How to paraphrase correctly?
I'm suposed to paraphrase the section below without quoting directly or using the writer's words, sentence structure, or paragraph structure. I have to include appropriate citation too.
Never Call Retreat, by Bruce Catton
Richmond people remembered how that last Sunday
came in as a special sort of day. It was warm, with a mild
breeze stirring the early blossoms on the capitol grounds;
the city’s churches were crowded, not because national
affairs were at crisis but simply because it was a good
day to go to church, with high spring in the air and Easter
only two weeks away. One woman recalled it as "one of
those unusually lovely days that the spring sometimes
brings, when delicate silks that look too fine at other
times seem just to suit." A Massachusetts soldier out in
the siege lines confessed that spring reaches Virginia
"with greater splendor" than New England ever sees, and
felt that there had not been a finer day than this one since
the creation. Secretary of the Navy Mallory wrote that in
all the war the city had never looked more serene and
quiet, and the woman who had put on her best silk said
that she never saw a calmer Sunday morning – or a more
thoroughly confused and alarming Sunday evening.
The news from Petersburg came up shortly after the
eleven o’clock services had begun, and an aide with a
telegram from General Lee extracted President Davis
from St. Paul’s just as Dr. Minnigerode intoned the
words: "The Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth
keep silence before Him." The congregation took Mr.
Davis’ departure calmly enough – after all, the President
might get called out of church at any time, by almost
anything – but other dignitaries were called out later,
from this church and from others, (444) and by early
afternoon the tidings had gone all across the city: Lee
was going to retreat, the government was to move out
tonight, the Yankees would take over in the morning.
Those who could leave the city were comparatively few;
for most people there could be nothing now but a
restless, fruitless stirring-about in the face of approaching
catastrophe. (445)
Comments
Although its a nice day, it felt like they're about to get a whoppin'.
First ignore the fluff, like the weather.
The easy trick is to just switch the nouns. So, Richmond people remembered how that last Sunday
came in as a special sort of day..becomes Last Sunday the people of Richmond remembered....
Another trick....use other words, so 'eleven o’clock services' becomes 'Mid-morning services'.
Another trick, use the full names..note the author uses the short versions, so 'General Lee' becomes 'General Robert E. Lee'