Wonderful Wednesday Words. Paraphrase
How often do I hear people getting themselves in knots (jdn völlig verwirren) trying to explain the word in English, which they want to use and don’t know. Paraphrasing (umschreiben) is an important tool in a learner’s toolkit (especially when in an international context without any other German speakers – so you can’t cheat!).
Here the KISS (Keep It Short & Simple) rule prevents you from getting yourself in those knots and, more importantly, spoil the conversation flow.
So here’s the technique.
What do you say in English for when (for verbs) …….. you
What do you say in English for a thing(ybob (Dingsbums)), which (for nouns/ objects) …….
What do you say in English for a person, who (for nouns/people) ……
What do you say in English for a place, where (for nouns/place) ……
What is another word/synonym for ………
A great game to practise is Taboo (you know the game in which you have to describe a word without using it and maybe certain other words). The added bonus is you often learn other words at the same time.
Happy paraphrasing today!!!!!!
It’s a very good game!
Thx for learning.