Make Your Point > Archived Issues > RECAPITULATE

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explore the archives: Surprisingly, recapitulate doesn't mean "capitulate again." Could you recall why? If you're not sure, please refer to the heading "A note on roots" in the issue for capitulate. English is bonkers! make your point with... "RECAPITULATE" Abbreviated to "recap" in informal contexts, "recapitulate" means to briefly summarize (or restate) the main points. Pronunciation: ree kuh PITCH you late Part of speech: Transitive verb. (Like "eat," "try," and "want," all transitive verbs do something to an object. You eat a banana, try a game, and want a new phone. Likewise, you recapitulate something.) Other forms: recapitulated, recapitulating, recapitulation How to use it: Talk about recapitulating the rules, recapitulating the steps in a process, recapitulating the possibilities or options available, recapitulating your points or your reasons, recapitulating the content of a lesson or textbook or presentation, recapitulating an argument or a perspective, recapitulating the aspects of the problem or the steps involved in the solution, recapitulating an event or story or controversy, recapitulating the plot of a novel or film, etc. Although this word is usually transitive, you can leave out the object when your meaning is clear: "Don't give me the whole speech again, please--just recapitulate." "I don't think you get it, so let me recapitulate." "Recapitulate" has specific meanings in theology, music, and biology. The biological one can be used figuratively, so it's worth a moment of our consideration. Evolutionary stages of development sometimes get recapitulated, or repeated, during a single organism's embryonic development. Neat! So figuratively, you might point out how one leader is recapitulating the mistakes of a previous leader, or how an individual child is recapitulating the progress humanity has made in cognition or ethics. Brian Eno, the outspoken music producer, once accused a nation's citizens of "recapitulating their own history as though they’ve forgotten it." examples: Go ahead and watch any episode in Season 5. They all start by recapitulating the storyline so far. Despite the neatly boxed bullet points in the textbook, the causes and effects of any large-scale war are complex; they resist recapitulation. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "recapitulate" means when you can explain it without saying "sum up" or "restate the main points." try it out: Think of a time you studied or rehearsed something in preparation for a test, an interview, a meeting, a conversation, an event, or an activity. Fill in the blanks: "Before _____, I mentally recapitulated _____."  Example: "Before shopping, I mentally recapitulate what I do need so I don't get distracted by cute stuff I don't need." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Language Techniques: When language sounds beautiful or memorable, often there’s some particular technique responsible for that effect. Each day this month, I’ll give you a specific stylistic technique or quality, and I’d like you to recreate (as closely as you can) the quote that I’ve botched by removing it. We’ll work our way from the easiest to the hardest techniques. Enjoy! From yesterday: "Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten." Here, Neil Gaiman makes use of antithesis, the placement of contrasting ideas side by side. Neil Armstrong's first step on the moon wasn't just "one giant leap for mankind." What's the fuller, antithetical description of this accomplishment? Answer: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."  Try this one today: Also known as agnomination and paronomasia, puns rely on same-sounding (or similar-sounding) words. Here's Oscar Wilde: "Immanuel doesn't pun, he Kant." Here's Bad Joke Eel: "Becoming a vegetarian is a huge missed steak." You might roll your eyes at puns or even despise them; still, you'll admit that they call attention to the fascinatingly arbitrary nature of English. So, how did this bit of dialogue from the 1998 film Rushmore really go? Dr. Flynn: These are O.R. scrubs. Max: For real? review today's word: 1. The closest opposite of RECAPITULATE is A. NOTE B. EXPAND C. ABBREVIATE 2. Perhaps the _____ thing you can do in your essay is _____ recapitulate the content of your application. A. least imaginative.. merely B. most efficient .. fully C. best .. faithfully Answers are below. a final word: To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. B 2. A