recapitulation

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "recapitulation" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when summarizing or restating the main points of a discussion or text. Example: "In conclusion, the recapitulation of the main arguments highlights the importance of addressing climate change."

✓ Grammatically correct

Encyclopedias

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

57 human-written examples

I discovered in my 40s that he is just a recapitulation of the things that the high modernists had already done, and that he basically just ripped off Joyce.

The Economist

A quarrel between their successors over a rare white hawk provoked the first battles and helped turn the Sikhs into a people of martial renown.A martyrdom or two later the last guru, Gobind Singh, founded the Khalsa, the brotherhood of "pure ones", in a Sikh recapitulation of the binding of Isaac.

The Economist

However, unlike the space-station jaunts, a trip around the moon would not be a mere commercial recapitulation of a type of mission that had already been flown.Soyuz, Russia's manned spacecraft, is a tried and tested design, but it has never been to the moon.

The Economist

And now a team from the University of Melbourne, in Australia, has found an even more striking example of recapitulation, which more or less proves one of the oddest ideas to emerge from evolutionary biology: that elephants are derived from mermaids.Not actual mermaids, of course.

The Economist

The embryos of animals, he reckoned, experienced a process that he called "recapitulation".

The Economist

In 1913 Woodrow Wilson revived the personal address and shifted its focus, changing it from a simple recapitulation of the executive branch's recent activities to a road map of the president's legislative agenda for the upcoming year.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Following the development comes a recapitulation of the exposition, this time all in the tonic key (before c. 1770 the recapitulation sometimes retained the key scheme of the exposition, except for the closing bars), resolving the harmonic tension of the development.

Encyclopedia Britannica

In his greatest sonata movements, such as the first allegro of the Eroica, the listener's subconscious mind remains oriented to E-flat major even in the most distant keys, so that when, long before the recapitulation, the music touches on the dominant (B-flat), this is immediately recognizable as being the dominant.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

3 human-written examples

His later sonata-form compositions in all instrumental genres when they follow the rough traditional scheme of exposition, development, and recapitulation modify it substantially.

Encyclopedia Britannica

For this reason their specific form does not depend, as did that of the Classical sonata, on the exposition development recapitulation principle of contrast, conflict, and reconciliation of keys.

Encyclopedia Britannica

The exposition thus creates an opposition of tonalities or key areas that the rest of the movement the development and recapitulation will strive to reconcile.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "recapitulation" when you want to refer to a structured and comprehensive summary, particularly in academic or formal contexts.

Common error

Avoid using "recapitulation" in casual conversations or informal writing. Simpler terms like "summary" or "recap" are more appropriate for everyday use.

Linguistic Context

The primary grammatical function of "recapitulation" is as a noun. It refers to the act of summarizing or restating something. Ludwig shows examples across various contexts, confirming its role in providing a condensed version of information.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Encyclopedias

27%

News & Media

16%

Science

14%

Less common in

Formal & Business

2%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "recapitulation" functions as a noun referring to a structured summary or review. As confirmed by Ludwig, this term finds its home in formal contexts like academic writing, scientific discussions, and news reports. The word helps provide clarity, reinforce understanding, and lend authority to the restatement of key points. While grammatically correct, it's best to avoid "recapitulation" in casual settings, opting for simpler synonyms like "summary" or "recap" instead.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

summary

A shorter, more general term for presenting the main points.

review

Implies a more critical assessment or re-examination of the material.

recap

A very brief and informal summary.

summing up

Indicates the act of providing a concise overview at the end.

overview

A general description or summary of the main points.

condensation

Focuses on reducing something into a more compact form.

restatement

Emphasizes saying something again, often in a different way.

distillation

Implies extracting the most important aspects or essence.

abridgement

Shortened version of a written work.

synopsis

A brief summary or outline.

FAQs

How to use "recapitulation" in a sentence?

"Recapitulation" is used to refer to a summary or review of previously stated points. For example, "The final chapter provides a "recapitulation" of the book's main arguments".

What can I say instead of "recapitulation"?

You can use alternatives like "summary", "review", or "recap" depending on the level of formality and detail required.

Which is correct, "recapitulation" or "recapitulization"?

"Recapitulation" is the correct spelling. "Recapitulization" is not a recognized word in English.

What's the difference between "recapitulation" and "summary"?

"Recapitulation" often implies a more structured and comprehensive review, while "summary" is a more general term for a brief overview of the main points.