Academic English 1 paraphrasing

Paraphrasing

ENGL-1011

Goals of the
lecture

Understand what paraphrasing
means (CLO3)

Identify ways to paraphrase a
text or a lecture (CLO3)

Paraphrase short texts and
lectures (CLO3)

Poll

What is your understanding of plagiarism?

• Presenting someone else's work or ideas as your own without proper attribution.

• Using information from a source without citing it.

• Copying and pasting text directly from a source without paraphrasing.

• None of the above

Poll

What consequences do you believe plagiarism can entail?

• Academic penalties such as failing a course or assignment.

• Damage to one's reputation and credibility.

• Getting in trouble with the law and having to pay money.

• Banned from future academic or professional opportunities.

• All of the above.

What is Paraphrasing?

Paraphrasing is the act of expressing someone else's ideas or words in your own language while ensuring that the original meaning remains intact.
This involves uses different words, grammar, and sentence structure.

The goal of paraphrasing is to restate information in a manner that reflects your understanding while avoiding direct copying or plagiarism.
It allows you to incorporate external sources into your writing while maintaining your voice and perspective.

Open Ended

Why is Paraphrasing important?

Why is paraphrasing important?

Integration of External Sources
Demonstration of Understanding
Avoidance of Plagiarism
Contribution to Scholarly Discourse
Enhancement of Credibility

Multiple Choice

What is the definition of paraphrasing?

• Copying word for word from a source

• Summarizing the main points of a text

• Restating information in your own words

• Ignoring the original text entirely

Multiple Choice

What is the primary purpose of paraphrasing?

• To add complexity to the original text

• To simplify the original text for a different audience

• To express the same idea in different words

• To completely change the meaning of the original text

How to paraphrase?

•  Follow these steps when paraphrasing:

   1. Read and understand the text you want to paraphrase—you can’t paraphrase something you don’t fully understand.

   2. Move the text where you can no longer see it. Then write down the important ideas in your own words.

Reorder

Reorder the following

• •Read the text carefully. Underline any important or key words

• •Look up any difficult words, and try to find synonyms for them

• •Rewrite each sentence. Try to simplify the sentence structure and the vocabulary without changing the meaning

• •Put your text out of sight and write your paraphrase from memory

• •Revise what you have written, comparing it to the original.

1

2

3

4

5

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Three types of changes you can make to words

Multiple Choice

Which one is the best synonym for "large" in this sentence:

The study revealed a large discrepancy between the experimental results and the theoretical predictions, suggesting the need for further investigation.

• enormous

• substantial

• gigantic

• colossal

Multiple Choice

what is the best synonym of "get" in this sentence?

To get accurate results, researchers must carefully control for all potential variables during the experiment.

• fetch

• achieve

• obtain

• catch

Multiple Choice

Original Sentence: "The ancient ruins provided valuable insights into the civilization's culture."

Which sentence best paraphrases the original sentence?

• The ancient culture's artifacts were left undisturbed.

• The ancient ruins offered significant understanding of the society's customs.

• The ancient civilization's culture was a mystery to historians.

• The ancient ruins were of little importance to researchers.

Open Ended

Paraphrase the following sentence using synonyms and antonyms:

The students eagerly awaited the announcement of the exam results.

Open Ended

Paraphrase the following sentence using synonyms and antonyms:

The athlete practiced intensively in preparation for the approaching contest.

Paraphrasing by changing word form

Original: The experiment was conducted to explore the effects of temperature.

Paraphrase: The purpose of the experiment was the exploration of the effects of temperature.

​paraphrase by changing word form

Multiple Choice

which one is the noun stemming from verb "to accelerate"?

• accelerated

• accelerating

• acceleration

Multiple Choice

which one is NOT the adjective stemming from verb "to develop"?

• underdeveloped

• development

• developmental

Multiple Choice

which one is the verb stemming from noun "effect"?

• affect

• effective

• effectively

Make a different word, using the prompt in brackets.

e.g. development (change to verb) - to develop
e.g. economize (change to noun) – economy

1. To analyze (change to noun)
2. To analyze (change to adjective)
3. Evaluation (change to verb)
4. Theoretical (change to verb)
5. Problem (change to adjective)
6. To expect (change to noun)
7. To agree (change to opposite verb)
8. Organized (change to opposite adjective)
9. To prove (change to noun)
10. To prove (change to opposite verb)

Open Ended

Make a different word, using the prompt in brackets.

e.g. development (change to verb) - to develop

e.g. economize (change to noun) – economy

•

1. To analyze (change to noun)

2. To analyze (change to adjective)

3. Evaluation (change to verb)

4. Theoretical (change to verb)

5. Problem (change to adjective)

6. To expect (change to noun)

7. To agree (change to opposite verb)

8. Organized (change to opposite adjective)

9. To prove (change to noun)

10. To prove (change to opposite verb)

Open Ended

Finish these paraphrased sentences by changing the word/word type and grammar.

e.g. We studied the statistics. Then we applied for funding.

-After _________ the statistics, we made an _________ for funding.

-After studying the statistics, we made an application for funding.

1. We were concerned about her health.

-We had some _________ about her health.

-2. The council cut funding so we could not provide free parking.

-Because of council funding _________, there was no_________ for free parking.

3. His proposal was a failure as it was too theoretical.

-His proposal_________ because it relied too much on _________.

4. As the emphasis was only on the UK, there were weaknesses in the evidence.

-As the emphasis was only on the UK, the evidence was not_________.

Open Ended

paraphrase by changing word form:

The study demonstrates the impact of social factors on education.

Open Ended

paraphrase by changing word form:

To ensure the accuracy of the results, all variables were carefully monitored throughout the experiment.

​Paraphrasing by changing sentence structure.

Original: The data suggest that economic inequality contributes to disparities in educational outcomes.

Paraphrase: Disparities in educational outcomes appear to be a result of economic inequality, according to the data.

Paraprase by changing active to passive

Open Ended

Change the structure of these sentences to passive voice:

•The researchers conducted the experiment in a controlled environment.

•The committee will announce the results next week.

•The students completed the assignment before the deadline.

•The professor explains the concept during the lecture.

•The author has published several influential papers on the subject.

Open Ended

Change the structure from passive to active:

•The data were analyzed by the research team.

•The new policy will be implemented by the administration next month.

•The book was written by a renowned historian.

•The presentation was given by the students yesterday.

The results have been reviewed by the committee.

Paraphrasing by changing the order of ideas

Open Ended

Paraphrase by changing the order of ideas:

Although the project faced challenges, it was ultimately successful.

Open Ended

Paraphrase by changing the order of ideas:

Due to its economic benefits, renewable energy has become a priority for many governments.

Open Ended

Paraphrase by changing the order of ideas:

With advancements in technology, communication has become faster and more efficient.

Open Ended

paraphrase by changing sentence structure:

The authors argue that policy changes are necessary to address the issue of rising healthcare costs.

Open Ended

paraphrase by changing sentence structure:

The committee recommended further research into the impact of urbanization on biodiversity.

Open Ended

paraphrase by changing sentence structure:

The model predicted a substantial increase in energy demand by 2030, given current consumption patterns.

Multiple Choice

Original Sentence: "The economic downturn has led to widespread unemployment and financial hardship for many families."

Which paraphrase best conveys the original meaning?

• a) Many families are facing financial hardship as a result of the economic downturn.

• The economic decline has led to families experiencing hardship.

• Due to the economic recession, numerous families are grappling with unemployment and financial burdens.

• Widespread unemployment and financial hardship have been caused by the economic downturn for many families.

Multiple Choice

Original Sentence: "The novel depicted the struggles of immigrants in a new land."

Which sentence best paraphrases the original sentence?

• The novel illustrated the challenges faced by newcomers in a foreign country.

• The struggles of immigrants were not portrayed in the novel.

• The novel focused solely on the successes of immigrants.

• The novel ignored the experiences of immigrants.

Paraphrasing exercise

Choose key words that can not be changed
Memory has the capacity for storing and retrieving information (Smith, 2016)
Find Synonyms for the other words

Memory is the capacity for storing and retrieving information.

Choose the words that are similar in meaning or change the form (storing to
storage) and paraphrase the statement
………………………………………………………………………………………….
Change the grammar, word forms and structure
………………………………………………………………………………………….

Open Ended

Choose key words that can not be changed

Memory has the capacity for storing and retrieving information (Smith, 2016)

Open Ended

Find Synonyms for the other words

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT a good strategy for paraphrasing?

• Using synonyms to replace key words

• Changing the structure of the sentence completely

• Expressing the same idea in a different way

• Keeping the original wording unchanged

Multiple Choice

Original Sentence: "The children joyfully played in the park, laughing and running around in the warm sunshine."

Which paraphrase accurately represents the original idea?

• The kids happily frolicked in the park, giggling and sprinting under the bright sun

• The children grumpily lingered in the park, chuckling and strolling in the mild sunshine.

• The youngsters sadly wandered in the park, chortling and walking in the pleasant sunshine.

• The kids angrily marched in the park, laughing and jogging in the hot sunshine.

Multiple Choice

Decide which paraphrase is better.

1. Adverts are a major part of everyday life.

• Advertising is an important feature of daily life.

• The influence of adverts can be felt in all aspects of life.

Multiple Choice

Paraphrase Practice 1
Which one is the best paraphrase?

The Volkswagen Beetle was a small car that was selling wildly in Europe and beginning to do well in America.

• The Volkswagen Beetle was a little car that was selling extremely well in Europe and starting to gain popularity in the United States.

• The Volkswagen Beetle was selling wildly in Europe, beginning to do well in America and was not a large car.

• The Volkswagen Beetle had sold well in Europe, and was starting to make gains in America, although it was a smaller vehicle than most Americans were used to.

Multiple Choice

Paraphrase practice 2
Which one is the best paraphrasing?

It has been reported that the richest one percent of Americans own 40% of the country's wealth.

• The richest 1% are 40 times as wealthy as the rest of Americans.

• If the gap between rich and poor continues to grow at the current rate, the richest one percent will soon own 40% of the country's wealth.

• 40% of the wealth of the United States of America is in the hands of only 1% of the citizens of this country.

• 99% of Americans own 40% as much as the richest 1%.

Let’s see a practical example of paraphrasing

According to a report published by the UK government,
hosting the 2012 Olympics generated generate £9.9 billion
in trade and investment. This was £1 billion higher than the
initial cost of hosting it.

Hosting a sporting event is a massive
undertaking, and when London won the
bid for the 2012 Olympics, many
believed that the city would suffer the
same fate as some of its predecessors.
However, according to a Government
report, the UK economy saw a £9.9bn
boost in trade and investment from
hosting the event. Notwithstanding the
fact that estimates put the cost of
hosting the Games at £8.9bn.

Open Ended

Write the paraphrase here

We are going to read an article that discusses
some advantages of hosting sporting events.
Read through it with a partner and choose 2
statistics or pieces of information that you
could use in an assignment.

https://www.clipperroundtheworld.com/partnerships/insight/sporting-hosts

Paraphrasing activity 2

Let’s imagine you are writing an
essay on the topic of public
transport.

Go to the BBC article and select
some evidence you could use in
your own writing. Paraphrase it
using your own words.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-29207644

https://docs.google.com/document/d/161RcNx2ddT2X
7_GPpaXz_Bpydih1zlIh/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=106613
427898754620064&rtpof=true&sd=true

Open Ended

Write the paraphrase here

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