Paraphrase

Definition Paraphrasing is when you express ideas and information from the sources you have read in your own way, using your own words. The ability to paraphrase well is central to university study and writing, and is also an ability which employers look for in graduates.  Paraphrasing involves changing a text so that it is quite different from the source, while retaining the meaning. Effective paraphrasing is vital to avoid charges of plagiarism.  What is difference with summarising? Paraphrasing does not always aim to shorten the length of a text. Also, a paraphrase can be about any part of the original source, not just the main ideas. Like paraphrases, summaries must also be written in your own words, and remain faithful to the original idea.

Example Evidence of a lost civilisation has been found off the coast of China. can be paraphrased: Remains of an ancient society have been discovered in the sea near China. Looking at this paraphrase, how many different paraphrasing techniques can you identify?

Paraphrasing techniques Changing the vocabulary studies > research mud > deposits society > civilisation Nb. Not all words/phrases can be paraphrased. E.g. economics, socialism or global warming have no effective synonyms. Changing the word class Egypt (n) > Egyptian (adj) mountainous regions (adj + n) > in the mountains (n) Changing the word order Ancient Egypt collapsed > the collapse of Egyptian society began…

Why is it an essential skill? 1. go through a mental process which helps you understand and think about what you read in a more independent way. 2. express the information and ideas from sources in your own style of thinking and writing so that you can integrate them smoothly into your own argument and essay. 3. restate information and ideas from your sources in a way that best supports your own argument. 4. show your tutor that you have understood what you have read and that have used your reading to develop your knowledge and ideas. 5. express information and ideas from complicated sources more clearly and simply 6. restate information and ideas from your sources which are not special enough to quote.

Answers: find synonyms for the underlined words: ii. It began in France and Germany, but took off in the United States. It started in France and Germany, but accelerated in the United States. iii. There Henry Ford adapted the moving production line from the Chicago meat industry to motor manufacturing, thus inventing mass production. There Henry Ford modified the moving assembly line from the Chicago meat industry to car manufacturing, thereby inventing mass production.

Answers: Change the word class i. In the 1920s Alfred Sloan’s management theories helped General Motors to become the world’s dominant car company. E.g. In the 1920s, with the help of the managerial theories of Alfred Sloan, General Motors dominated the world’s car companies. ii. After the Second World War the car makers focused on the styling of their products to encourage more frequent model changes. After the Second World War the focus of car makers was on the style of their products, to encourage more frequent model changes. iii. From the 1970s there was criticism of the industry due to the inefficiency of most vehicles, which used petrol wastefully. From the 1970s the industry was criticised for its inefficient vehicles which wasted petrol.

Answers: Change the word order ii. Today the industry owns some of the most famous brands in the world. Some of the most famous brands in the world are today owned by the industry. iii. However, many car makers are currently threatened by increased competition and saturated markets. Currently, saturated markets and increased competition threaten many car makers

Model answer: immigrant text It is quite normal for the recent immigrant to attempt to acquire/assimilate the cultural norms of the native population even if the language is difficult to learn / acquire / become fluent in. The language itself will be studied passionately and the early months are generally a period of significant development. This “honeymoon” stage frequently/generally continues (for) between three and six months, but for certain individuals it may continue as long as twelve months.

Answers for business ethics paraphrases Examples of good paraphrasing In extract 1, the student has not just replaced individual words – his paraphrases are a complete rewriting of the source, based on his independent understanding and written from his notes in his own style so that they make sense to him. Paraphrases are less complex than the original and he has changed the order of the information. In extract 2 student has emphasised fact that ethics is not the same thing as the law. He has emphasised this difference because in this part of his essay he is defining and describing what business ethics is and so wants to point out the differences between ethics, the law and morals. Paraphrases are shorter than the original. A paraphrase may be as long and as detailed as the original but is usually shorter points are condensed and have used simpler language.

Railways Paraphrase 1  Between 1830 and 1850 there was very rapid development in railway construction worldwide. Two periods of especially feverish growth were and It is hard to understand the reason for this intense activity, since railways were not particularly profitable investments and some produced no return at all (Hobsbawm, 1995).  Acceptable – good summarising and use of paraphrase.  position of the reference – are the dates also from Hobsbawm? We would imagine they are, so the reference might be better placed after the second sentence, and then a reference reminder phrase could be used, e.g. Hobsbawm argues that it is hard to understand….

Railways Paraphrase 2  There were only a few dozen miles of railways in 1830, including the Liverpool to Manchester line. But by 1840 there were over 4,500 miles and over 23,500 by Most of them were built in large part with British capital, British iron, machines and know- how, and most of them were projected in a few bursts of speculative frenzy known as the ‘railway manias’ of and especially in Because most yielded quite modest profits and many none at all these investment booms appear irrational. In fact few railways were much more profitable to the investor than other forms of enterprise (Hobsbawm, 1995).  Plagiarised – far too similar to original – phrases have been re- ordered, but otherwise the wording is exactly the same as the original.

Railways Paraphrase 3  As Hobsbawm (1995) argues, nineteenth-century railway mania was partly irrational: ‘because in fact few railways were very much more profitable to the investor than other forms of enterprise; most yielded quite modest profits and many none at all: in 1855 the average interest in capital sunk in the British railways was a mere 3.7 per cent’ (Hobsbawm, 1995: 45).  Acceptable – well paraphrased opening sentence, with reference. Direct quotation also fully referenced and placed within quotation marks.

Railways paraphrase 4 Globally, railway networks increased dramatically from 1830 to 1850; the majority in short periods of ‘mania’ ( and ). British technology and capital were responsible for much of this growth, yet the returns on the investment were hardly any better than comparable business opportunities (Hobsbawm, 1895).  An interesting one. Well paraphrased, but the mistake in the reference technically makes this plagiarism.

Railways paraphrase 5  The dramatic growth of railways between 1830 and 1850 was largely achieved using British technology. However, it has been claimed that much of this development was irrational because few railways were much more profitable to the investor than other forms of enterprise; most yielded quite modest profits and many none at all.  Unacceptable – some original wording (verbatim) and no indication that this is a quotation. First sentence also needs a reference.

Five key points to remember when paraphrasing  1. Write your paraphrase from your notes and reflection, not straight from the original text.  2. Use your own words and writing style.  3. Always provide an in-text reference.  4. Use reference reminder phrases.  5. Check that your paraphrase clearly supports the point you are making.