Example

Read the following passage and paraphrase it by putting it into your own words.

In 1610, Galileo Galilei published a small book describing astronomical observations that he had made of
the skies above Padua. His homemade telescopes had less magnifying and resolving power than most
beginners’ telescopes sold today, yet with them he made astonishing discoveries: that the moon has
mountains and other topographical features; that Jupiter is orbited by satellites, which he called planets;
and that the Milky Way is made up of individual stars. From David Owen, “The Dark Side: Making War on
Light Pollution,” The New Yorker (20 August 2007): 28.
Possible Paraphrase
There is not a single correct answer, but you could paraphrase the above passage by writing something like this:

Galileo was able to make some amazing discoveries with his telescope. He made discoveries about the
moon, about Jupiter, and about the Milky Way. He was able to do this with a telescope that was less
powerful than even today's most basic telescopes.

Your paraphrase doesn't have to be a work of art. However, it should contain the author's main ideas and it should
be written in your own words. You can find more passages for paraphrasing on the pages that follow.

Paraphrasing Exercise 1
Read the following passage and paraphrase it by putting it into your own words.

In American society, Introverts are outnumbered about three to one. As a result, they must develop extra
coping skills early in life because there will be an inordinate amount of pressure on them to “shape up,” to
act like the rest of the world. The Introvert is pressured daily, almost from the moment of awakening, to
respond and conform to the outer world. 
Classroom teachers unwittingly pressure Introverted students by announcing that “One-third of your grade
will be based on classroom participation.” From Otto Kroeger and Janet M. Thuesen, Type Talk: The 16
Personality Types that Determine How We Live, Love and Work. New York: Dell Publishing, 1989.
Possible Paraphrase
There is not a single correct answer, but you could paraphrase the above passage by writing something like this:

There are many more extroverts than introverts in America. This puts a lot of pressure on introverts to fit in
and be like everybody else. Even in school, teachers add to this pressure by making class participation
part of the student's grade. Consequently, introverts have to acquire additional skills to deal with these
pressures.
1. There is new cause for concern for parents who think they are feeding their young
children safe and healthy foods. A new lawsuit claims the Environmental
Protection Agency is allowing unacceptably high levels of pesticides in some
foods favored by children. Massachusetts joins Connecticut, New Jersey and
New York in alleging everything from grapes to oranges to potatoes contains
pesticide residues that are excessive for children. The EPA is being accused of not
setting child safe pesticide limits as required by the Food Quality Protection Act
of 1996. "These safety standards exist. They've existed since 1996. They need to
be enforced. We do need to have these levels set and ideally they'll be set at 10
times the safety standards so that they will protect kids," said Massachusetts
Assistant Attorney General Alice Moore.
2. While California has been the state most prone to serious earthquakes in recent
years, there are many other fault zones in other areas of the United States. For
example, geologists and seismologists have predicted a 97 percent chance of a
major earthquake in the New Madrid seismic zone of the central United States
(including Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, and Kentucky) between now and the
year 2035. While earthquakes with the power of the one that hit the greater Los
Angeles area in January 1994 are fairly rare, less severe earthquakes can interrupt
your normal living patterns and cause substantial injury.