School of Professional Studies PARAPHRASING and SUMMARIZING From

School of Professional Studies PARAPHRASING and SUMMARIZING From a presentation developed by Dr. Angela Lanier of the College of Arts & Sciences Trinity Washington University

A paraphrase is. . . n Your version of someone else’s ideas presented in a new form. n A legitimate way to borrow from a source, as long as you document the source. n 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-forword 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 the majority 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. •

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