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When you write a paper, you utilize some details that you have actually checked out in books, journals, on the Web, and so on. Your teacher might have told you, "Use your own words." To put it simply, even when you utilize somebody else's info, you are not allowed to use the words they wrote. You need to utilize your own. You have to state the same thing in a various way. This is called paraphrasing.

For example, if the book you are reading from says, "John Adams, who was associated with winning independence for the United States, was the 2nd President.

" You can not compose those words in your paper. You can not even write, "John Adams, a man included in winning self-reliance for the United States, was its second President." One manner in which you could re-write it is to say, "The 2nd American President, John Adams, was also influential in getting freedom for the country."

Nevertheless, in spite of being told to utilize your own words, you might not know how to do it.

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There are a range of strategies you can utilize. You can change the words for words of similar significance; you can change the grammar; you can alter the grammar or grammatical kinds. In this reading, you will learn more about methods that you can paraphrase.

Methods of Paraphrasing

Before you even start to paraphrase, you need to ensure that you comprehend what you read. If you do not comprehend what you check out, you can not paraphrase it.

There are 6 methods that you can change sentences to paraphrase the details. You will most likely not use all of them in the same sentence, however you can utilize ones that are suitable. (In each of the examples, just one modification is made. This is insufficient if you are in fact paraphrasing.) Check out about each type of modification, and look at the examples. Then make that type of modification in the sample sentences that follow.

Changing Word Order

One way you can change a sentence for paraphrasing is to change the word order. For example, you might change “Because I slept too late, I missed my first class” to “I missed my first class because I slept too late,” or “In order to pass that class, I had to study very hard” to “I had to study very hard in order to pass that class.” It is sometimes necessary to change the wording of the parts of the sentences. For example, “Terry wanted more books, but he couldn’t afford them,” can be changed to “Terry couldn’t afford more books, even though he wanted them.”

1. If you’re going to New York for Christmas, be sure to take warm clothes. __Be sure to take warm clothes, if you’re going to New York for Christmas.___________ ________________________________________________________________________________

2. Even though the weather was good, Joan was in a bad mood. ___Joan was in a bad mood, even though the weather was good._____________________ ________________________________________________________________________________

3. I had no money, so I borrowed some.

__I borrowed some money, because I had none._____________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________

Changing Parts of Speech

You can also change parts of speech. If the sentence uses a noun, you can rewrite the sentence to use the verb or adjective form of the word, for example. You can change “Fifty-four men signed the Declaration of Independence” to “Fifty-four men put their signatures on the Declaration of Independence.”

1. The company needs to find a solution for this problem.
__The company needs to solve this problem.______________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ 2. The poor economy has been the cause of high unemployment. ___The poor economy has caused high unemployment.______________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ 3. If you eat rabbit, you will find its taste like chicken. __If you eat rabbit, you will find it tastes like chicken.______________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________

Using Synonyms

English has many synonyms -- words that have the same or similar meanings -- so another way you can paraphrase is to change one word for a synonym. For example, you could change “Movies can be divided into three categories” to “Movies can be divided into three types.”

1. The way a person dresses affects the impression that other people have. __ The way a person dresses influences the image that other people have.___ ________________________________________________________________________________ 2. That phrase means “in a happy way.”

___That expression means “in a cheerful way.”_____________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________

3. There is little chance that the situation will improve.

___There is little possibility that the circumstances will get better.__________________ ________________________________________________________________________________

Using Negatives or Opposite Expressions

Another way to paraphrase is to change a positive expression into a negative expression, or a negative expression into a positive expression. You could change “Rather than building a traditional memorial, the city built a park” to “The city did not build a traditional memorial; instead it built a park.”

1. Shaun was disappointed, because the movie wasn’t very good. ___Shaun wasn’t satisfied, because the movie wasn’t very good.______________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Japan is not a small country, compared to European countries. __Japan is a large country, compared to European countries.________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Geri wanted some candy, but there wasn’t any in the bowl. __Geri wanted some candy, but the bowl was empty.________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________

Combining or Separating Sentences

Long sentences can be divided, and short sentences can be combined with other short sentences. You can change “Ireland is a wonderful country, which has beautiful scenery, friendly people, and an interesting history” to “Ireland is a wonderful country. It has beautiful scenery, friendly people, and an interesting history.” You can also change “Ireland is a wonderful country. It has beautiful scenery, friendly people, and an interesting history” to “Ireland, which is a wonderful country, has beautiful scenery, friendly people, and an interesting history.”

1. Elizabeth I was the daughter of Henry VIII. She is one of England’s most famous queens. __Elizabeth I, who was the daughter of Henry VIII, was one of England’s most________ __famous queens.________________________________________________________________ 2. This book is about a woman who pretended to be a man to join the army in World War II. It is one of Lynn’s favorite books. ___This book, which is one of Lynn’s favorites, is about a woman who pretended to___ ___be a man to join the army in World War II.______________________________________ 3. If you go to London, you should be sure to visit Westminster Abbey, where many of the kings and queens of England, as well as other famous people, are buried. __If you go to London, you should be sure to visit Westminster Abbey. Many kings and_ __queens of England are buried there. Other famous people are buried there, too.______

Using Different Grammar – Structure, Voice

You can paraphrase by changing the grammar of a sentence, for example, but changing from active voice (“The dog bit the man”) to passive voice (“The man was bitten by the dog”) or by making other changes in the grammar. You can change “It is not unusual for June to be a rainy month here” to “June is often a rainy month here,” or “It is thought that this new plan will save money” to “Many people think that this new plan will save money.”

1. Various languages are spoken in this country.
__The people of this country speak various languages._______________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Frank studied French, and, as a result, he translated for our visitors from France. __Frank could translate for our visitors from France, because he had studied French.__ ________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Tom McGovern got married three times and had five children. ___Tom McGovern had three wives and was the father of five._______________________ ________________________________________________________________________________

Exercise

Read the following sentences and paraphrase them, combining the techniques that you learned in this article. 1. Gone with the Wind, which was published in 1936, covered 12 years of the life of a woman named Scarlett O’Hara during and after the Civil War. It began when she was 16 year old and tells the story of her love for two men. ___Published in 1936, Gone with the Wind was the story of Scarlett O’Hara and the___ ___two men she loved. It covers Scarlett’s life from the time she was 16 until she was__ ___28, during the Civil War and the years that followed.____________________________