Exercises in Paraphrasing

In the following exercises, paraphrase each passage by clearly and briefly expressing
the ideas in your own words. Hints: try to keep in mind the verb tense (past or present?,
the sentence (!uestion or statement?, and the difference between important information
and unnecessary information. "lso, use a dictionary to define words that you don#t know.
$ %ill reputable scientists ever accept the claim that extrasensory perception and other
paranormal powers really exist?
& 'ontrary to popular belief, exercise has never been shown conclusively to prolong
life.
( )lfactory receptors for communication between different creatures are crucial for
establishment of symbiotic relations.
* +resident ,ixon lied to his wife, his family, his friends, longtime colleagues in the
-... 'ongress, lifetime members of his own political party, "merican people, and the
world. /he lies persisted for more than two years, from at least 0une &(, $12&, when he
personally undertook an active role in covering up the %atergate burglary, to his
resignation on "ugust 3, $12*. ,o lie is intelligent, but his were colossal stupidity
because they involved the presidency of the -nited .tates.
4from 5arry 6. 7oldwater with 0ack 'asserly, 7oldwater (,ew 8ork: .t. 6artin s +ress,
$119, p. (&*.
: In law4school courses on criminal and procedure, emphasis is on the rights of suspects
and not on the rights of victims. Individuals apparently tend to identify more with the
offender than with the offended. It may be said that the law on criminal responsibility
stems out of our fear of being accused or held accountable for something we may have
done or imagined, even though beyond our reason or control.
4from ;alph .lovenko, +sychiatry and <aw (5oston: <ittle, 5rown, $12(, p. 19.
Items $4& taken from %eidenborner, .tephen, and 'aruso, =omenick %riting ;esearch
+apers. *th ed. ,ew 8ork: .t. 6artin#s +ress, $11*: 3*.
Item ( taken from 6etcalf, "llan "., ;esearch to the +oint &nd ed. )rlando, >lorida:
Harcourt 5race ? 'ompany, $11:: $914$$9.
Items *4: taken from <ester, 0ames =., %riting ;esearch +apers *th ed. 7lenview,
Illinois: .cott, >oresman and 'ompany, $13*, 3$.
.ummari@ing and paraphrasing are necessary skills in the research writing process %hile
summari@ing simply reduces the information you gather, often into a list or a short review
of the main ideas, paraphrasing retells the information in your own words an d sentence
structure. 8ou have probably noticed how difficult it can be to paraphrase If you keep too
much of either the original author#s words andAor sentence structure, you are guilty of
plagiarism, a serious offense in all Bnglish writing. 8ou are guilty of plagiarism even if
you indicate where the material came from but have not paraphrased correctly.
-nfortunately, you cannot let the original authors do all the talking either, since a paper
filled with !uotations indicates a lack of thought and argument. %hile there is no easy
formula for paraphrasing, here are some suggestions on how to best avoid unintentional
plagiarism:


5egin at the beginning. /his may sound like an odd statement, but it is perhaps
the best way to avoid plagiarism and help you to paraphrase.
=ecide well before you start your research what you want to write about. If you
do not have a clear idea of what your argument is going to be, then much of what
you read 44 written by professional writers who have spent a great deal of time on
the work you are using 44 will persuade you so strongly that you will not be able
to clearly see the argument that is your own.


.econd, when taking notes and doing research, try not to copy word for word the
evidence before you. +ut the evidence into your own words on your notecards,
then you will have eliminated some of the difficulties. 5y doing this you are both
tailoring the e evidence to fit your argument and beginning the paraphrasing
process. If necessary, Cust Cot down the important evidence in sentence fragments.
;emember to always write down your source and page numbers, as these will be
needed in the paper even if the evidence dence is not stated verbatim. If you do
!uote directly from the source do not forget to use !uotation marks. It is also
helpful to indicate in your note taking how the evidence has been recorded:
!uoted, paraphrased, summari@ed, listed, etc...


/hird, be familiar with your subCect. In a sense you are paraphrasing all the time.
8ou paraphrase in your mind as soon as you finish reading material and try to
understand what you have read. 8ou also paraphrase when you tell other people
about what you have read. In some cases, if you translate what you have read into
your own language you are also paraphrasing. How well you paraphrase in these
cases is a measure of how well you understand the material. /he more clearly you
know your subCect, the easier it will be to tell it in your own words.


>ourth, simplify and experiment. In many cases, the reason you paraphrase is
because the original author is not clear. ;emember, a rough draft is supposed to
be rough. Bxperiment with words and sentence structure. "sk yourself, #%hat
does this mean to my paper?#


>ollow through. +roofread your paper for plagiarism. /his is essential. 'ompare
the evidence in your notes or notecards to the way you have used them in the
paper. If the vocabulary or sentence structure is very similar, double4check your
notes. "t this t ime, also make sure that all evidence has a proper source. If you
can, have someone else, a friend or a schoolmate (or a %riting 'enter consultant
look at your paper for words that appear plagiari@ed.