Paraphrasing Exercises

6 Steps to Effective Paraphrasing

1. Reread the original passage until you understand its full meaning. 2. Set the original aside, and write your paraphrase on a note card, pieces of paper, Post-it, or in an electronic manner. (Your rendition should be shorter, but it should contain all the essential elements. Some paraphrases may be as long as the original.) 3. ot down a few words !elow your paraphrase to remind you later how you en"ision using this material. #t the top of the note card, write a $ey word or phrase to indicate the su!%ect of your paraphrase. &. 'hec$ your rendition with the original to ma$e sure that your "ersion accurately e(presses all the essential information in a new form. ). *se +uotation mar$s to identify any uni+ue term or phraseology you ha"e !orrowed e(actly from the source. ,. Record the source (including the page) on your note card so that you can credit it easily if you decide to incorporate the material into your paper. -(ercise 1 Paraphase each sentence. .here may !e more than one way to rewrite each one. Remen!er to change "oca!ulary, phrases and sentence structure where"er you can.

1.

/espite their massi"e si0e, elephants are $nown for !eing agile.

2. 1ecause elephants consume up to )22 pounds of food a day, they are a!le to strip a forest !are in no time.

3. 3"er the centuries, lions ha"e !een used in art to represent power and magnificence.

&.

4ions are social animals with one dominant male in each pride.

). 5eorge 6ashington 'ar"er was a dedicated teacher, in addition, he was $nown as a talented artist, musician, and researcher who made "alua!le contri!utions to his people and his country.

,. #rchi!ald 7c4eish, $nown for his poetry, was appointed head of the li!rary of congress !y President Roose"elt in 1838.

-(ercise 2 Read each paragraph and state the main idea in your own words. 9f you find the main idea stated directly in the paragraph, !e sure to use the paraphrasing techni+ues that you practice in e(ercise one. 1. .here is plenty of water on the earth. 9n fact, there is enough water in this planet for e"eryone to ha"e a huge la$e. .he trou!le is that the water is not always found in the place where is needed. 9n addition much of the water is polluted or salty. 1ecause of these pro!lems, there are many people without sufficient water. 7ain idea: 2. ;ew oil supplies need to !e found to replace those that ha"e !een used up. .here is a constant search for new oil fields. 3il hunters sin$ their wells where"er there are signs of oil. -ach of these drillings costs thousands and thousands of dollars, and often there is not enough oil to ma$e it profita!le. ;e"ertheless, the search for new oil ne"er ends. 7ain idea: 3. <ua$ers, a religious group $nown as the Society of =riends, ha"e always wor$ed for human causes. 1efore the 'i"il 6ar in the *nited States, they were against sla"ery and led the mo"ement to help sal"e escape from the southern part of the *nited States and see$ freedom in the northern part. .oday, they fight hunger and disease around the glo!e and still aid people fleeing tyranny and war. .heir !eliefs are !ased on the principles of pacifism and simple li"ing. 7ain idea: Practice Exercises in Paraphrasing 1. .he twenties were the years when drin$ing was against the law, and the law was a

!ad %o$e !ecause e"eryone $new of a local !ar where li+uor could !e had. .hey were the years when organi0ed crime ruled the cities, and the police seemed powerless to do anything against it. 'lassical music was forgotten while %a00 spread throughout the land, and men li$e 1i( 1eider!ec$e, 4ouis #rmstrong, and 'ount 1asie !ecame the heroes of the young. .he flapper was !orn in the twenties, and with her !o!!ed hair and short s$irts, she sym!oli0ed, perhaps more than anyone or anything else, #merica>s !rea$ with the past. =rom ?athleen @ancey, -nglish 122 Supplemental 5uide (18A8): 2).

2.

4anguage is the main means of communication !etween peoples. 1ut so many different languages ha"e de"eloped that language has often !een a !arrier rather than an aid to understanding among peoples. =or many years, people ha"e dreamed of setting up an international uni"ersal language which all people are simple and o!"ious. 9f all people spo$e the same tongue, cultural and economic ties might !e much closer, and good will increase !etween countries (?ispert, 222&).