Paraphrase

• Express/restate the meaning of spoken text and written text in different ways
(different words/lexis and structures/grammar)

• Retell spoken text (listening and speaking)

• Rephrase written text (reading and writing)

• Reword spoken text or written text without changing the original meaning of the
text

• Re-mean source text without changing the original meaning of it (the source text)

Linguistic and Textual Strategies for Paraphrasing

• Lexical and Semantic Transformation (Change)

• Theme-Rheme Transformation

• Lexico-grammatical Transformation

Four main reasons that we should paraphrase source text: spoken and written:

• Avoid textual plagiarism

• Express meanings in different ways

• Reference or cite others’ works or source text

• Synthesize ideas/points/arguments derived from different sources

1. Lexical and Semantic Transformation (Change)

- Word Class Change (Nominalization)

• My parents cultivate watermelon and cowpea crops every year.

Cultivate becomes Cultivation.

• Shantou University (STU) is located in Shantou, Southeast China.

Locate becomes Location.

- Semantic Change (Semantic Relations: Synonyms, Hyponyms, Hypernyms)

• My parents grow horticultural crops such as watermelon and long beans

annually.

• Shantou University (STU) lies in Shantou, the eastern part of Guangdong,

South China.

2. Theme-Rheme Transformation
Original Text:
We must participate in an English speech club this semester.
T R
 It is required for us to join an English speech club this semester.
 Participating in an English speech club is a must for us this semester.
 An English speech club is one of the co-curricular activities that we have to
participate this semester.
 Our college requires us to join an English speech club this semester.
 Our participation in an English speech club is mandatory this semester.
 Please keep in mind that although you move the position of Rheme to the position of
Theme, all words should be paraphrased.

3. Lexico-grammatical Transformation

My parents cultivate watermelon and cowpea crops every year.

• Annually, my parents grow such horticultural crops as watermelon and long

beans (TENSE).

• My parents are engaged annually in watermelon and cowpea farming

(TENSE).

Shantou University (STU) is located in Shantou, Southeast China

• Shantou University (STU) lies in Shantou, the eastern part of Guangdong

(TENSE).

• The location of Shantou University (STU) is in Shantou, the eastern part of

Guangdong, China (TENSE).

• In Shantou, southeast China is Shantou University (STU) situated. (Converted

Sentence [CS])