Comprehension &

Précis

Paraphrasing
Techniques
 Paraphrasing
Techniques
Paraphrasing means formulating someone else’s
ideas in your own words. To paraphrase a source, you
have to rewrite a sentence or passage without
changing the meaning of the original text. You also
have to be careful not to use wording that is similar
to the original.
Paraphrasing shows that you have understood the
source and can explain it.
Before you start paraphrasing,
make sure to
 Read the sentence or the passage several times to
fully understand the meaning.
 Note down key concepts.
 Write your version of the sentence without looking
at the original.
 Compare your paraphrased sentence with the
original one and make minor adjustments to
phrases that remain too similar.
Techniques for paraphrasing
 Manytechniques can be used in
paraphrasing. Here are some techniques to
use when paraphrasing.
1. Using synonyms
 Be careful when using synonyms. Many words
have several meanings depending on
context; you have to think about the
synonym which expresses the right meaning
for the particular context you are dealing with.
Original sentence Paraphrase
1. The need for investors to earn a a. ‘investors’ : financiers or
commercial return may put upward entrepreneurs
pressure on prices. b. ‘commercial return’: profit
c. ‘may’ : “is likely to”
d. ‘put upward pressure on’: ‘push
up”.
1. Financiers’/ entrepreneurs’ need for
profit is likely to push up prices.
2. Many infectious diseases have a. ‘infectious diseases: communicable/
disappeared because of significant contagious/ transmissible diseases
advances in medical research in the past b. disappeared: ceased to exist/
decade. vanished
c. significant: considerable/
substantial/ remarkable
d. advances: improvements /
developments
e. medical research: medical study/in
the field of medicine
f. In the past decade: in the past ten
years
2. Since there have been considerable
Original sentence Paraphrase

3. All the people in class studied 1. people: students

hard. The effect was a big 2. hard: well/ intensely
increase in test scores. 3. effect : result
4. big increase: a huge
improvement
5. test scores: test grades/
marks.

3. All the students in class

studied intensely/ very well.
The result was a huge
improvement in test grades/
marks.
 2. Changing the form of words
 To paraphrase a sentence, you have the possibility to change the form
of the word from verb to noun, from adjective to adverb, adverb to
adjective…etc of course, without changing the original meaning.
 In the first example below, a verb has been replaced with a
noun from the same word family. In the second, an adjective
has been replaced by a noun. In the third, an adjective has
been replaced by an adverb.
Original sentence Paraphrase
1. Privatisation has failed on 1.The failure of privatisation is
several accounts. due to many factors.

2. The region is widely 2. Investment in the region is

perceived as risky by considered a significant risk.
investors
3. John is an accurate driver. 3. John drives accurately.
3. Changing the grammatical
structure
3.1. Change active to passive
 Changing active voice to passive is a great way to help paraphrase a
sentence.
Original Paraphrased

1.The real estate developers 1. $40 million USD was

invested over $40 million USD into invested in the development of a
the development of a new senior new senior living community.
living community. (USD: United
States dollar)

2.The hotel employee will carry 2. Your bag will be carried by the
your bag. hotel employee.
« Your luggage will be picked
up by a bell boy » is an even
better paraphrase as it combines
two techniques : the use of
synonyms and a change from
active to passive
3.2. Change affirmative to negative or vice versa

Original Paraphrased
1. Progress in implementing 1. Progress in applying
privatisation has been slower privatisation has not been as
than anticipated. rapid as expected.
2. He is not a lazy person. 2. He is a dynamic/ an active
person.
 3.3. Change from direct to indirect speech

Original Paraphrased

Mr. Lee said, « I’m ready for lunch » Mr. Lee said he was ready for lunch.
3.4. Change from a clause to a phrase.

Original Paraphrased
1. After he ate lunch (a 1. After lunch (a phrase), John
clause), John took a nap. took a nap.
2. The house that is across 2. The house across the
the street (clause) is old. street (phrase) is old.

A better paraphrase
combines different
techniques in one sentence:
- The dwelling on the other side
of the street is ancient.
4. Change transitions

Original Paraphrase
- Eventhough some parents - Some parents continue to abuse
know the destructive effects their children in spite of knowing
of abusing children, they the destructive effects of this
persist in their behaviour. abominable practice.
5. Interpret meaning

 Remember that paraphrasing is about keeping the auther’s

MEANING.
Original Paraphrase
1. You can’t judge a book by its 1. Things sometimes look
cover. different from what they
really are.

2. Don’t put all your eggs in one 2. One shouldn’t risk

basket. everything they have in a
single venture.

3. You hit the nail on the head. 3. You did something exactly
right.
4. Mr. Lee said, « I think it’s time 4. Mr. Lee complained about
for lunch!» being hungry.
6. Substituting definitions

 Some key words in the original text may be replaced by their

definitions

Original Paraphrase
- The defendant waited anxiously - The accused murderer
for the jury’s verdict at his nervously waited for the final
murder trial. judgement at his trial.
- The defendant in a trial is a
person who has been accused
of committing a crime.
- Final judgement is the
definition of verdict.
7. Creative use of Numbers, statistics, and Dates.
In English, there are different ways to express numbers, statistics, and dates. Be creative!!
Depending on how important the numbers are, you can choose to be more or less detailed in your
expressions.

 7.1. Time
 There are different ways to express time. You can convert time into different units. For
example:
 Weeks could be expressed in months or days or vice versa
 12 weeks = 3 months = 84 days
 Days may be expressed in hours
 3 days ago = 72 hours
 Time can also be expressed in more general terms
 10 a.m. could be described as “mid-morning” or before noon.
 2 p.m. could be in the afternoon
 Noon could be in the middle of the day
 Night times could be expressed as before/after sunset or midnight
 Very early morning could be described as before dawn or sunrise.
7.2. Numbers & Statistics
In English there are different ways to express multiples.
• 2 might be expressed as: a couple, twice, double.
• 3 might be expressed as: a trio, or triple
Statistics can be reversed:
For Example:
• If a statistic says 60% of people did something that means 40% didn’t do
it
• Conversely, if 50% voted against, then that means 50% voted for it.
Statistics can also be generalized:
For Example:
• If a statistic says 60.48% of eligible voters voted in the last election, you can
say:
• Just over 60% of eligible voters voted.
• Almost 40% of eligible voters didn’t vote.
7.3. Dates
If the date isn’t important to your paragraph, you may omit it.
A specific year, such as 1989 can be expressed as the late 1980’s.
It could also be expressed as before the 1990’s.
8. Use a combination of techniques

 Relying on one technique to paraphrase in your writing is not very

effective. To get the best results, try using at least two or three
different techniques. Using synonyms combined with changing the
grammar or word order or transitions…can have an impressive effect
on your paraphrasing skills.
Original Paraphrase
1. On the one hand, John seems 1. John is an affectionate father,
like a total loser. On the other yet he doesn’t seem to be
hand, he’s a very loving father. successful in other areas of his
life.
2. Ballroom dancing is an 2. One fun activity that many
enjoyable pastime. It is loved by teens really enjoy is ballroom
many young people. dancing.

3. Math was the hardest subject 3. Math was the subject I found
for me at school. I never liked the most challenging, which is
math. why I never really enjoyed it.
Exercises: What technique(s) is/ are used in the following paraphrases?
1. Ahmed has a good relationship with his neighbours
Ahmed gets on well with his neighbours.
2. It was difficult for my mother to set up her own business.
My mother found it difficult to launch/ to commence/ to start her own business
3. They cancelled the flight because of thick fog.
The flight was put off due to climatic conditions.
4. The summit meeting will be held in Istanbul.
The summit meeting will take place in Istanbul.
5. He doesn’t mind driving for two hours to work everyday.
He has no problem driving….
He is used to driving ….
Remember: A successful paraphrase is about sharing the
author’s ideas, not using similar words. What really counts
is meaning, not vocabulary.