4.+Paraphrase

Paraphrases Paraphrasing is a writing skill in which you “rephrase” (rewrite) information from an outside source in your own words without changing its meaning. Because you include in your rewriting all, or nearly all, of the content of the original passage, a paraphrase is almost as long. In paraphrasing, however, you must not change the meaning of the original. When paraphrasing, it is important to avoid plagiarizing; that is, writing a paraphrase that is too similar to the original. A paraphrase is unacceptable when it contains the same vocabulary and sentence structure as the original. Rewriting a text for the purpose of including it in your own writing can be done in several ways. 1. By changing the vocabulary (verbs/nouns) 2. By changing the verb form (e.g. from active to passive: this can change the focus or emphasis). 3. By changing the word class (e.g. from verb to noun phrase). 4. By synthesis You may need to combine two or more viewpoints or pieces of information from other writers in your paraphrase. Often one reference will support another, but there may be opposing views as well.