Trinity Washington University

School of Professional Studies

PARAPHRASING and

SUMMARIZING

From a presentation developed by Dr. Angela Lanier of the College of Arts &

Sciences

A paraphrase is...

Your version of someone else’s ideas presented in a new form.

A legitimate way to borrow from a source, as long as you document the source.

A more detailed restatement than a summary

• (Source: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/619/01/)

Paraphrasing is a valuable skill

• It is better than quoting information from an undistinguished passage.

• It helps you control the temptation to quote too much.

• The mental process required for successful paraphrasing helps you to grasp the full meaning of the original.

• If done correctly and the source is documented, you avoid plagiarism.

(Source: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/619/01/)

Make sure that your paraphrase

• Uses different language • Keeps the meaning of the original

text• Uses a different sentence structure • Includes all important information

(NOTE: A paraphrase can be longer than, shorter than, or the same length as the original passage)

Paraphrasing Tips

• Identify the subject and predicate of the sentence. (What is this statement about? What is the subject doing? OR What is being said about the statement?)

• To change sentence structure: separate ideas from one sentence into two or more sentences OR change the order of ideas in the sentence

• Replace key word with synonym, definition or another form of the word (e.g. change a noun to its verb form)

What NOT to do when paraphrasing

• Do not replace the original text word-for-word with synonyms

• Do not replace words with terms that are unfamiliar to you

• Do not force yourself to replace words that are so common that there is not appropriate replacement

Original Statement: Most of us have been taught to read for ideas.

Based on rules, is this a good paraphrase? Reading to identify ideas has been the focus of reading instruction for themajority of students.

Original Statement: Most of us have been taught to read for ideas.

Based on rules, is this a good paraphrase? Reading to identify ideas has been a part of reading instruction for the majority of students.

Original Statement: It is easy to underline so much that your notations are meaningless.

Based on rules, is this a good paraphrase? Underlining so much that your notations are meaningless is easy to do.

Original Statement: It is easy to underline so much that your notations are meaningless.

Based on rules, is this a good paraphrase? Underlining so much that your notations are meaningless is easy to do.

Original Statement:One effective reading strategy is to write down ideas about the text in the margins of the text.

Based on rules, is this a good paraphrase?Writing marginal notes in response to the text is a good way to manage a reading assignment.

Original Statement:One effective reading strategy is to write down ideas about the text in the margins of the text.

Based on rules, is this a good paraphrase?Writing marginal notes in response to the text is a good way to manage a reading assignment.

Original Statement: Remember that you are not reading

for content alone but also to understand a writer’s methods.

Based on rules, is this a good paraphrase?Keep in mind that you are not reading for substance only but additionally to comprehend the author's procedures.

Original Statement: Remember that you are not reading

for content alone but also to understand a writer’s methods.

Based on rules, is this a good paraphrase?Keep in mind that you are not reading for substance only but additionally to comprehend the author's procedures.

A summary is…

• A statement in your into your own words of the main point(s) of a piece of writing.

• Is significantly shorter than the original text and take a broad overview of the source material.

• (Source: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/619/01/)

Summary Strategies

• Take summary notes by annotating the text

• In your summary notes, write out the author’s complete thesis

• Remain objective. A summary is not an evaluation or critique.

• Keep the summary short.

Original Statement:Women’s liberation has struck India late and

hard. In a country where divorce occurs in one out of a million marriages (if that), where virginity is still highly prized in a prospective bride, where the concept of “damaged goods,” as far as women are concerned, still plays a determining role in a man’s choice, the assertion of female autonomy and independence is both an incidental irritation in male consciousness as well as a real and frightening challenge to the so-called emancipated urban women.

Based on rules, is this a good summary?

Sasthi Brata believes that in India, women’s liberation has come late. Here, divorce happens in one out of a million marriages and virginity is prized highly in a bride-to-be. Females, even urban women, are not autonomous or independent as ridiculous and backward as this.

Based on rules, is this a good summary?As Sasthi Brata reports, women’s liberation

has only recently come to India. Stigmatization of divorced women, traditional views on the importance of a woman’s virginity, and a general absence of independence or self-sufficiency for women have hindered the arrival of total liberation for females.

Source:

Anderson, M. (2008). Keys to successful writing. New York, NY Pearson Longman