Improve your paraphrasing skills
Paraphrasing is using your own words to express someone else’s message or ideas. In a paraphrase, the ideas and meaning of the original source must be maintained; the main ideas need to be expressed, but the wording has to be your own.
Paraphrasing video
A 10-minute video on how to paraphrase effectively using the 4-key stages of paraphrasing. This video is based on our Paraphrasing Lesson 1.
The key skills to paraphrasing are:
- Synonyms
- Change in word forms
- Change in sentence structure
- Reference to the author
PDF Lesson Download
Paraphrasing Lesson 1 – how to paraphrase effectively [updated 2021]
It starts by discussing the differences between quotation, paraphrase and summary. It takes students through the basics of identifying keywords, finding synonyms and then changing the grammatical structure. There is plenty of practice, all with efficient teacher’s notes. Level ***** [B1/B2/C1] Example / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP
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Paraphrasing Lesson 2 – improve your paraphrasing skills [new for 2021]
This lesson helps students to improve their paraphrasing skills. The guided learning approach includes a text analysis activity where students identify the paraphrasing strategies, five sentence-level tasks to practise the strategies and two paragraph-level exercises to build on the previous tasks.. Level ***** [B1/B2/C1] Example / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP
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Paraphrasing Exercises
Taken from Paraphrasing Lesson 2 – improve your paraphrasing skills!
Exercise 1
Task: Underline the key words you do not have to change in the following sentences.
- Reports predict that zero waste shops are on the increase.
- Many actors feel that funding for performance arts is currently too low.
- Reports predict that zero waste shops are on the increase.
- Many actors feel that funding for performance arts is currently too low.
For a detailed worksheet and more exercises – buy the download Paraphrasing Lesson 2 below.
Exercise 2
Task: Replace the underlined words with synonyms in the following sentences.
- Every day 8 million pieces of plastic are discarded in the oceans.
- The introduction of bike lanes in many cities has been successful in reducing traffic accidents.
- Every day 8 million pieces of plastic are disposed of in the oceans.
- The introduction of bike lanes in many cities has been effective in reducing traffic accidents.
For a detailed worksheet and more exercises – buy the download Paraphrasing Lesson 2 below.
Exercise 3
Task: Rewrite the sentences using a different word form. Use the word in brackets.
1.The sales of electric cars will increase dramatically this year. (dramatic)
___________________________________________________________________
2. The UK’s Test and Trace system failed mainly due to a lack of planning. (failure)
___________________________________________________________________
- There will be a dramatic increase in the sales of electric cars this year.
- The failure of the UK’s Test and Trace system was mainly due to a lack of planning.
For a detailed worksheet and more exercises – buy the download Paraphrasing Lesson 2 below.
Exercise 4
Task 4: Change the sentence structure in the following sentences. Use the prompt given.
- Although fast food can cause a number of health issues, many people still continue to consume this type of food.
Despite________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
- Despite fast food causing a number of health issues, many people still continue to consume this type of food.
For a detailed worksheet and more exercises – buy the download Paraphrasing Lesson 2 below.
Exercise 5
Task 4: Practice all four strategies (synonyms, word form, word order & sentence structure) and add a reporting verb. Use the author in brackets.
The principles of designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use and regenerating natural systems is defined as the circular economy (Macarthur, 2020).
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Possible answer:
Macarthur (2020) defines the circular economy as the method of eliminating waste and pollution, the continual use of resources and the restoration of physical and biological materials.
For a detailed worksheet and more exercises – buy the download Paraphrasing Lesson 2 below.
NEW! Academic Paraphrasing Lesson 2 Download
Paraphrasing Lesson 2 – improve your paraphrasing skills [new for 2021]
This lesson helps students to improve their paraphrasing skills. The guided learning approach includes a text analysis activity where students identify the paraphrasing strategies, five sentence-level tasks to practise the strategies and two paragraph-level exercises to build on the previous tasks.. Level ***** [B1/B2/C1] Example / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP
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Academic Paraphrasing Lesson 1 Download
Paraphrasing Lesson 1 – how to paraphrase effectively [updated 2021]
It starts by discussing the differences between quotation, paraphrase and summary. It takes students through the basics of identifying keywords, finding synonyms and then changing the grammatical structure. There is plenty of practice, all with efficient teacher’s notes. Level ***** [B1/B2/C1] Example / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP
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Referencing Lessons
Referencing Guide: Harvard
This is a basic reference guide to citing and creating a reference list or a bibliography. It shows the correct way to create in-text citations and reference lists for books, journals, online newspapers and websites. Web page link. TEACHER MEMBERSHIP / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP
Referencing Guide: APA 7th Edition
This is a basic reference guide to citing and creating a reference list or a bibliography. It shows the correct way to create in-text citations and reference lists for books, journals, online newspapers and websites. Web page link. TEACHER MEMBERSHIP / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP
Referencing: Harvard Referencing Worksheet 1 [updated 2021]
Two part worksheet that is a paragraph and reference list. Students have to put in the correct in-text reference. The second part is a reference list exercise where students have to put the sections in the correct order. A nice lesson to introduce students to referencing and becoming aware of key referencing principles. Level ***** [B1/B2/C1] Example / Webpage link / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP
Referencing: Harvard Referencing Worksheet 2 [new for 2021]
This lesson supports students in their understanding and use of Harvard referencing. It contains six worksheets: a discussion on referencing, a noticing activity, a reordering task, an error identification exercise, a sentence completion task, a gap-fill activity and a reference list task. Level ***** [B1/B2/C1] Example / Webpage link / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP
Referencing: APA 7th Edition Referencing Worksheet 1 [updated 2021]
Two part worksheet that is a paragraph and reference list. Students have to put in the correct in-text reference. The second part is a reference list exercise where students have to put the sections in the correct order. A nice lesson to introduce students to referencing and becoming aware of key referencing principles. Level ***** [B1/B2/C1] Example / Webpage link / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP
Referencing: APA 7th Edition Referencing Worksheet [new for 2021]
This lesson supports students in their understanding and use of APA referencing. It contains six worksheets: a discussion on referencing, a noticing activity, a reordering task, an error identification exercise, a sentence completion task, a gap-fill activity and a reference list task. Level ***** [B1/B2/C1] Example / Webpage link / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP
Reporting Verbs
Use the verbs in the box to put into the sentences in the worksheet. Each sentence has a description of the type of verb needed. Check the grammar of the verb too! Web page link. TEACHER MEMBERSHIP / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP
Writing a paragraph – using quotes about smoking
Students are given a worksheet with nine quotes taken from The New Scientist, BBC News, The Economist, etc… After selecting only three, they use these three quotes to write a paragraph trying to paraphrase the quotes and produce a cohesion piece of writing. Level ***** [B1/B2/C1] Example / Webpage link / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP
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