Paraphrasing

• Paraphrasing


  Text written in different words than the original text, but retaining the contextual meaning of the original text, and citing the author(s) of the original source
• Upon completion of this unit you should be able: List and identify the different parts of the Word 2016 Window, Apply formatting changes such as text type, text colour and text size, Use the format painter feature to copy formatting from one part of a document and to apply it to another part of an identified document, Produce professional tables and edit existing tables according to given criteria or instructions, Use the office assistant to resolve problems and find solutions to common issues in Microsoft word or the office suite, Show the results of documents produced by printing such documents
• Paraphrase


  • Is about the same length as the original text - can be longer + can be 2 sentences in stead of 1
  • Is more detailed than a summary + can include supporting ideas + examples
  • Uses different words than the original text
  • Is better than quoting from an undistinguished text
  • Helps control over-quoting
  • The mental process of writing a good paraphrase helps you to understand the meaning of the original text
  • The original source needs to be cited properly, if not = plagiarism
• Paraphrasing steps


  1. Study-read the text from which you wish to take information + make sure you understand the text – re-read if necessary

  2. Locate the individual statement(s) that you wish to use in your own writing; read the statement(s) with focus + attention, limit your self to writing about 3 statements; you can always write more later

  3. Put the original text away + write the statement(s) from memory

  4. Change the sentence structure (the order of the ideas) + use contextual synonyms for some of the words

  5. Cite the source properly (surname of author(s) + date of publication)
• Before attempting this module you should attempt and complete the first module, Introduction to Computers, of the ICT Literacy course
• The earliest version of Microsoft Word was released in 1983. Since then, there have been many versions, each one bringing significant advances never seen before. In this module, we are going to be using Microsoft Word 2016
• Paraphrasing strategies/techniques


  • Change negative statements into positive statements
  • Change active voice statements into passive voice or vice versa
  • Combine or divide sentences (be careful not to have too long sentences)
  • Select appropriate + contextual synonyms to integrate in the paraphrase
  • Change the word class of a word, i.e. from verb to noun, e.g. 'collect data' to 'data collection'
  • Compare your paraphrase with the original to check whether you managed to retain the meaning
• To launch or open Word 2016 on your computer


  1. Click the Start button

  2. Click on All Programs

  3. Click on Microsoft Office

  4. Click on Microsoft Word
• Do not merely substitute a few key words with synonyms + think the statement you wrote is a paraphrase – surface level changes – laziness
• Do not keep the same sentence structure as in the original text, only making minor changes – that is laziness
• The Ribbon


  Contains shortcuts to commonly used commands or functions in Microsoft Word. There are usually seven menu items in a document (Home, Insert, Page Layout, References, Mailings, Review and View). Each menu item has an individual ribbon that contains shortcuts to word features
• Do not distort the meaning of the text by the poor choice of synonyms – indicates a failure of comprehension of text
• The Title Bar


  Found at the top of the document window, it contains the quick access toolbar on the upper left corner, the name of the document (Document 1 in this case) and the name of the application used to create the document (Microsoft Word). The close, maximise and minimize buttons can also be found on the right most corner of the title bar
• Do not change the facts presented in the original document – misrepresentation of original author's claims/misunderstanding
• The Ruler


  The top ruler is known as the horizontal ruler and the left ruler as the vertical ruler. The ruler is used for adjusting the working area and aligning the text and content on a page
• All these actions above – plagiarism – loss of marks
• Microsoft Word Help


  A handy feature that is used to browse or search for up-to-date topics on how to use any of the features available in Word
• The Dialog Box Launcher

  Used to display hidden menus or further options under a specific section. An example is the dialog box launcher found in the Font section
• The Status Bar


  Found in the bottom left hand corner of the document. It displays information about the active document such as number of pages in a document, the current page, and the number of words used in that particular document
• View Buttons


  Used to change the layout of a document. There are four main views: Print Layout View, Full Screen Reading, Web Layout, Outline and Draft
• The Document Area


  The white area of the document window where one can type the desired text and insert objects
• Zoom Control Buttons


  Used to increase the size of the document area. This can be done by clicking on the plus or minus button or alternatively by clicking and dragging the slider to the left to decrease the size of the document area or to the right to increase the size of the document area
• Minimize Ribbon


  Used to minimise the ribbon, clicking on this button will remove the bulky looking ribbon, giving you more space to work with
• To create and save a document

  1. Click the Start button

  2. Click on All Programs

  3. Click on Microsoft Office

  4. Click on Microsoft Word

  5. Type text in the document

  6. Click the Save icon on the Quick Access Toolbar, or Click on File tab, then choose Save or Save As, or Press CTRL+S

  7. In the Save As dialog box, navigate to the desired location (e.g. Desktop) and enter the file name (e.g. Word Exercises)

  8. Click Save
• To open a document

  1. Double Click on the file, or Open Microsoft Word and Click the File tab, and select and click on Open

  2. Navigate to the correct folder (i.e. the Desktop)

  3. Click on the name of the file (i.e. Word Exercises)

  4. Click on the Open button
• To change the case of text

  1. Highlight the text

  2. Click the Change case dropdown on the Home tab
• The Ruler


  The white area on the ruler is the active margin in which we can type text and insert content
• To copy text


  1. Select the text to copy

  2. Click the Copy button on the Home ribbon (or press CTRL+C)

  3. Select the location to paste the text

  4. Click the Paste button on the ribbon (or press CTRL+V)
• Formatting


  The process of changing the look and appearance of text or other objects in a document. In Microsoft Word, this is done using the commands found in the Font dialog box
• To create a new paragraph

  1. Place the cursor at the point where the current paragraph should end

  2. Press the Enter key twice
• To delete a paragraph

  1. Place the cursor at the point where the paragraph should be joined to the previous paragraph

  2. Press the Backspace key, until the two paragraphs are merged
• To align text left

  1. Select the paragraph

  2. Click the Align Text Left button on the Home Tab (or press CTRL+L)
• To align text right

  1. Select the paragraph

  2. Click the Align Text Right button on the Home Tab (or press CTRL+R)
• To centre align text

  1. Select the paragraph

  2. Click the Centre button on the Home Tab (or press CTRL+C)
• To justify text


  1. Select the paragraph

  2. Click the Justify button on the Home Tab (or press CTRL+J)
• To apply line spacing


  1. Select the text

  2. Click the Line Spacing button on the Paragraph group of the Home tab

  3. Choose the desired option
• To apply spacing before or after a paragraph

  1. Select the paragraph

  2. Click the Line Spacing button on the Paragraph group of the Home tab

  3. Choose the desired option (Add Space Before or Add Space After) paragraph
• Right alignment


  1. Select the paragraph

  2. Click the Align Text Right button

  3. Press CTRL+R
• Centre alignment


  1. Select the paragraph

  2. Click the Centre button

  3. Press CTRL+C
• Justify


  1. Select the paragraph

  2. Click the Justify button

  3. Press CTRL+J