manipulation Techniques  Participle  Appositive  Action Verbs

Why These Techniques are Important. Paraphrasing is an extremely difficult skill to master because it depends on a strong grasp of vocabulary and the ability to manipulate sentence structure. Mastering these techniques will give you the tools you need to paraphrase effectively and avoid plagiarism.

Participles Definition: -ing verb or verb phrase tagged on to the beginning or end of a sentence.

Participles Summer Reading Example 1: Original Sentence: “Gray Beaver also had an important part in this by treating the dogs worse than White Fang which increased their hatred considerably.” Rewritten Sentence with Participle: Gray Beaver also had an important part in this by treating the dogs worse than White Fang, increasing their hatred considerably. Paraphrased Sentence Using Participles: Playing a central role in White Fang’s development, Gray Beaver treated White Fang with more respect than the dogs, angering them and turning them against him.

Participles Summer Reading Example 2: Original Sentence: “As he goes through life, he also goes through stages where he learns to become more responsible. He also becomes more knowledgeable and wise.” Rewritten Sentence with Participle: As he goes through life, he also goes through stages of learning, becoming more responsible, knowledgeable, and wise. Paraphrased Sentence Using Participles: Passing through stages of learning, Jonas gains a greater understanding of the world around him, becoming more responsible in the process.

Appositives Definition: Nouns or noun phrases that add a second image to a preceding noun.

Appositives Summer Reading Example 1: Original Sentence: “Through skill White Fang managed to kill several dogs in the Indian villages after his training.” Rewritten Sentence with Appositive: White Fang, a skillful fighter, managed to kill several dogs in the Indian villages. Paraphrased Sentence Using Appositives: White Fang, a frequent dog killer in the Indian community, proved himself to be a skillful fighter.

Appositives Summer Reading Example 2: Original Sentence: “Similarly, in the book White Fang, White Fang’s mother is opposite of him because she is relatively old and knows about the outside world while white Fang is very young and only of “the lair.” Rewritten Sentence with Appositive: Similarly, in the book White Fang, White Fang’s mother, a relatively old and cunning wolf, contrasts with her son who is very young and only of “the lair.” Paraphrased Sentence Using Appostives: Throughout the novel, White Fang, a young and very inexperienced wolf, contrasts with his older and more cunning mother.

Eliminating Be Verbs with Action Verbs and Adjectives This will probably not work for paraphrasing on its own. It will be a tool you combine with the other two techniques.

Action Verbs Summer Reading Example 1: Original Sentence: “Earlier in the book, when Napoleon is sick, he decrees that “the drinking of alcohol is to be punishable by death”(pg. 107). Rewritten Sentence with Action Verb: Earlier in the book, a sickly Napoleon decrees that “the drinking of alcohol is to be punishable by death”(pg. 107).

Action Verbs Summer Reading Example 2: Original Sentence: “There is also quite a bit of irony in The Other Side of the Sky. For example, Farah goes shopping with her mother and brothers for fabric for her new clothes. This is symbolic of Farah finally accepting her life in Afghanistan.” Rewritten Sentence with Action Verb: Irony flourishes in The Other Side of the Sky. For example, Farah goes shopping with her mother and brothers for fabric for her new clothes, a symbol of Farah finally accepting her life in Afghanistan.

These are a few glorious tools to assist you in paraphrasing. Enjoy and may the art of sentence manipulation be with you.