Paraphrasing

Rogers, Bruce. 2007. The Complete Guide to the TOEFL Test (ibt edition). Thomson: USA.
(pp: 605 611)

Paraphrasing means restating an author's ideas in your own words by changing sentence
structure, word order, and vocabulary. A good paraphrase is accurate-that is, true to the author's
meaning and complete. Paraphrasing tests both your knowledge of English grammar and
vocabulary and your comprehension of the ideas in the article:
Here are the techniques for paraphrasing information:

I. Change word forms

You can change nouns to verbs, verbs to nouns, nouns to adjectives, and so on. This process
usually involves making other changes in sentence structure as well.

Examples:
- When we look at a comparison between A and b
- When we compare A and B

The noun comparison is replaced with the verb compare.

- There are a variety of solutions to problem C.

- There are various solutions to problem C.

The noun variety is replaced with the adjective various.

2. Replace words or phrases with synonyms.

- X is not allowed.
- X is not permitted.

Permitted is a synonym for allowed.

Project Y was almost completed.

Project Y was nearly finished.

The phrase nearly finished is synonymous with almost completed.

Note: It is not good idea to use synonyms for concept words, technical terms, or proper
nouns.
Example: The International Science Foundation is investigating the effects of
gamma rays.
In the sentence above, The International Science Foundation is proper noun and gamma
rays is technical term.

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3. Change the grammar

- Trained scientists performed this research.

- This research was performed by trained scientists.

The active verb performed is replaced by passive verb was performed by.

Note: Try to avoid replacing too many active verbs with passive verbs; active verbs are
preferable because they are stronger than passive verbs.

- Its easy to use A. --

- Using A is easy.
Gerund is used to substitute the infinitive to use.
- This A, which is one of the most powerful Zs in the world, has --
- This A, one of the most powerful Zs in the world, has
An appositive (noun phrase) is used in place of a relative clause.
- Study Y, which was conducted by sociologists in 2004, shows that --
- Study Y, conducted by sociologists in 2004, shows that
A past participle is used to reduce (shorten) a relative clause.

4. Reverse negatives

- A is not as easy as B.
- A is harder than B.

A comparative phrase (harder than) is used in place of a not + as . as . Phrase.

- Its not uncommon to see Z .

- Its common to see Z .

A double-negative phrase such as (not uncommon) is replaced by a word with a positive

meaning (common).

- The least expensive B

- The cheapest B .

The negative superlative phrase least expensive is replaced by a superlative word with the
same meaning, cheapest.

5. Change the word order

- For many years, people have believed A.

- People have believed A for several years.

The prepositional phrase for many years is moved from the beginning of the sentence to the
end of it.
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 - After this problem has been solved, work on X can continue.
- Work on X can continue after this problem has been solved.

The adverb clause after this problem has been solved is moved to the end of the sentence.

6. Change sentence connectors

- Although there is a lot of evidence to support theory Y, not all scientists believe it.
- There is a lot of evidence to support theory Y; however, not all scientists believe it.
but
The transition word however is used in place of the adverb clause marker although.

- There are some dangers involved in B; therefore, researchers must be very cautious.
- Because there are some dangers involved in B, researchers must be very cautious.

The adverb clause marker because is used in place of the transition word therefore.

Paraphrasing Practice

Read the following sentences carefully, and then rewrite them using your own words.
Change the vocabulary and sentence structure, but do not change the author's intended meaning
or paraphrase any technical terms. There are several ways of paraphrasing each sentence.

Example:
Original: "In most of the big OECD countries the total workforce
will continue to grow, but there will be a shortage of young,
skilled workers."
Paraphrase: Although the large OECD states will see an increase in
their overall labor supply, the number of young, trained
laborers will decrease.

1. "A return to the mass-union power of the 1970s looks unlikely."

2. "For a start a small recession in the early 1990s, should it come, will lengthen dole queues
again."
3. "Anecdotal evidence of a tightening labour market abounds."
4. "Most companies will still prefer to have recent graduates."

5. "Older people should be ideal targets for corporate recruiters everywhere."

Possible Answers:
1. It does not seem probable that the 1970s mass-union strength will come back.
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2. To begin with, unemployment lines will become long again if there is a minor recession in
the early 1990s.
3. There are many stories that substantiate the shrinking workforce.
4. New college graduates will remain the first choice of the majority of business firms.
5. It would be advisable for corporate recruiters worldwide to hunt for elderly workers.

Original: "If asked; very few executives could say how they spend their time.
Paraphrase:" How their time is spent is a question most managers could not answer.
11. "The more valuable a person's time, the more carefully the spending of it needs scrutiny."
12. ,"That this could happen in Japan, that exemplar of efficiency and enlightened
management, astounded me."
13. "I assigned the highest value to those activities that have a direct bearing on the company's
future."
14. "A CEO needs someone of unquestioned loyalty and discretion to monitor his or her
activities against the template of differential values."
2
Original: "And the more we know of that past, the more sure-footedly we can
Paraphrase: inculcate ethical conduct in the future."
If we understand our past history, we will be better able to teach moral
behavior in the future

1. "That common moral sense, however, does not come out of nowhere or perpetuate itself
automatically."
2. "But it is equally naive to expect ethical behavior to occur in the absence of clear
requirements or consequences."
3. "That's a good quotation for firing up a team, but as a business philosophy it is sheer non
sense."
4. "He knew that some things count more than others."

Original: "If productivity is not rising at a healthy rate, then American business is not
doing its job."
Paraphrase: American business must work well in order for productivity to show a strong
increase.
1. "Our economy must be restructured to regain some semblance of its old-style capitalist
energy."
2. "Owning a majority or controlling interest, these capitalists did not have to concentrate on
reshuffling assets to fight off raids from financial Vikings."
3. "In recent years, small-scale merchant bankers have reappeared in the guise of venture
capitalists."
4. "How much better it would be if they were to help the corporation avoid mistakes that lead
to failure."
5. "Link their personal success to their corporation's productivity."

Original: "If you don't satisfy customers, the name won't help."
Paraphrase: A good name won't save a company whose customers are dissatisfied.

1. "A name cannot make or break a product or company."

4
2. "Had the strategy been sound and well executed, we obviously would not be citing Allegis as
a flawed brand name."
3. "Given the difficulty of judging brand names isolated from performance, are there any hard-
and-fast rules for naming a service company?"
4. "American Airlines is no better than an average name, yet it is a powerful brand."
5. "The campaign worked in concert with the suggestions of -access in the brand name."

5
Original : "They all sell like mad in global markets, and one strategy is responsible
for their success."
Paraphrase : All these products have excellent international sales because of one
method that has made them successful.

1. "The more a product is associated with long-standing usage habits, the. less
internationally marketable it is."
2. "Even though a food or drink product that sells successfully in one country
theoretically will not sell in another unless research explicitly predicts otherwise,
many food products are, in fact, big successes globally."
3. "Because of the low international convertibility of food products, a product formulated
for a single foreign country is unlikely to be salable in another."
4. "You sell not what the greatest number of consumers finds acceptable; instead you sell
what a minority of consumers is very keen on."
5. "It follows inescapably that the shot-in-the-dark strategy prompted the global growth
of these brands."
6. "While the shot-in-the-dark approach may be the most successful, marketers cannot
afford to be lax about their planning and research methods."

Original: "As prohibition failed, the volume of imports soared."

Paraphrase: A great increase in the number of imports accompanied the
failure of prohibition.

11. "Of such heroic arithmetic are scare-stories made."

12. "These legitimate products please, or invigorate, or calm, or console. . . ."
13. "Prudently used, heroin need do no great physical harm. . . ."
14. "Prohibition creates crime, and so gives rise to fiercer dangers than the medical and
social ones it is intended to avert."

Original: "Running a global company is an order of magnitude more complicated

than managing a multinational or international firm."
Paraphrase: A global company is more complex to manage than a multinational or
international business.

1. "Why the rush to take on the daunting task of going global?"

2. "Not every industry should view the world as one."
3. "Managers can find it tough to discard national preferences in making decisions about
such charged matters as promotions or capital investment."
4. "Even if the will to make the Escort a true world car had been there ten years ago, the
technology wasn't."
5. "Officers are required to work through ad 'hoc international teams to assemble deals."

Paraphrasing
 Paraphrasing means restating an author's ideas in your own words by changing
sentence structure, word order, and vocabulary. A good paraphrase is accurate-that is, true
to the author's meaning and complete. Paraphrasing tests both your knowledge of English
grammar and vocabulary and your comprehension of the ideas in the article:

Example:

No. Original "In most of the big OECD countries the total workforce will
continue to grow, but there will be a shortage of young, skilled
workers."
Paraphrasin Although the large OECD countries will see an increase in their
g overall labor supply, the number of young, trained laborers will
decrease.(Hanan: 2010)

2 Original "A return to the mass-union power of the 1970s looks unlikely."
Paraphrasin It does not seem probable that the 1970s mass-union strength will
g come back.

3 Original "For a start a small recession in the early 1990s, should it come,
will lengthen dole queues again."
Paraphrasin To begin with, unemployment lines will become long again if
g there is a minor recession in the early 1990s.

4 Original "Anecdotal evidence of a tightening labour market abounds."

Paraphrasin There are many stories that substantiate the shrinking workforce.
g

5 Original "Most companies will still prefer to have recent graduates."

Paraphrasin New college graduates will remain the first choice of the majority
g of business firms.

6 Original "Older people should be ideal targets for corporate recruiters

everywhere."
Paraphrasin It would be advisable for corporate recruiters worldwide to hunt
g for elderly workers.

7 Original "If asked; very few executives could say how they spend their
time.
Paraphrasin " How their time is spent is a question most managers could not
g answer.

8 Original "And the more we know of that past, the more sure-footedly we
can inculcate ethical conduct in the future."
Paraphrasin If we understand our past history, we will be better able to teach
g moral behavior in the future.
9 Original "If productivity is not rising at a healthy rate, then American business is
not doing its job."
Paraphrasin American business must work well in order for productivity to show a
g strong increase.

10 Original If you don't satisfy customers, the name won't help."

Paraphrasin A good name won't save a company whose customers are dissatisfied.
g

11 Original "They all sell like mad in global markets, and one strategy is
responsible for their success."
Paraphrasin All these products have excellent international sales because of one
g method that has made them successful.

12 Original "As prohibition failed, the volume of imports soared."

Paraphrasin A great increase in the number of imports accompanied the failure of
g prohibition.

13 Original "Running a global company is an order of magnitude more complicated

than managing a multinational or international firm."
Paraphrasin A global company is more complex to manage than a multinational or
g international business.

14 Original To move an object, the effort must be greater than the resistance.
Paraphrasin The applied force must be greater than the resisting force in a order to
g move an object.

15 Original Long ago, people used to worship oak trees.

Paraphrasin Oaks were highly valued and respected in ancient times.
g

16 Original The silver became of secondary importance.

Paraphrasin Silver was the second thing.
g

17 Original Sudden warming could shock and kill a person who is affected by
hypothermia.
Paraphrasin It is important to warm a person who is affected by hypothermia slowly,
g or you may kill them.
 18 Original Experts say that the first modern biography came from England in
1791.
Paraphrasin A biography written in 1791 is similar to biographies today.
g

Practice

Read the following sentences carefully, and then rewrite them using your own words.
Change the vocabulary and sentence structure, but do not change the author's intended
meaning or paraphrase any technical terms. There are several ways of paraphrasing each
sentence.

21. "The more valuable a person's time, the more carefully the spending of it needs
scrutiny."
22. ,"That this could happen in Japan, that exemplar of efficiency and enlightened
management, astounded me."
23. "I assigned the highest value to those activities that have a direct bearing on the
company's future."
34. "A CEO needs someone of unquestioned loyalty and discretion to monitor his or her
activities against the template of differential values."
5. "That common moral sense, however, does not come out of nowhere or perpetuate
itself automatically."
6. "But it is equally naive to expect ethical behavior to occur in the absence of clear
requirements or consequences."
7. "That's a good quotation for firing up a team, but as a business philosophy it is sheer
non sense."
8. "He knew that some things count more than others."
9. "Our economy must be restructured to regain some semblance of its old-style capitalist
energy."
10. "Owning a majority or controlling interest, these capitalists did not have to
concentrate on reshuffling assets to fight off raids from financial Vikings."
11. "In recent years, small-scale merchant bankers have reappeared in the guise of
venture capitalists."
12. "How much better it would be if they were to help the corporation avoid mistakes that
lead to failure."
13. "Link their personal success to their corporation's productivity."
14. "A name cannot make or break a product or company."
15. "Had the strategy been sound and well executed, we obviously would not be citing
Allegis as a flawed brand name."
16. "Given the difficulty of judging brand names isolated from performance, are there
any hard-and-fast rules for naming a service company?"
17. "American Airlines is no better than an average name, yet it is a powerful brand."
18. "The campaign worked in concert with the suggestions of -access in the brand name."
19. "The more a product is associated with long-standing usage habits, the. less
internationally marketable it is."
20. "Even though a food or drink product that sells successfully in one country
theoretically will not sell in another unless research explicitly predicts otherwise,
many food products are, in fact, big successes globally."
21. "Because of the low international convertibility of food products, a product
formulated for a single foreign country is unlikely to be salable in another."
22. "You sell not what the greatest number of consumers finds acceptable; instead you
sell what a minority of consumers is very keen on."
23. "It follows inescapably that the shot-in-the-dark strategy prompted the global growth
of
these brands."
24. "While the shot-in-the-dark approach may be the most successful, marketers cannot
afford to be lax about their planning and research methods."
225. "Of such heroic arithmetic are scare-stories made."
226. "These legitimate products please, or invigorate, or calm, or console. . . ."
227. "Prudently used, heroin need do no great physical harm. . . ."
228. "Prohibition creates crime, and so gives rise to fiercer dangers than the medical and
social ones it is intended to avert."
29. "Why the rush to take on the daunting task of going global?"
30. "Not every industry should view the world as one."
3.1 "Managers can find it tough to discard national preferences in making decisions about
such charged matters as promotions or capital investment."
32. "Even if the will to make the Escort a true world car had been there ten years ago, the
technology wasn't."
33. "Officers are required to work through ad 'hoc international teams to assemble deals."