2. Contents
1. What is Paraphrasing ?
2. Paraphrasing, Summaries and Direct quotations ?
3. Five paraphrasing techniques and exercises
4. Five paraphrasing tips
5. Sample Paraphrases
6. Conclusion
3. 1. What is Paraphrasing ?
• Paraphrasing is writing down an author’s ideas in your own words. It is
not simply substituting the author’s exact words with synonyms.
• A successful paraphrase is different from the original text in vocabulary
and style but still contains the author’s main ideas.
• Paraphrasing is NOT a direct copy of the text. If you directly copy the
text without including a citation you are PLAGIARIZING (7 Ways to
Paraphrase, p.1)
4. 2. Paraphrases, Summaries and
Direct quotations
a. A paraphrase is an extract from another source re-written by another
person.
• A paraphrase contains all or most of the points of the original text and is
around the same length. A reference must be provided.
5. b. A summary is a kind of paraphrase, in the sense that it is also written in
one’s own words. However, a summary only contains points judged to be
important, and is therefore shorter than the source text. A reference must be
provided.
6. c. A direct quotation is quite different from a paraphrase or summary. Direct quotations feature
the exact words of a writer given in inverted commas, again, with reference details provided.
“I will open the country again” said Hun Sen
Hun Sen said the nation in projected to run entirely again. Paraphrase
7. 3. Five paraphrasing techniques and
exercises
1. Use synonyms:
• Using appropriate synonyms is the most important paraphrasing skill. But,
please refer to a good thesaurus or dictionary and pay attention to usage. Not
all words that are synonyms are used in the same way or have the same
meaning.
• Try to find synonyms for verbs and adjectives for the words used in the
original source or your simplified version of the source.
8.
9. 1.1. Let’s take another look at our first paraphrasing example:
The original passage:
“Artistic, diverse and ever-changing, Vancouver is a hub of cultural activity.
The fact that the city boasts a number of notable cultural institutions, such as
the Vancouver Art Gallery and the Vancouver Opera, is known to many” (Lang
20).
10. • The paraphrase:
Vancouver is a major cultural centre on Canada’s west coast. The Vancouver Art
Gallery and the Vancouver Opera are just two examples of its many famous
cultural venues (Lang 20).
Explanation:
– “cultural centre” instead of “hub of cultural activity”
– “Venues” instead of “institutions” – venue means a place that people
go to, so it works in this paraphrase as a substitute for institutions. It
might not work in all contexts, however, which is why it is important to
use English language dictionaries.
11. 2. Use different parts of speech and different word order
• Consider changing words into different part of speech
(Ex. changing nouns into verbs or adjectives into adverbs). Doing so will
involve changing the sentence structure.
• Another way to change the voice in a paraphrase is to switch
verbs in the original text to their noun forms in your paraphrase.
You can also try switching nouns into verbs that have the same
or similar meaning.
12.
13. 2.1. Samples:
• Examples:
• Original source: The researchers started their investigation of the work
habits of teenagers last week. (noun)
• Paraphrase: The researchers recently investigated youth work ethic. (verb)
• Original source: Sami insisted on the truth even if it might cause her pain.
(verb)
• Paraphrase: Sami’s insistence on honesty, no matter the personal cost,
makes her an admirable character in this novel. (noun)
14. 3. Change the Sentence Type
• Sentences can be changed by altering such things as word
order, the number of clauses.
15.
16. • 3.1. Using Conjunctions:
• When combining two sentences, here are some things to remember about selecting
which word to use:
•
For, tells us the reason
• Because, also tells us the reason
• And, means addition
• Nor, is negative
• But, shows contrast
• Or, gives another reason or choice
• Yet, also shows contrast
• So, tells us the result
17.
18. • 3.2. Sample example
• Original source: On the one hand, John seems like a total loser.
On the other hand, he’s a very loving father.
• Paraphrase Step 1: On the one hand, John seems like a total loser,
yet on the other hand, he’s a very loving father.
• Paraphrase Step 2: John is an affectionate father, yet he doesn’t
seem to be successful in other areas of his life.
19. • 4. Change active voice to passive voice or vice
versa
• Active voice means the subject performs the action(verb)
• Passive voice means the subject does not perform the action
• In some cases, you may be able to change sentences written in the active
voice into those in the passive voice and vice versa.
• Active voice = subject + verb
• Passive voice = to be + past participle
20. Ex: She presented the report. = The report was presented by her.
Ex: An audit needs to be undertaken. = (Someone) needs to undertake
an audit.
21. • 4.1. Examples:
• Original Source: The economy is suffering because of the bank’s poor
judgment (Passive)
• Paraphrase: The bank’s bad decisions caused the economy to crumble.
(Active)
• Original Source: The team won because Jones scored the winning goal in
the last minute of the game. (Active)
• Paraphrase: Jones’ last minute goal allowed the team to win. (Passive)
23. • 5.1. Example:
• Original: The defendant waited anxiously for the jury’s verdict at his murder
trial.
• Paraphrase: The accused murderer nervously waited for the final
judgement at his trial.
– The defendant in a trial is a person who has been accused of committing
a crime.
– Final judgement is the definition of verdict.
24. 5.1. Example:
Original:
• The defendant waited anxiously for
the jury’s verdict at his murder trial.
• is the definition of verdict.
Paraphrase:
• The accused murderer nervously
waited for the final judgement at his
trial.
– The defendant in a trial is a person
who has been accused of
committing a crime.
– Final judgement
25. 4. Five paraphrasing tips
1. Use as many techniques as you can simultaneously. Some of these are
insufficient on their own.
2. Vary the techniques (don’t use the same ones all the time).
3. Practice the techniques often and regularly. It is not easy to paraphrase.
26. 4. Only begin paraphrasing when you have complete understanding of the
source text. Before paraphrasing, read the relevant section of text several
times. Use a dictionary if necessary.
5. If you are lucky enough to have the opportunity, tell someone about the
point you wish to paraphrase, or even say it aloud yourself. You may find that
after talking about the text, writing the paraphrase comes easily.
