Paraphrase
• Borrowed ideas presented in the language of the
researcher/writer (uses your own words and sentence
structure to communicate the source’s ideas)
• Ideas must be accurate, but the paraphrase is not
enclosed in quotation marks.
Essay 3 Requirements
• Selectively paraphrase details from the story and film to
illustrate your observations.
• Incorporate at least two paraphrases of secondary
source material that supplement your own ideas
throughout your analysis paragraphs and show your
ability to incorporate source ideas into your own writing
style.
Why paraphrase?
• Used for incorporating source ideas when the writing
style of the source isn’t notable
• Sometimes more concise than the source
• Sometimes more stylistically effective than quotations
• Gives greater credibility than numerous quotations
Examples
Quote: “These are the times that try men’s souls.”—
Thomas Paine
Paraphrase: This period is very challenging for
everyone.
• Quote: “Relating the educational quality of institutions
of higher education to their cost is a difficult task,
especially given the complications introduced by the
many new forms of financial aid now available.”—[”The
Best Values: A Combination of Quality and Cost.”
Newsweek 23 Sept. 2010: 90. Print.]
• Paraphrase: According to “The Best Values,” the
numerous types of financial aid make it challenging to
determine whether colleges and universities are worth
their price (90).
Paraphrasing Pitfalls to Avoid
• Your paraphrase may not change the meaning of the
original passage.
• You may not merely substitute a few words or
rearrange the order of words from the original
passage, which is a form of plagiarism
• EXCEPTIONS: Words that are extremely common or
have no acceptable synonym (articles, prepositions,
proper names, dates)
• Original: However much Abraham Lincoln believed in
democracy, the American masses, in the half-century
following their war-President's death, did not seem to
believe in themselves. . . . [Lewis, L. Myths after
Lincoln. New York: Press of the Readers Club. 247.
Print.]
• Paraphrase A: Lewis points out that no matter how
much Abraham Lincoln believed in democracy,
American masses did not appear to believe in
themselves in the half-century after their warPresident's death (247).
• Paraphrase B: Lewis points out that the average
American in the 50 years after Lincoln died appeared to
possess no self-confidence, despite the fact that Lincoln
had a great deal of faith in democracy (247).
Integrating Paraphrases Correctly
• Introduce the paraphrase
– Use a short phrase with a comma
– Use a full sentence with a colon
– Combine with your own sentence with no additional
punctuation
• Include the writer’s name.
• Include the page number (if there is one) in parentheses
at the end of the paraphrase.
Short Phrase with Comma
• PRIMARY
• Original: "Look at my hand; whiter than yours, Armand,"
she laughed hysterically.
• Paraphrase: As Desiree claims, her skin is not as dark as
Armand’s (Chopin).
• NOTES:
– You also may need to indicate which character is
speaking.
– Not all stories have page numbers.
Full Sentence with Colon
• PRIMARY
• Original: "I must not only punish, but punish with
impunity."
• Paraphrase: Montressor sums up his philosophy of
revenge in the first paragraph of the story: in addition
to exacting revenge, he must suffer no punishment for
doing so (Poe 346).
• NOT: Montressor sums up his philosophy of revenge
in the first paragraph of the story, in addition to
exacting revenge, he must suffer no punishment for
doing so (Poe 346).
Your Sentence, No Punctuation
• PRIMARY
• Original: “She disappeared among the reeds and
willows that grew thick along the banks of the deep,
sluggish bayou; and she did not come back again.”
• Paraphrase: Desiree never returned after wandering
into the bayou (Chopin).
Short Phrase with Comma
• SECONDARY
• Original: “she leaves it to the reader to decide
whether Armand’s cruelty springs from social
forces and prejudice or whether it is in reality a
distant memory of his mother—a repressed,
unconscious remembrance of his own past.”
• Paraphrase: According to Foy, Chopin does not
reveal if Armand behaves as he does because of
prejudice or because of some lingering
recollection of his own family history, especially
his mother (223).
Full Sentence with Colon
• SECONDARY
• Original: “she leaves it to the reader to decide
whether Armand’s cruelty springs from social
forces and prejudice or whether it is in reality a
distant memory of his mother—a repressed,
unconscious remembrance of his own past.”
• Paraphrase: One scholar claims that Chopin does
not fully reveal why Armand behaves as he does:
it may be because of prejudice or because of
some lingering recollection of his own family
history, especially his mother (Foy 223).
Your Sentence, No Punctuation
 SECONDARY
 Original: “she leaves it to the reader to decide whether
Armand’s cruelty springs from social forces and prejudice
or whether it is in reality a distant memory of his mother—
a repressed, unconscious remembrance of his own past.”
 Paraphrase: Foy points out the difficulty of determining if
Armand behaves as he does because of prejudice or
because of some lingering recollection of his own family
history, especially his mother (223).
 OR Foy claims that Chopin does not reveal if Armand
behaves as he does because of prejudice or because of
some lingering recollection of his own family history,
especially his mother (223).