Paraphrasing

Definition of paraphrasing: "express the meaning of (the writer or speaker or something written or spoken) using different words, esp. to achieve greater clarity "

(Definition of this word came from the Oxford American Dictionaries Apple computer widget)

Guidelines for paraphrasing:

• A paraphrase can be as long or longer than the original.
• A paraphrase contains details.
• A paraphrase demonstrates that you understand what you read or heard.
• Possible steps to write a paraphrase:
  • Look up any words in the original that you didn't understand.
  • Replace any words you don't know with words you do know.
  • Replace long sentences with shorter ones and shorter sentences with longer ones.
  • Explain things that are hard to understand.
  • Be sure all writing is in your own words and not just changing a few words or rearranging words.

Example of a paraphrase:

The original text:

The beginnings of America’s air force can he traced to a New Hampshire man, Prof. Thaddeus Lowe (1832–1913), who used a balloon to observe the movements of Confederate troops in the Civil War. Lowe was fortunate in that Confederate gunfire failed to wreck his ship. The Union forces credited Lowe’s up-to-the-minute reports with saving them at the Battle of Fair Oaks (1862). The South had little success with balloons. (FactCite, 2009.)

Paraphrase written by the student:

Spying from a balloon during the Civil War was the birth of the United States air force. The Confederacy was not able to use balloons very well, nor were they able to shoot down the Union balloons. The Union balloonist from New Hampshire, Prof. Thaddeus Lowe, provided troop movements and his timely information is the reason the Union survived the Battle of Fair Oaks in 1862.