Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing involves changing a text so that it is quite different from the source while retaining the
meaning. This skill is important in several areas of academic work, but this unit focuses on using
paraphrasing in note-making and summary writing. Effective paraphrasing is vital in academic writing
to avoid the risk of plagiarism.

Paraphrasing involves three techniques, they are (a) changing vocabulary, (b) changing word class,
(c) changing word order

 Paraphrase this text below using the techniques:

FOUR WHEELS GOOD

The development of the automobile industry coincided with the development of modern
capitalism. It started in France and Germany but has also spread to the United States. There
Henry Ford adapted the moving assembly line from the Chicago meat industry to the production
of automobiles thus inventing mass production. Alfred Sloan’s management theories helped
General Motors become the world’s dominant automobile company in the 1920s. After World
War II the industry developed ‘planned obsolescence’ as frequent model changes encouraged
customers to buy new cars more often. Later, in the 1970s, environmentalists began to criticize
the industry for producing inefficient models that used too much fuel and contributed to global
warming. During this time, trade unions became increasingly militant in protecting their
member’s jobs. Today the industry is home to some of the most powerful brands in the world.
However, many major auto companies struggle with stagnant markets and falling profits.

 Use the same techniques to paraphrase the following text

No one had visited Antarctica before the last century and today the great continent still has less
than 200 winter populations. Although Antarctica is still natural compared to other parts of the
world the extreme cold of Antarctica means that the normal process of decay is stopped. As a
result, some research stations are surrounded by debris from nearly 60 years of operations.

Despite popular belief, Antarctica is a desert with less rainfall than the Sahara. In the past, snow
would slowly cover the water left behind, like beer cans or dead ponies. But now global warming
makes the snow fuzzy. Ten years ago, the countries that use Antarctica agreed to a waste
disposal treaty requiring everything to be taken home and this situation is slowly improving. But
scientists don’t want it all to disappear. The remains of the first expeditions at the beginning of
the 20th century have acquired historical value and will be preserved.