When making a strong argument, it helps to restate the point several times. Restating a claim can help ensure people understand the meaning and the importance of a claim. Restating information in writing is important for crafting strong, clear, and effective essays.
Restate Definition
Restating information can help writers reinforce an important claim and ensure readers understand it.
To restate something means to say it again, often with slightly different language.
Restating does not mean repeating. When a writer restates something, they change the wording a bit so that the restatement does not repeat the same exact sentence.
Fig. 1 - Restating is expressing the same ideas with new words.
Importance of Restating
Restating information helps writers clearly communicate their ideas throughout a text. When a writer restates an important claim, they remind the reader of that point and help them understand it better through new words. Restating the main point of an essay at the end is also useful because it helps connect all the body paragraphs back to the thesis.
Restating claims to reiterate them is particularly important when writing an argumentative essay. When a writer needs to convince their reader of a point of view, restating that point of view and the supporting evidence helps influence the reader's perspective.
Methods to Restate
To restate a claim, writers should follow the following steps:
Choose Where to Restate Information
Writers should restate claims where it's appropriate. For instance, abruptly restating a thesis statement after including a quote from a secondary source might confuse a reader. Instead, writers will restate claims in their topic sentences and conclusion.
In a 5-paragraph essay, writers typically state their thesis for the first time at the end of paragraph one, the introduction. Then they have three body paragraphs in which they provide supporting claims and evidence for that thesis. Finally, in the fifth paragraph, the writer will restate their thesis. Restating the claim here is crucial because it connects the three supporting paragraphs back to the main point. For example, the following outline demonstrates how a writer might organize a 5-paragraph essay and use restatement:
Intro:
In this paragraph, the writer will introduce the context of the topic and explain why it is important. For instance, in this essay, the writer will explain that the drinking age in the United States leads to the criminalization and endangerment of teenagers. Then they might state the following thesis:
The drinking age should be eighteen in the United States because it will encourage responsible alcohol consumption in teens, reduce crime, and boost the economy.
Body Paragraph 1:
In this paragraph, the writer will elaborate on their first supporting point, that reducing the legal drinking age will encourage more responsible alcohol consumption. They will need to use evidence to support this claim, such as statistics from academic studies or quotes from credible people who have experienced this firsthand.
Body Paragraph 2:
In this paragraph, the writer will go into detail about the second supporting point, that lowering the drinking age will lower the rates of crime. To support this claim with evidence, the writer might point to the rates of adolescent crimes involving alcohol.
Body Paragraph 3:
In the last body paragraph, the writer will explain the third supporting point, that lowering the drinking age will be good for the economy. Here, the writer could use evidence like how much money countries with a lower drinking age make from alcohol sales.
Conclusion:
In the conclusion, the writer will need to restate the main argument. The reader has been reading the supporting points, so it's been a while since they have reflected on the overall argument. To restate the argument with new words, the writer might write something like:
The United States needs a lower legal drinking age. Lowering the legal drinking age would help teens drink more responsibly, discourage them from illegal behavior, and lead to financial growth.
Consider New Ways to Express the Point
To restate a point, writers should consider how to express the idea again. It can be tempting to rearrange the exact wording of the original phrase when restating it. However, this can be challenging and lead to redundancy in writing. Instead, writers should reflect on the idea they are trying to express and come up with another way to articulate it.
If struggling to restate a concept, writers can ask themselves the following questions:
What point am I trying to make?
What are some synonyms for the words that describe this point?
What are the reasons why I'm making this point?
Use Different Words
Restatements should not use the same exact words and phrases from the original text. For example, note the difference between this thesis statement and how the writer restates it later.
Thesis:
In Shakespeare's play Macbeth (1623), Macbeth's ambition paves the way for his downfall.
Restatement:
Macbeth met his tragic end as a result of his ambition.
Fig. 2 - Using a thesaurus (a book of synonyms) can be useful when choosing different words for a restatement.
Use Different Sentence Structure
Restatements should also use different sentence structures, which is the arrangement of grammatical elements. For example, writers should strive not to put the subject and predicate in the same places in the restatement of an idea.
Thesis:
Everyone should carpool to work because it reduces greenhouse gas emissions, encourages socialization, and is cost-effective.
Restatement:
The environmental and social benefits make carpooling the best option for commuting.
Example of Restating
Writers often restate the main point of their essay in the conclusion to ensure the reader leaves with a comprehensive understanding. For example, imagine a writer writes a paper with the following thesis statement:
All schools should eliminate uniforms because they inhibit creative expression and do not help students succeed in school.
The writer might restate this claim for emphasis at the start of their conclusion like this:
Ultimately, schools should no longer require uniforms because they prevent students from expressing themselves and do not impact academic achievement.
Note how the writer communicates the same idea in both sentences but in different ways. Presenting this material with different language avoids redundancy and thus keeps the reader engaged. Also, phrasing the points in different ways like "inhibiting creative expression" and "preventing students from expressing themselves" shows readers the same idea through different perspectives, which increases the likelihood that they will understand it.
Difference Between Restate and Paraphrase
The difference between restating and paraphrasing is that paraphrasing means rewording something to make it clear. When a writer paraphrases information, they condense the information to make it easier to understand. When restating something, the writer expresses the same point again but with slightly different words. For instance, the following example demonstrates the difference between paraphrasing and restating a claim about climate change.
Due to climate change, humans will face wars over water, harsh winters, and rising sea levels in the next few decades.
Paraphrase:
Climate change will cause several challenges for humans, such as extreme weather conditions and conflict.
Restatement:
Humans will have to struggle with extreme temperatures, water levels, and conflict over natural resources, all because of climate change.
Writers summarize a topic when they want to craft a concise overview of it. While summaries communicate a source's main points in a clear, direct manner, they may omit information that is useful for readers who want a more in-depth overview. When writers want to communicate all the ideas of a text, not just the most important ones, they should use restatement instead of a summary.
When paraphrasing, writers can leave out certain parts of the original text. They paraphrase the most important parts. In contrast, writers need to express all parts of the original information when restating information.
Restatements are also shorter than summaries. A summary is a brief overview of a text's main points. Summaries are always shorter than the original text. They help writers communicate the most important information about a text to readers and demonstrate their knowledge of the text. Restatements can be shorter or longer than the original text.
Restate - Key Takeaways
- To restate something means to say it again, often with slightly different language.
- Restating information helps writers tie the information from their thesis to their body paragraphs and convince their readers of their main point.
- To restate information, writers should first select where they should restate it in a logical manner.
- After deciding where to restate information, writers should consider a new way to present the idea.
- Restating is different from paraphrasing because in paraphrasing, writers cut down the original information and put it in their own words.
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