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 2006 Project Innovation study published in College Student
Journal examined how teaching paraphrasing affects
students’ understanding of plagiarism.
O 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 borrow from a source.
O It’s more detailed and specific than a summary,
which is focused on a single main idea, such as a
story’s plot.
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 In longer pieces, even a page can
be paraphrased.
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 (3).
Page number where specific ideas
from the text can be found
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.
Paraphrase: Sedaris frantically opened his
treats and raced to devour them (3).
Use Synonyms and Your Own Words
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 (3).
Use Synonyms and Your Own Words
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 (3).
Use Synonyms and Your Own Words
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 (3).
Use Synonyms and Your Own Words
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 (3).
Use Synonyms and Your Own Words
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 (3).
Now we need to add some context
for the reader
Paraphrase: Sedaris frantically opened his treats
and raced to devour them (3).
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?
Paraphrase with CONTEXT added
Paraphrase: Knowing he had little time before
his mother gathered 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 (3).
What kind of evidence from a text
is easy to paraphrase?
Ofacts or plot
Ospecific information from a text that
can be effectively written in many
different ways
What kind of evidence is best for weaving a
direct quote? (and harder to paraphrase)
Opieces of dialogue
Osomething in the text where the
author’s words just can’t be beat
Odescriptions where the author’s word
choice shouldn’t be tampered with
Should I Paraphrase or Quote Weave?
Original Text: “I wanted to know what this something
was, and so I began peering through the Tomkey’s
windows.”
This is plot, so it’s perfect for paraphrasing.
Paraphrase: Since they don’t own a television,
Sedaris is curious about how the Tomkeys spend
their time, so he makes a habit of spying on them
through the windows of their home (1).
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.
Just changing order of ideas: All the king’s men
and all the king’s horses couldn’t put
Humpty back together again after he had a
great fall off a wall he had been sitting on.
Note! This change alone, would still count as
a plagiarizing, but we could then replace and
change words to fix that!
How to Paraphrase and not Plagiarize
O Change the phrasing
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.
Just changing the phrasing: While sitting on a
wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
Though they tried to put him back together
again, all the king’s horses and men were
unable to fix Humpty.
Note! This change alone, would still count as a plagiarizing, but
we could then replace and change words.
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.
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
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.(5)
Over-Paraphrase: At a facility where animals are
kept for public viewing, located in Texas’s capital,
Rita, a fur-covered 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 (5).