Expository Writing

Paraphrasing
Week 1
Paraphrasing is most useful when quoting dense,
abstract, archaic, or confusing material.

So…what does that mean?

Paraphrasing is taking something complicated
and unclear and restating it in simpler, more
understandable terms.
 • Paraphrase a passage…
 when you want your readers to understand all of
its points

Why
 when you are unsure of its meaning. Rewording a
Paraphrase ? complex writing into simple terms may help you
better understand the content and purpose of the
passage

 when you want to avoid Plagiarism

 You’re plagiarizing if you...

a. take a paper from an Internet site, or writer, or any

other source and pass it off as your own
b. Submit a paper that someone else has written, whether
it was given to you, downloaded from the Internet, or
copied from any other source.
Plagiarism c. Changed parts of an existing paper and claim the paper
as your own.
d. All of the above

Correct Answer: d
“the unauthorized or misleading use of language and text
of another author.”
 1. When researching, be careful and methodical
 while taking notes on content
Ways to  when you paraphrase, quote, or summarize.
Avoid 2. Practice using documentation
 become comfortable with citing the sources you
Plagiarism use (this includes MLA, APA, Chicago
documentation styles).

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/
apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/in_text
_citations_the_basics.html
 Paraphrasing
How does a paraphrase differ from a summary?
Paraphrase
Summary
 takes the main idea and puts it into our own
 tells the main idea of a piece of writing. words.
 is always shorter than the main text  both the words and the word order needs to
 eliminates details, examples, and supporting be changed
 the source is included in a citation
points.  can be shorter or longer than the original
 always written in our own words.
text.
 is an abridged version of the original text.  describes the original text in different words.
 does not omit details.
What is a Bad Paraphrase?
Synonyms of certain words are substituted, while the structure of the original quotation is
maintained. For a good paraphrase, borrow only the idea conveyed by the author.
Express the sentiment in your own words, in your own way.
 Below is a passage taken from Raymond S. Nickerson's "How We Know-and Sometimes
Misjudge-What Others Know: Imputing One's Own Knowledge to Others.“ Psychological
Bulletin 125.6 (1999): p737.

“In order to communicate effectively with other people, one must have a reasonably accurate
idea of what they do and do not know that is pertinent to the communication. Treating
people as though they have knowledge that they do not have can result in miscommunication
and perhaps embarrassment. On the other hand, a fundamental rule of conversation, at least
according to a Gricean view, is that one generally does not convey to others information that
one can assume they already have.”

The author suggests that effective communication depends on a generally accurate

knowledge of what the audience knows. If a speaker assumes too much knowledge
about the subject, the audience will either misunderstand or be bewildered; however,
assuming too little knowledge among those in the audience may cause them to feel
patronized (Nickerson, 1999, p.737).
 1. Read over the text several times
2. Set the original text aside, and write your
paraphrase
Steps to Effective 3. Use quotation marks to identify unique
Paraphrasing words or terminology borrowed directly
from the original material.
4. Check to make sure all necessary
information in the original is included
5. Include reference or citations
 • Do Include all important ideas mentioned in the
original passage.
• Do keep the length approximately the same as the
original.
Dos and Don’ts
• Do not stress any single point more than another.
• Do not change the meaning by adding your own
thoughts or views.
• Do not use the original sentence structure or
order.
 1. Use synonyms for all words that are not generic.
 Words like world, food, or science are so basic to
our vocabulary that is difficult to find a synonym.
Paraphrasing 2. Change the structure of the sentence. Change clauses
Strategies to phrases and vice versa.
3. Change the voice from active to passive and vice
versa.
4. Change parts of speech.
5. Change order of ideas
  Make a long sentence into two shorter ones.
 Combine two short sentences and change their
structure.
 Simple Sentences: Complex Sentences: Compound
Sentences
Changing  He confessed his illegal act.
Sentence  He confessed that he was guilty of his illegal act.
Structure  Change the voice (from active to passive).
 Suleiman changed the flat tire. (active)
The flat tire was changed by Suleiman. (passive)
 Change the order in which ideas are presented (as
long as they still make sense in a different order).
 Identify the important ideas in this passage:
• ---statements that seem complimentary in one context may be inappropriate in
another.
For Example
Women in business are usually uncomfortable if male colleagues or superiors
compliment them on their appearance: the comments suggest that the women are
being treated as visual decoration rather than as contributing workers.
Locker, K. O. (2003). Business And Administrative Communication (6th Ed.). St. Louis,
MO: Irwin/ Mcgraw-hill

• appropriateness of statements is situational

• working women may view compliments about appearance as offensive.
• These compliments can be offensive because they may imply women are
“decoration.”
 Words or expressions which appear favorable in one
situation might be improper in a different situation. For
instance, employed females are often uneasy when they
are given positive comments on their looks. These
remarks imply that the females are being viewed as
adornment instead of as productive employees (Locker,
Paraphrase A 2003).
[Although this paraphrase does a good job of
changing the wording, it is not effective for two
main reasons. ]
• it follows the sentence structure of the original
passage too closely.
• it fails to mention anything about "male colleagues
or superiors." It also follows the same order or
structure of ideas.
 Some statements may be inappropriate in one context,
even though they are complimentary in another.
Compliments by male colleagues or superiors
regarding a female coworker’s appearance, for
example, often make the woman feel uncomfortable.
Instead of treating the women as contributing workers,
men obviously think of them as visual decoration
Paraphrase B (Locker, 2003).
[While this paraphrase does a better job of
changing the sentence structure, it also is
ineffective.]
• uses too many words from the original passage
• changes the meaning "men obviously think of them as
visual decoration.“
• follows the same order or structure of ideas
 Women may feel uneasy upon receiving ordinarily
positive comments on their appearance from male
coworkers or supervisors. To these women, the remarks
carry an implied meaning: instead of being thought of as
productive employees, they are actually being viewed as
just a pretty part of the environment. Depending on the
situation, words or expressions which appear favorable
may actually be unsuitable in a conversation (Locker,
Paraphrase C 2003).

This paraphrase is the most effective.

• wording and sentence structure changed
• all points included
• meaning of the original passage retained
• order of ideas changed
Directions: Write a paraphrase of each of the following sentences or
passages.

1. The student requested that the professor excuses her absence, but the
professor refused.
2. International Center is hosting English Conversation classes. They help
non-native speakers of English practice their English-speaking skills.
3. The car that was pulled over by the police officer yesterday just had an
accident. That driver is not careful.
4. Of the more than 1000 bicycling deaths each year, three-fourths are
caused by head injuries. Half of those killed are school-age children. One
study concluded that wearing a bike helmet can reduce the risk of head
injury by 85 percent. In an accident, a bike helmet absorbs the shock and
cushions the head (Stephen, 2001).
Example
• Original:
Working from home can lead to employees feeling isolated and dissatisfied
(King, 2009).
• Paraphrase:
King (2009) suggests that workers can be lonely and unhappy to work away
from the office.

1. Most university students need the Internet for most of their assignment (Smith,
2016).
2. Thailand is the only country in south-east Asia that hasn’t been colonized by
Europeans (James, 2020).
3. A large majority of students fail to reach even 50 percent in core subjects such
as English and Mathematics (Aramnet, 2014).
Paraphrase the following passage:

 “No historian should begin research with

someone else’s notes. Taking notes is the
first (and perhaps most important step) in
developing our own interpretation of a
subject. It forces us to decide (again and
again) what is interesting and important”
Practice (Reuben, 2005, p. 413).
• Reuben states that in order to develop
an original analysis of their topic,
historians must initiate research with
their own “notes” rather than relying on
someone else’s analysis (2005,p.413).
Paraphrase the following passage:

 “According to our survey, 30 percent of students

agreed that the university should offer a money-
back guarantee if students fail to get the job they
really want in their field because many students
Practice are finding themselves unemployed when they
graduate” (Abrams,1975).
• Abrams’ survey reveals that the lack of job
placement for university graduates has
caused some students to believe that their
education should come with a money-back
guarantee (1975).
  1610, Galileo Galilei published a small book describing
astronomical observations that he had made of the skies
above Padua. His homemade telescopes had less
magnifying and resolving power than most beginners’
telescopes sold today, yet with them he made
astonishing discoveries: that the moon has mountains
and other topographical features; that Jupiter is orbited
by satellites, which he called planets; and that the Milky
Practice Way is made up of individual stars.
Source ( David Owen, “The Dark Side: Making War on Light
Pollution,” The New Yorker (20, August 2007): 28.
 Galileo was able to make some amazing discoveries
with his telescope. He made discoveries about the
moon, about Jupiter, and about the Milky Way. He
was able to do this with a telescope that was less
powerful than even today's most basic telescopes
(Owen, 2007).
 Criterion Exceeds Expectations Meets Expectations Below Expectations
Rubric
Points earned 3 2 1

Main Idea Main idea is clear Main idea is hinted on Main idea is incorrect

Detail Relevant detail included Some relevant detail missing Too many or no details

Paraphrase sentence and word order Some sentences put into own Sentence copied from text
changed words

Grammar Sentence structure is Sentence structure is simple No change in Sentence

varied structure

Spelling 1.5 1.0 0.5

/punctuation No spelling/ punctuation some spelling/ punctuation Many spelling/ punctuation
errors errors errors

References 1.5 1.0 0.5

Accurate use Partly accurate use Incorrect/missing references