Paraphrasing
What is Paraphrasing?
O “To paraphrase, which is the first step
to understanding, is to translate an
author's wording into your own
alternative wording. In other words,
you put the words and thoughts of the
author into your words.”
~Linda Elder & Richard Paul
The Thinker's Guide to How to Read a
Paragraph: The Art of Close Reading.
Paraphrasing -- an essential skill
O A vital college-readiness skill
O A 2009 study published in Delta Pi Epsilon Journal
found that “the lack of knowledge in proper
documentation and paraphrasing is a primary
reason why some students plagiarize, albeit
perhaps inadvertently. Implications point to the
need for consistent in-depth instruction in proper
quotation, citation, and paraphrasing techniques”
(Wilhelm 41).
Paraphrasing -- an essential skill
O career readiness
O US Army Interpersonal Communication Training
Manual (2011)
O “In these techniques, you restate, paraphrase, or
‘mirror’ what the speaker said, using your own
words, so the speaker can verify that you have
correctly understood:
O Example: Did you say that many fire team leaders
carry a grenade launcher?”
What is Paraphrasing?
O It’s taking the essential information and details
from a text and presenting them in YOUR OWN
WORDS.
O It’s one legitimate way—with appropriate
citations—to use information from a source.
O It’s more detailed and specific than a summary,
which often covers the main points from the
beginning, middle, and end of a piece of writing.
O It’s NOT an opinion or a new argument. Most of
the time, we paraphrase information from a text to
SUPPORT our opinion or argument.
What Can Be Paraphrased?
O a short phrase
O a sentence
O a paragraph
O But it must come from a SPECIFIC
place in the text.
Paraphrasing Example from “Us and Them”
Text: “…I tore off the wrappers and began
cramming the candy bars into my mouth,
desperately, like someone in a contest.”
The writer’s specific ideas are presented but in
YOUR OWN WORDS.
Paraphrase: Sedaris frantically opened his
treats and raced to devour them.
Paraphrasing Example
Text: “…I tore off the wrappers and began
cramming the candy bars into my mouth,
desperately, like someone in a contest.”
When we write about literature,
we want to write in 3rd person POV.
Paraphrase: Sedaris frantically opened his
treats and raced to devour them.
Use Synonyms
Text: “…I tore off the wrappers and began
cramming the candy bars into my mouth,
desperately, like someone in a contest.”
Paraphrase: Sedaris frantically opened his
treats and raced to devour them.
Use Synonyms
Text: “…I tore off the wrappers and began
cramming the candy bars into my mouth,
desperately, like someone in a contest.”
Paraphrase: Sedaris frantically opened his
treats and raced to devour them.
Use Synonyms
Text: “…I tore off the wrappers and began
cramming the candy bars into my mouth,
desperately, like someone in a contest.”
Paraphrase: Sedaris frantically opened his
treats and raced to devour them.
Use Synonyms
Text: “…I tore off the wrappers and began
cramming the candy bars into my mouth,
desperately, like someone in a contest.”
Paraphrase: Sedaris frantically opened his
treats and raced to devour them.
Use Synonyms
Text: “…I tore off the wrappers and began
cramming the candy bars into my mouth,
desperately, like someone in a contest.”
Paraphrase: Sedaris frantically opened his
treats and raced to devour them.
Now we need to add some ELABORATION
(context) for the reader
Paraphrase: Sedaris frantically opened his treats
and raced to devour them.
CONTEXT: Who, What, Where, When, How, Why
(Not all will always apply.)
WHY is Sedaris rushing to eat the candy bars?
WHERE is he when he’s doing this?
WHEN is this happening?
Look back at the story
and then rewrite this
paraphrase by
elaborating—add
context.
Paraphrase with ELABORATION
(context) added
Paraphrase: Knowing he had little time before
his mother took his Halloween chocolate to give
to the Tomkey children, Sedaris frantically
opened his treats and raced to devour them
before she opened his bedroom door .
What kind of details from a text
are easy to paraphrase?
Ofacts or plot
Ospecific information from a text that
can be effectively written in many
different ways
How to Paraphrase
1. Read and reread the text until you have a clear
2.
3.
4.
5.
understanding of the main idea, including details.
Put the text away and see if you remember the
main idea and details. Can you say them out loud?
If not, reread again.
Now write down what you remember, but WITHOUT
looking at the text.
Then compare your writing to the original. Are the
writer’s specific ideas still there? If not, revise.
Have you paraphrased and not plagiarized? If not,
revise again.
Is this paraphrasing or plagiarizing?
O Original text: Humpty
Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the
king’s horses and all the king’s men,
couldn’t put humpty back together again.
O Paraphrase: Humpty
Dumpty was sitting on
a wall, but then he had a great fall. The
king’s horses and his men, couldn’t put
humpty back together again.
It’s Plagiarizing!
O Original text: Humpty
Dumpty sat on a
wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All
the king’s horses and all the king’s men,
couldn’t put humpty back together
again.
O Paraphrase: Humpty
Dumpty was sitting
on a wall, but then he had a great fall.
The king’s horses and his men, couldn’t
put humpty back together again.
Why is this paraphrase ineffective?
O Original text: Humpty Dumpty
sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the
king’s horses and all the king’s men, couldn’t
put humpty back together again.
happened to Humpty
Dumpty. The horses and soldiers working
under the king had no idea what to do about
it so they gave up and went home.
O Paraphrase: Something
Why is this paraphrase ineffective?
O Original text: Humpty
Dumpty sat on a
wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king’s horses and all the king’s
men, couldn’t put humpty back
together again.
O Paraphrase: What
happens to Humpty
Dumpty is extremely tragic.
Now, you take a try! Paraphrase this text.
O Original text: Humpty
Dumpty sat on a
wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king’s horses and all the king’s
men, couldn’t put humpty back
together again.
- read and then look away from the text
- use synonyms and change up the order of
the ideas
- compare your paraphrase to the original
How to Paraphrase and not Plagiarize
O Replace words from the original text
with synonyms.
Original text: Humpty Dumpty [sat]
rested [on] atop a wall. Humpty
Dumpty [had a great fall] tumbled off
and crashed to the ground. [All]
Everyone of the king’s horses and [all
the] king’s [men] workers [couldn’t]
were unable to [put humpty back
together] repair or rebuild him [again].
How to Paraphrase and not Plagiarize
O Switch up the order of the ideas
Original text: Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the
king’s horses and all the king’s men,
couldn’t put humpty back together again.
O Switch up the order of the ideas:
The king’s employees tried to…
How to Paraphrase and not Plagiarize
Original text: Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the
king’s horses and all the king’s men,
couldn’t put humpty back together again.
O Change the phrasing :
While sitting on a wall, Humpty Dumpty…
Do you have to change every single
word when paraphrasing?
Original text: Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the
king’s horses and all the king’s men,
couldn’t put humpty back together again.
NO. Names (Humpty Dumpty) or basic common nouns (wall,
king, horse) where there isn’t a suitable synonym don’t
need to be changed.
Changing these underlined proper and
common nouns is unnecessary and clunky
Original text: Rita, a gorilla, at the Austin zoo
learned sign language and especially loves using
it when she wants to eat her favorite dinner:
cheeseburgers and tater tots.
Over-done/Clunky Paraphrase:
At a facility where animals are kept for public
viewing, located in Texas’s capital, Rita, a furcovered ape, loves meat patties with cheese
between two buns and mini deep-fried hash brown
potatoes. She’s been trained to use the language
of the deaf to request this particular meal.
Need more practice?–
Paraphrase this nursery rhyme
into your own words
Original text: Jack and Jill
O Jack and Jill went up the hill
to fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down
and broke his crown.
And Jill came tumbling after.
• Read, look away, recall,
and write this in your own
words. Then compare
your writing to the
original.
• Use synonyms.
• Change sentence
structure and/or the
order of ideas.
• Do not alter the writer’s
main ideas or add your
opinion.