2. PARAPHRASING
What is Paraphrasing?
Paraphrasing attempts to restate the relevant information. Paraphrasing
is presenting ideas and information in your own words and
acknowledging the source. An effective paraphrasing usually:
Has a different structure to the original
Has mainly different vocabulary
Retains the same meaning
Keeps some words from the original that are essential (e.g. ‘Industrial
Revolution’ or ‘eighteenth century’)
3. TECHNIQUES OF PARAPHRASING
1) Changing vocabulary by using Synonyms:
Argues Claims Eighteenth century 1700s
Wages Labor costs Economize Savings
Example Sentence:
The area is widely perceived as risky by investors.
Investment in the region is considered as a significant risk.
He is too lazy.
He is very sluggish.
4. TECHNIQUES OF PARAPHRASING
2) Changing word class (Part of Speech):
Explanation (N) > Explain (V)
Mechanical (Adj) > Mechanize (V)
Improvement (N) > Improve (V)
Profitable (Adj) > Profitability (N)
Example sentence:
Privatization has failed.
The failure of private sector.
5. TECHNIQUES OF PARAPHRASING
3) Changing Word Order:
Example:
The reporter reported that Malaria kills more than one million people
annually.
It is reported that every year more than one million people are killed
by Malaria. (Passive structure)
4) Changing the grammatical structure with a negation:
Good > not bad Strong > not weak
Educated > not uneducated Known > not unknown
6. TECHNIQUES OF PARAPHRASING
Example sentence:
Progress has been slower than was anticipated.
Progress in the area has not been as rapid as expected.
The new government has handled the matters professionally.
The new government has not been unprofessional in handling the
matters.
7. TECHNIQUES OF PARAPHRASING
Rule 5:
You can also split a sentence in two sentences for example:
The koala bear of Australia is a living “Teddy Bear.”
Paraphrase:
The koala bear lives in Australia. It is really a “Teddy Bear” that is alive.
Rule 6:
Try to translate the concept and not the words. (Example later in the slides)
13. GENDER & BRAIN
It is widely agreed that men and women think and act in different ways.
Women appear to have better memories, better social skills and are more
competent at multitasking. Men, in contrast, seem to focus better on issues
and have superior motor and spatial skills, although clearly many people
are exceptions to these patterns.
14. PRACTICE: GIVE IT A TRY
Passage:
The koala bear of Australia is a living “Teddy Bear.” Its thick coat of gray
fur is just as soft as the beloved toy. The koala has a large head, big
ears and small, dark eyes that look at you without expression. Its nose,
as black as patent leather, seems too big for the rest of its face.
15. PARAPHRASE
The koala bear lives in Australia. It is really a “Teddy Bear” that is
alive. It has thick gray fur that feels as soft as that of the toy bear.
The koala has special features: big head, large ears, and little, dark
eyes without expression. As black as shiny leather, the koala’s nose
appears to be too large for his face.
16. PRACTICE EXERCISE FOR STUDENTS
1. At that moment they saw a traveler walking across the road. (Active to
passive by using synonyms)
2. He took the first turn to bat. (Say the same in a different way)
3. He pushed with all his strength (Use “put” with synonyms)
4. He gave me a warm smile (Change the word class of “warm”)
5. There was a villager. He was illiterate. (Paraphrase and combine both
sentences into one)
6. The shopkeeper gave him a doubtful look. (change the word class of
“doubtful” and rearrange the sentence)
17. 7. Thus, these evil people met with an evil end. (try to translate the concept
and not the words)
8. Plain words of advice or scolding do not have much effect on young people.
(bring the words “Young people” at the beginning)
9. I have seven servants in my house. One of them has stolen my bag of
precious pearls. (Convert to a single sentence by using a few synonyms,
change the form of “stolen”, don’t use “have seven”)
PRACTICE EXERCISE FOR STUDENTS
18. 10. He gave a stick to each one of them. (use synonyms intelligently)
11. Once a mischievous boy lived in a village that stood in the feet of a hill. (start
the sentence with the word “There”, use synonyms and the relative pronouns
“who & which”)
12. Standing on a high rock, he shouted at the top of his voice.
(Translate the concept in your own words)
PRACTICE EXERCISE FOR STUDENTS
19. 13. The glass is half empty (Translate the concept)
14. The company acquired four daily newspapers from The Dawn. (use inverse
relationship by using the opposite of “acquired”)
15. Only very few students passed the exam. (use inverse relation_
16. At least 13 people were killed by a suicide bomber on a bus in downtown
Jerusalem this morning (Change the focus)
17. Emma cried, and he tried to console her, decorating his words with puns.
(Lexical variation, saying the same in different words)
PRACTICE EXERCISE FOR STUDENTS
20. PRACTICE EXERCISE FOR STUDENTS
Paraphrase the following sentences by applying the techniques of paraphrasing:
1. The new business may earn some profits
2. The US government declared that Coronavirus virus poses a national
security threat.
3. Minority groups in Pakistan have been hit hardest by the pandemic.
4. Majority of the people in Pakistan are not educated and literate.
5. Pakistan depends upon financial aid.
