Paraphrasing
IFP0100 Academic Writing
Block 3
Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing is re-writing another’s argument in your own words; phrasing and interpreting it in your own way. This involves changing the vocabulary (words), reorganising the structure of the text but keeping the meaning the same.
For example:
Original text: ‘In Higher education today the ability to become an independent learner is crucial’ (Payne and Whittaker, 2006)
Paraphrase: Payne and Whittaker (2006) argue that becoming an independent learner is one of the most important skills at University
Points which help you to paraphrase * Make sure you understand the original text * Find the important ideas (words and phrases) and mark them or highlight them in some way * Find synonyms or alternative phrases for those words * Change the structure of the text by looking at the relationship between the words and expressing them in a different way (for example by changing the word order) * Make sure that you have not copied any of the original text * Make sure that the meaning is the same as the original text * Make sure you have written in your writing style * Make sure you acknowledge other people’s ideas by referencing correctly
Paraphrasing exercises
Individually, read through Text 1 below.
In groups work through Texts 2 and 3 and decide which of those texts represents a better paraphrase of text 1
Text 1
Smith (1993) identified classroom location as having a powerful impact on the quality of students’ learning. Her studies concerned large, often overcrowded English Language classes in Pakistan where the delivery of teaching was in a lecture style format, with the teacher delivering the lesson from the front. As a consequence, classroom ‘zones’ were created whereby students in the front zone tended to receive more teacher attention than students sitting at the back of the classroom. It was also found that teachers often tended to have negative perceptions of students in the
Block 3
Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing is re-writing another’s argument in your own words; phrasing and interpreting it in your own way. This involves changing the vocabulary (words), reorganising the structure of the text but keeping the meaning the same.
For example:
Original text: ‘In Higher education today the ability to become an independent learner is crucial’ (Payne and Whittaker, 2006)
Paraphrase: Payne and Whittaker (2006) argue that becoming an independent learner is one of the most important skills at University
Points which help you to paraphrase * Make sure you understand the original text * Find the important ideas (words and phrases) and mark them or highlight them in some way * Find synonyms or alternative phrases for those words * Change the structure of the text by looking at the relationship between the words and expressing them in a different way (for example by changing the word order) * Make sure that you have not copied any of the original text * Make sure that the meaning is the same as the original text * Make sure you have written in your writing style * Make sure you acknowledge other people’s ideas by referencing correctly
Paraphrasing exercises
Individually, read through Text 1 below.
In groups work through Texts 2 and 3 and decide which of those texts represents a better paraphrase of text 1
Text 1
Smith (1993) identified classroom location as having a powerful impact on the quality of students’ learning. Her studies concerned large, often overcrowded English Language classes in Pakistan where the delivery of teaching was in a lecture style format, with the teacher delivering the lesson from the front. As a consequence, classroom ‘zones’ were created whereby students in the front zone tended to receive more teacher attention than students sitting at the back of the classroom. It was also found that teachers often tended to have negative perceptions of students in the
References: Gillett, A., Hammond, A., and Martala, M. (2009) Successful Academic Writing, Harlow: Pearson Education Ltd. Philpot, S., and Curnick, L. (2007) Academic Skills: Reading, Writing and Study Skills, Oxford: Oxford University Press.