Paraphrasing

What is paraphrasing ?

A paraphrase is a passage borrowed from a source and rewritten in your own words. A paraphrase should be true to the original authors idea, but is rewritten in your own words and sentence structure. Since you are using someones else’s ideas and expressing them in your own words, it is very important to give credit to the source of the idea.

Here are some sentences that have been paraphrased: 

• Original: Her life spanned years of incredible change for women.
• Paraphrase: Mary lived through an era of liberating reform for women. 

Original: Giraffes like Acacia leaves and hay and they can consume 75 pounds of food a day.

• Paraphrase: A giraffe can eat up to 75 pounds of Acacia leaves and hay everyday. 

Original: Any trip to Italy should include a visit to Tuscany to sample their exquisite wines.

• Paraphrase: Be sure to include a Tuscan wine-tasting experience when visiting Italy. 

Exercise:

http://www.xtec.cat/~ogodoy/sac/rephrasing/relclex1.htm (easy)
http://www.xtec.cat/~ogodoy/sac/rephrasing/relclex2.htm (easy)
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/exercises/28/12/33 (difficult)

 

Why is Paraphrasing Important for EFL learners ?

It is important to use paraphrase to help English language learners because paraphrasing is one of the main methods that EFL learners will be able to use to clarify that they have understood something correctly. For example, if a bank teller explains to an EFL learner the terms of a loan, the student should learn to clarify by saying, “So what I understand from what you’ve said is…” and to paraphrase what was heard. The same applies in many areas of life, including academic work, social settings, and professional situations.