This post in our series on academic skills provides an overview of paraphasing and summarizing, along with a worksheet for teacher and student practice.
Presentation
Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing means using different words to express the same meaning. When you paraphrase, you express an idea you have read or heard in your own words. As you are including all the information when you paraphrase, the paraphrase is usually about the same length as the original. Paraphrasing is an important academic skill for success in all TOEFL sections and in college classes. Using someone else’s words is plagiarizing, a serious offense that can result in expulsion from school.
Potential problems to avoid: Don’t change the meaning of the original. Don’t leave out information. Don’t copy or use too much wording from the original.
Mention Sources Appropriately
Sometimes, you need to mention the information source more than once. There is a pattern that is customarily used to mention the source appropriately. When you cite the source the first time, use the first and last name. When you cite the second time, use the last name only. If you cite a third time, use a pronoun, for example, he or she.
In the case of speaker or writers who are not named, the source should still be cited. You may be able to identify the source as a professor, a speaker, an author, or a student, based on the context in which the information is presented. Use this general information to cite the source the first time and a pronoun (if the person’s gender is clear) the second time.
Summarizing
Summarizing is related to paraphrasing because you use your own words to express an idea that you have read or heard. When you paraphrase, you include all the original information. However, when you summarize, you include only the main ideas; therefore the summary is shorter than the original. Do not include details and examples in the summary. Make sure the author’s viewpoint is maintained; you do not express your opinion. When you summarize, use the same organization and emphasis as the original and remain objective.
Summarizing Strategies:
First, determine the organization of the reading or lecture. Then list the major points in the order in which you heard or read them. When you read, think in terms of space. How much space does the author devote to each point. When you listen, think in terms of the time the speaker spends on each point. This will help you maintain the emphasis of the original in your summary. In your summary, you should not agree or disagree with the author’s or speaker’s ideas. Don’t make judgments or add information. Do not include your opinions or comments. The summary’s conclusion should be the same as the author’s or speaker’s.
Source: Adapted from Sharpe, Pamela J., and Pamela J. Sharpe. Pass Key to the TOEFL IBT: Test of English as a Foreign Language : Internet-based Test. 6th ed. Hauppauge, N.Y.: Barron’s Educational Series, 2006. Print.
Production
These paraphrasing practice worksheets have a set of short statements and quotations as well as TOEFL examples. The facilitator’s worksheet gives sample paraphrases for the general examples and correct responses and reasoning for the TOEFL examples. Below are the general examples from the student worksheet.
Paraphrase Practice Sentences
1. “That which is essential cannot be seen with the eye. Only with the heart can one know it rightly.” (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. The Little Prince.)
2. “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.” (Henry Adams)
3. Every year thousands of car shows are held throughout the United States, ranging from casual gatherings in fields or parking lots to fancy affairs for the affluent car enthusiast. (“Classic Car Shows.” English Teaching Forum. 51.2 (2013): 47.)
4. Each Supreme Court justice has one vote, and while many cases are decided unanimously, many of the highest profile cases often expose ideological beliefs that track with specific philosophical or political categories. (adapted from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States)
The complete student and facilitator worksheets can be downloaded below.
Student worksheet without answers (doc) Download this resource
Facilitator’s worksheet with answers (doc) Download this resource
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