WRITING

COURSE
LESSON 2:
PARAPHRASING
OVERVIEW

DEFINITION STEPS TO PRACTICES

PARAPHRASE
DEFINITION
What is paraphrasing?
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 come through, but
the wording has to be your own.
 Examples
1/ Original sentence: Reading books is necessary for children’s development.
Paraphrased sentence: It is necessary for children to read books. / Reading books plays
an important role in the development of children.
2/ Original sentence: Fears that flu season could collide with the coronavirus pandemic
and create an unprecedented threat to public health are prompting officials to expand
access to flu shots and tighten vaccination requirements for students.
Paraphrased sentence: Governments plan to provide more access to flu injections and
make vaccination compulsory for students as they fear that flu season and the coronavirus
pandemic might occur simultaneously and pose a dire threat to public healthcare system.
Why do we have to paraphrase in writing?
- Avoid repetition
- Show the ability to use grammar and vocabulary flexibly

=> high score in writing

 3 STEPS IN PARAPHRASING
Step 1: Read the original sentence carefully and understand its meaning
Step 2: Replace some key words in the original sentence with their synonyms
Step 3: Apply one or some of the following techniques:
- Change sentence structure
- Change word form
- Use the subject “It”
- Add more explanation
Change sentence structure
- Change active into passive and vice versa
E.g. Employers should provide their employees with better salary
packages.
-> Employees should be provided with better salary packages by their
employers.
Change word form
- Change noun -> verb and vice versa
E.g. 1/ The government should support local businesses.
-> The government should provide support for local businesses.

2/ Students should have better access to the resources in the school’s library.
-> Students should access the resources in the school’s library more easily.
Use the subject “IT” and “THERE”
- IT
E.g. 1/ People need to protect the environment.
-> It is necessary for the government to protect the environment.
2/ Students should be more active in their learning process.
-> It is important for students to play a more active role in their learning process.
-> It is important that students play a more proactive role in their studies.
Use the subject “IT” and “THERE”
- THERE
E.g. 1/ Smoking should be restricted in public places.
-> There should be restriction on smoking in public places.

2/ Fast food should be taxed heavily.

-> There should be heavy taxes on fast food.
Add more explanation
E.g. 1/ The government should support local businesses.
-> local businesses -> businesses that operate locally.
-> The government should support businesses that operate locally.

2/ Learning through mistakes is key to a person’s development.

-> to be key to sth. -> to play a vital role in sth. -> to be an extremely important factor in sth.
-> Learning through mistakes plays a vital role in a person’s development.
 PRACTICES
Original sentence: Many people say that exercise is key to health while others
believe that a balanced diet is more important.
Step 1:
Step 2: Replace key words with synonyms
exercises -> physical activities/ workout
health -> well-being
a balanced diet -> a healthy diet
important -> vital/ crucial/ indispensable/ …
Step 3: Change sentence structure
 PRACTICES
Original sentence: Many people say that exercise is key to health while others
believe that a balanced diet is more important.
Step 3: Change sentence structure
Active -> passive: Physical activities are said to play an indispensable role in
people’s well-being
Use ‘it’: it is believed that a healthy diet is more vital
Paraphrased sentence: Physical activities are said to play an indispensable role
in people’s well-being while it is believed by others that a healthy diet is more
vital.
 MORE PRACTICES
PRACTICE 1: Rewrite the following sentences, using the cues given.
1. Children should obey the rules their parents and teachers set.
-> (use IT)
2. Governments should spend more money on measures to save languages that are used by
few speakers.
-> (Active -> passive)
-> (use IT)
-> (use THERE)
MORE PRACTICES
PRACTICE 1: Rewrite the following sentences, using the cues given.
3. Programs with violent content should be restricted.
-> (Passive -> Active)
4. The environment is being seriously damaged by human activities.
-> (Passive -> active)
-> (Passive -> active + change word form: damage (v) -> damage (n))
MORE PRACTICES
PRACTICE 1: Rewrite the following sentences, using the cues given.
5. The government should carry put new regulations to protect endangered
animals.
-> (Active -> passive)
-> (Use IT)
 MORE PRACTICES
PRACTICE 2: Rewrite the following (use 3 steps of paraphrasing)
1. The government spends too much money on developing space exploration technology.
2. Some unpaid community services should be a compulsory part of high school programs.
3. In today’s world of advanced science and technology, we still greatly value our artists such as
musicians, painters and writers.
4. Public museums and art galleries will not be needed because people can see historical objects
and works of art by using a computer.
5. Too much attention and too many resources are given to the protection of wild animals.
 HOMEWORK
Rewrite the following (use 3 steps of paraphrasing)

1. Artist should receive funding from the government In order for them to continue with their work.

2. The performance of staff can have significant impact on the success of a company.

3. Professional workers like doctors, nurses and teachers make a great contribution to society and should be paid more than sports an entertainment celebrities.

4. Wild animals have no place in the 21st century; therefore, protecting them is a waste of money.

5. Detailed description of crimes on TV is having a bad effect on society; therefore, it should be restricted.

6. A new lawsuit led by the Service Employees International Union alleges that the nation’s largest health-care chain failed to protect employees, patients and the community
against covid-19.

7. Michigan will pay $600 million to children and families in Flint who were exposed to dangerous lead-contaminated drinking water

8. Transparent masks have gained popularity amid the Covid-19 pandemic, even without confirmation from authorities over whether they could protect users from droplets
containing the virus.

9. The biggest difficulty for Tran when traveling is finding accommodation and restaurants that do not ban pets.

10. Vietnamese fruit exporters have not been able to ship to the U.S. for days due to a lack of officials to inspect the safety of their products.
PARAPHRASE
When lockdown began, certain people were advised to take extra
steps - or shield - to avoid contracting Covid-19, because they
were considered more at risk of needing hospital treatment.
Shielding has now been paused everywhere in the UK, except in
some parts of England where infection rates remain higher.
Why is shielding ending?
Infection levels in the community are generally now much lower than
they were a few months ago, so the risk of exposure is significantly
less than it has been.
PARAPHRASE
What about children?

New guidance from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health says that most youngsters
with conditions such as asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, and kidney disease do not need to continue to
shield and could be removed from the shielding list held by the NHS.

About 90,000 people shielding are under 18. Children will only be removed from the shielding
list by their GP or specialist doctor after discussions with the child and their family.

If you have been told that your child no longer needs to shield, they can go to school, college or
nursery.