Paraphrasing English III NCVPS

What Does This Mean? To paraphrase something is to restate it in your own words. This is usually done to make the meaning of the text more clear and understandable.

How do you paraphrase? Read the original passage to be sure you understand what it’s saying. Set this aside and write, in your own words, the main ideas taken from the original source. Now compare your version with the original to make sure you haven’t left out anything important.

You’re not done yet! It’s critical that you follow these last two steps in order to be sure that you’re not accidentally plagiarizing (stealing) someone else’s ideas. If you’ve copied anything directly from the text, put quotation marks around it. Be sure to record the source so that you give the original writer credit. (see below ~ these two internet sites were used to get ideas for these last 2 pages) The Writing Lab&The Owl at Perdue, cc 1995-2008 Undergraduate Writing Center, The University of Texas, Austin

Now Let’s Practice First, we’ll look at an original speech The following is taken from Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s First Inaugural Address: “This is a day of national consecration, and I am certain that my fellow-Americans expect that on my induction into the Presidency I will address them with a candor and a decision which the present situation of our nation impels. “This is pre-eminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly. Nor need we shrink from honestly facing conditions in our country today. This great nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. “So first of all let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” Copyright © 2005 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall. All rights reserved p503

Now let’s look at the paraphrased version In his First Inaugural Address, Franklin Delano Roosevelt spoke to the people of America and told them that he understood they were expecting him to be honest with them, especially given the circumstances of the country. He asserts that speaking the whole truth about the issues facing the nation is imperative, especially in order for America to continue to thrive and be prosperous. He goes on to state that “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself”, and he believes this fear to be irrational and unnecessary. His concern is that if the people of this nation remain fearful, our country will never move beyond these difficult times. Copyright © 2005 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall. All rights reserved p503

Author Name and Title of Text Notice how the author and title of the piece are mentioned at the beginning of the paraphrase. This lets the reader know right away who the original writer of the text is.

Your own word versus direct quotations Most of this speech has been paraphrased. The direct quote about fear was included for emphasis since it’s such a famous part of Roosevelt’s speech. It has more impact in its original form than it ever would if it were paraphrased.

Now let’s look at a piece from the short story, “The Scarlet Ibis” “So we came to that clove of seasons. School was only a few weeks away, and Doodle was far behind schedule. He could barely clear the ground when climbing up the rope vines and his swimming was certainly not passable. We decided to double our efforts, to make that last drive and reach our pot of gold. I made him swim until he turned blue and row until he couldn’t lift an oar. Wherever we went, I purposely walked fast, and although he kept up, his face turned red and his eyes became glazed. Once, he could go no further, so he collapsed on the ground and began to cry.” From The Scarlet Ibis, by James Hurst Copyright © 2005 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall. All rights reserved

Here it is paraphrased It was nearing the end of summer, we would be going back to school soon, and Doodle still hadn’t accomplished his goals. He couldn’t really climb the rope, nor could he swim well, so we decided we needed to really dig in and work as hard as we could to make these things happen. I pushed him so hard in everything that he did that he was completely exhausted, but he always kept up. One time, though, he was so worn out that he fell to the ground and cried. From The Scarlet Ibis, by James Hurst Copyright © 2005 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall. All rights reserved

You can see how the paraphrased passage includes all of the main ideas of the original passage, but it doesn’t copy any of the original. Remember, a paraphrase is putting something someone else wrote in your OWN words.

Ok, that’s it! Now you’re ready to try some paraphrasing of your own. Remember these simple rules, and you’ll do terrific! Happy Writing! 