Guidelines on how to rephrase English sentences in the National High School Graduation Exam

1. Cases where sentences need to be rewritten in English

Khi nào chúng ta cần viết lại câu

Besides meeting the requirement of sentence rewriting in the exam, you need to utilize sentence restructuring in the following cases:

• Sử dụng dạng khác của từ trong câu
• Sử dụng một cấu trúc hoặc công thức trong tiếng Anh
• Chuyển đổi câu từ chủ động sang bị động
• Chuyển đổi câu từ trực tiếp sang gián tiếp
• Sử dụng trong các trường hợp về đảo ngữ

Some tips to remember when doing sentence rewriting exercises are:

• Câu được viết lại phải cùng thì với câu đã cho 
• Câu được viết lại phải đúng về ngữ pháp
• Câu được viết lại không đổi nghĩa so với câu ban đầu

2. Methods for sentence rewriting in English

How can sentence rewriting exercises be done effectively?

Để có thể đạt được điểm cao trong bài, bạn cần có cho mình cách làm bài viết lại câu hiệu quả. Sau đây là một vài mẹo bạn có thể tham khảo.

2.1. Remembering signs to recognize sentence rewriting tasks

An easy way to recognize sentence rewriting tasks is to carefully read the prompt or compare the original sentence with the answer. Typically, these exercises have answers that are quite similar to the sample sentences, making it easy for candidates to be misled and choose the wrong answer. Therefore, you need to have a good understanding of grammar and read the prompt carefully.

2.2. Steps to conquer sentence rewriting exercises

Here, Mytour will suggest 3 steps for you to excel at sentence rewriting exercises.

Step 1: Read through and eliminate at least one incorrect answer

You will read through 4 answers A, B, C, D and eliminate an obviously incorrect one. For example, eliminate the different or shortest sentence.

For the shortest sentence: typically, the exam will provide closely related sentences and answers of equivalent length. However, if one answer is longer or shorter by a word, it will create a difference. So, pay attention to the length of the first sentence.

For the different sentence: focus on the tense or meaning of the sentence. If one answer differs from the other 3, eliminate that sentence.

Step 2: Compare the remaining answers to find differences

In this step, you will identify differences among the 3 remaining answers to eliminate the next 2 incorrect answers. In the past 4 years from 2018 – 2021, the National High School Graduation Exam in English has focused heavily on:

• Câu tường thuật
• Các phép so sánh
• Modal verb

However, that's just the trend of previous years. It's very likely that this new year will bring differences, so you need to study enough grammar to be confident in sentence rewriting and score full marks.

Step 3: Choose the correct answer

After eliminating all answers that are not suitable in terms of grammar and meaning compared to the original sentence, you will be able to choose the correct answer in the sentence rewriting section.

3. Some ways to rewrite sentences for specific types in English

3.1. Rewriting conditional sentences (Conditionals)

Example: I don’t have enough money with me now; otherwise I would buy that coat.A. If I didn’t have enough money with me now, I would buy that coat.B. If I had enough money with me now, I would buy that coat.C. If I have had enough money with me now, I wouldn’t have bought that coat.D. If I didn’t have enough money now, I wouldn’t buy that coat.

To construct this sentence, we need to remember how to use and the formulas of different types of conditional sentences.

• Câu điều kiện loại 1: diễn tả sự việc có thể xảy trong hiện tại hoặc tương lai

• Câu điều kiện loại 2: diễn tả tình huống không có thật ở hiện tại

• Câu điều kiện loại 3: diễn tả tình huống không có thật trong quá khứ

(Với p1 là past tense, p2 là past participle)

“I don’t have enough money with me now; otherwise I would buy that coat.” -> Currently, I don't have enough money, otherwise, I would buy that coat => If I had enough money (not true in the present), I would buy that coat => Type 2 conditional sentence.

We eliminate answer C. Answers A and D are incorrect because my lack of money is true in the present => Therefore, the answer is B.

3.2. Transforming from active voice to passive voice

Eg: You should clean this room every day.A. This room should be cleaned everyday.B. This room should been cleaned everyday.C. This room should clean everyday.D. You should be clean everyday

Steps to determine the corresponding passive voice answer to the active voice sentence:

• Bước 1: Câu bị động sẽ đổi vị trí của chủ ngữ và tân ngữ của câu ban đầu

We eliminate answer D.

• Bước 2: So sánh thì giữa câu hỏi và đáp án và kết hợp ngữ pháp cơ bản để loại bỏ các câu sai còn lại.

Answers B and C are incorrect because the modal verb 'should' is only used with the base form of the verb, not with the infinitive or participle 2 and adjectives. Therefore, the answer is A.

3.3. Converting from direct speech to reported speech

Eg: “If I were you, I would take a break,” Tom said to Daisy.A. Tom wanted to take a break with Daisy.B. Tom advised Daisy to take a break.C. Tom suggested not taking a break.D. Tom wanted to take a break, and so did Daisy.

For this type of sentence, we can paraphrase the question and then match it with the closest meaning answer. Pay special attention to the verb in the sentence.

Dịch: “Nếu tôi là bạn, tôi sẽ nghỉ giải lao.” Tom nói với Daisy.

1. Tom muốn nghỉ giải lao với Daisy. => Không có thông tin
2. Tom khuyên Daisy nên nghỉ giải lao. => Sát nghĩa nhất
3. Tom gợi ý không nên nghỉ giải lao. => Sai thông tin
4. Tom muốn nghỉ giải lao, và Daisy cũng vậy. => Không có thông tin

So the answer is B.

3.4. Rewriting inverted sentences (Inversion)

Inversion is a rather difficult topic, so candidates often get confused when encountering these types of sentences. Remember, there are two main types of inversion: inverting auxiliary verbs before subjects and inverting verbs before subjects.

• Khi các trạng từ hay các cấu trúc mang nghĩa phủ định (never, hardly ever, not until, not only but also…) đứng đầu câu thì câu phải đảo trợ động từ lên trước động từ.
  Ví dụ: Not only is he a good cook, but also a brilliant physician.
• Khi các phó từ chỉ nơi chốn đứng đầu câu (in Hanoi, behind that wall, here, there…), ta có thể đảo động từ lên trước chủ ngữ.
  Ví dụ: On top of the hill stood a tiny church.

Eg: I write to him almost everyday.A. Not a day goes by unless my writing to him (Sai vì phải sử dụng without thay cho unless, unless chỉ đi với mệnh đề)B. Hardly does a day go by without my writing to him (Đúng vì có đảo trợ động từ lên trước chủ ngữ)C. No day go by without my writing to him (Sai, cách viết đúng phải là not a day goes by)D. Almost everyday goes by without my writing for him (Sai vì nghĩa không đúng với câu ban đầu)

So the answer is B.

3.5. Rewriting wish sentences

Our wishes are divided into three types: wishes for changes in the present, past, and future. Because wishes are often unrealistic, we have to shift the tense of the wish back by one tense when writing the sentence.

• Ước thay đổi hiện tại: S + wish + S + V(ed/p1) + O

Eg: He wishes he were rich. (In reality, he is not rich.)

* Lưu ý: động từ to be trong câu ước luôn được chia là were với tất cả các chủ ngữ

• Ước thay đổi quá khứ: S + wish + S + V(ed/p2) + O

Eg: I wish I hadn’t called her a slacker. (In reality, I called her a slacker)

• Ước thay đổi tương lai: S + wish + S + would/could + V + O

Eg: I wish she would stop driving so carelessly. (I wish she wouldn't drive so carelessly anymore)

Applied to the exercise: 

I regret not going to the airport to see her off(Tôi hối hận vì đã không đến sân bay tiễn cô ấy => Tôi ước tôi đã đến sân bay tiễn cô ấy)A. I wish had gone to the airport to see her off (Sai vì thiếu chủ ngữ)B. I wish I could go to the airport to see her off (Sai vì đây là ước thay đổi tương lai)C. I wish I had gone to the airport to see her off (Đúng vì là thay đổi quá khứ)D. I wish to go to the airport to see her off (Sai vì wish + to V có nghĩa là mong muốn làm gì đó chứ không phải ước)

So the answer is C.

4. Combining sentences in English

In a similar fashion to sentence rewriting exercises, to excel in sentence combining tasks, you also need effective strategies. Here are some tips from Mytour on how to master sentence combining tasks.

Viết lại câu là bài tập phổ biến trong tiếng Anh

4.1. Recognizing signs of sentence combining tasks

When you encounter a question like: “Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that best combines each pair of sentences in the following questions”, or you see two standalone sentences in the answer choices next to each other, then it's a sentence combining task.

In recent years, the National High School English Exam often employs advanced grammar structures such as inversion, conditionals, wishes, etc., so besides knowing basic structures, candidates also need to equip themselves with advanced grammar knowledge.

4.2. Strategies to conquer sentence combining tests

Step 1: Read and identify the sentence type

In the first step, you need to carefully read the two given sentences in the question and determine their relationship. It could be a cause-effect, contrast, or condition sentence. To do this, candidates need a diverse vocabulary and grammar foundation. This is the basis for you to move on to the next step more easily.

Step 2: Compare and analyze sentences

In this step, read carefully and underline the structures used in the 4 answer choices. Then, consider the meaning of each sentence and compare them with the original sentence to evaluate their equivalence. If two of the remaining 3 choices are not similar, you can eliminate them immediately.

Step 3: Choose the correct answer

After eliminating all unrelated answers, you will see the final answer. So why wait? Circle it right away, shall we?

5. Examples of sentence rewriting exercises in English

To help you understand more about sentence rewriting exercises during practice, Mytour will provide some specific examples of this type of exercise.

PRACTICE:

1. People believed he won a lot of money on the lottery. 

A. It is believed that he won a lot of money in the lottery.
B. It is believed that he won a lot of money in the lottery.
C. It is believed that he has won a lot of money in the lottery.
D. He was believed to have won a lot of money in the lottery.

1. Somebody might have stolen your car. 

A. Your car might have been stolen.
B. It is possible that somebody stole your car.
C. Your car might be stolen.
D. Your car might have been stolen by somebody.

1. “Why don’t you get your hair cut, Gavin?” Said Adam . 

A. Adam advised Gavin to get a haircut.
B. Gavin was advised to have a haircut.
C. It was advised that Adam get Gavin's haircut.
D. Adam suggested that Gavin should have a haircut.

1. “Leave my house now or I’ll call the police!” shouted the lady to the man. 

A. The lady threatened to call the police if the man didn't leave her house.
B. The lady threatened to call the police if the man didn't leave her house.
C. The lady warned the man that she would call the police if he didn't leave her house.
D. The lady warned the man that she would call the police if he didn't leave her house.

1. Students are forbidden to bring their phones into the exam room. There is no exception whatsoever.

A. Students are not prohibited from bringing their phones into the exam room.
B. Students are not prohibited from bringing their phones into the exam room under any circumstances.
C. Students are not permitted to bring their phones into the exam room under any circumstances.
D. Students were not permitted to bring their phones into the exam room at any time.

1. Mike doesn’t feel well today. He can’t go out with his friends.

A. If Mike had felt well today, he could have gone out with his friends.
B. Assuming that Mike feels well today, he can’t go out with his friends.
C. Mike wishes he felt well today so that he could go out with his friends.
D. If only Mike had felt well today, he could have gone out with his friends.

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