PARAPHRASING

AND
SUMMARISING

Slide by Soraya Hermawan

PARAPHRASING AND SUMMARISING

PARAPHRASING
 Paraphrasing
• changing wording of a text so that it is
significantly different from the original
source without changing the meaning.
• a key academic skill needed to avoid the
risk of plagiarism.
• demonstrates your understanding of a
source.
• a part of the note making and summarizing
process.
 Example

There has been much debate about the reasons for

the industrial revolution happening in eighteenth-
century Britain, rather than in France and Germany.

Why the industrial revolution occurred in Britain in the

eighteenth century, instead of the continent, has been
the subject of considerable discussion.
 Paraphrase
• have different structure to the original,
• have mainly different vocabulary,
• retain the same meaning,
• keep some phrases from the original that
are in common use
• e.g. ‘industrial revolution’ or ‘eighteenth
century.’
 Exercise : The Causes of the
Industrial Revolution
Allen (2009) argues that the best explanation for the British
location of the industrial revolution is found by studying
demand factors. By the early eighteenth century, high
wages and cheap energy were both features of the British
economy. Consequently, the mechanisation of industry
through such inventions as the steam engine and
mechanical spinning was profitable because employers
were able to economise on labour by spending on coal. At
that time, no other country had this particular combination
of expensive labour and abundant fuel.
 Which one is the best?
a) A focus on demand may help to explain the UK origin of the industrial
revolution. At that time workers’ pay was high, but energy from coal was
inexpensive. This encouraged the development of mechanical inventions
based on steam power, which enabled bosses to save money by mechanising
production (Allen, 2009).

b) The reason why Britain was the birthplace of the industrial revolution can be
understood by analysing demand in the early 1700s, according to Allen (2009).
He maintains that, uniquely, Britain had the critical combination of cheap energy
from coal and high labour costs. This encouraged the adoption of steam power
to mechanise production, thus saving on wages and increasing profitability.

c) Allen (2009) claims that the clearest explanation for the UK location of the
industrial revolution is seen by examining demand factors. By the eighteenth
century cheap energy and high wages were both aspects of the British economy.
As a result, the mechanisation of industry through inventions such as the steam
engine and mechanical spinning was profitable because employers were able to
save money on employees by spending on coal. At that time, Britain was the only
country with significant deposits of coal.
Techniques for Paraphrasing [1]
Changing vocabulary by using synonym
• argues > claims
• eighteenth century > 1700s
• wages > labour
• costs economise > saving
• Note: Do not attempt to paraphrase every word, since some
have no true synonym, e.g. demand, economy, energy.
Changing word class
• explanation (n) > explain (v)
• mechanical (adj.) > mechanise (v)
• profitable (adj.) > profitability (n)
Techniques for Paraphrasing [2]
Changing Word Order

... the best A focus on demand

explanation for the may help explain
British location of the
industrial revolution is the UK origin of the
found by studying industrial
demand factors revolution.

Note: Combine the above three techniques to create a

good paraphrase. The use of the first technique only
is somehow still be regarded as an act of plagiarism.
 Example
Original text (Booth, Colomb,
and Williams, 169) Bad Paraphrase
It is trickier to define plagiarism It is harder to describe plagiarism
when you summarize and when summary and paraphrase
paraphrase. They are not the are involved, because they are
same, but they blend so differ, their boundaries blur and a
seamlessly that you may not writer may not know that she has
even be aware when you are crossed the boundary from
drifting from summary into summary to paraphrase and from
paraphrase, then across the paraphrase to plagiarism.
line into plagiarism. No matter Regardless of intention, a close
your intention, close paragraph is plagiarism, even
paraphrase may count as when the source is cited. This
plagiarism, even when you cite paragraph, for instance, would
the source. count as plagiarism of that one
(Booth, Colomb, and Williams,
169).
Paraphrasing and summarizing

SUMMARY
 Summary

A summary is a condensation of
the main ideas in an article.

The length of a summary depends

on:
• The assignment
• The length and complexity of the article
• The audience
 The qualities of a summary

1. Objectivity
• No idea that is not the author’s should be included
in the summary,
• no opinion of the summary writer should be in the
summary.
• No judgments (i.e., whether the article was “good”
or “interesting”) are permitted in a summary.
 The qualities of a summary
2. Completeness
• The summary should contain every main idea in the article.
• Stating only the first main idea, or only one main idea and
details to support it, will not give the reader a complete idea
of what the article was about

3. Balance
• Giving equal attention to each main idea,
• Stressing ideas that the author stressed, will result in an
accurate summary.
Questions to judge a valid summary

1. Did you include all the important ideas?

2.Did you omit the unnecessary words and
phrases?
3.Does the summary read smoothly?
A.use of transitions: also, thus, therefore,
however
B. use of sentence combining
4.Would a reader of your summary who had not
read the article have a clear idea about the
article?
Slide by Nia Kurniasih
 The goal of the summary

to give readers view of an

article which is

objective, complete, accurate, balanced

Process of summarizing material [1]
1. Read the article quickly, looking for main ideas.

2. Read it again carefully, absorbing the

information.

3. Look for the thesis and topic sentences; they

will give you the main ideas of the article that you
will need for your summary.

4. Depending on the assignment, select the major

ideas you will need to use in your summary.

5. Arrange these ideas carefully in order to

achieve balance and completeness.
 Process of summarizing
material [2]
6. Begin the summary with a sentence
that informs your reader of the title and
author of the article:
• Examples: In the article “The Making of the Dutch
Landscape,” Audrey Lambert states that …
• Assignments in Exposition, a book by Louise E.
Rorabacher, discusses …
Process of summarizing material [2]
7. Punctuation
• Underline the titles of books.
• Put the titles of articles in quotation marks.
• Ellipsis: Three dots indicate that something has been left out of a
direct quotation.
• Examples: “… something has been left out of a direct quotation.”
• “Three dots indicate that something has been left out (Note that the
sentence ends, so a period is added.)
• Brackets ( enclose information added to a direct quotation (for
example, to replace a pronoun with a noun.)
• Examples: (Cuomo’s philosophy is to share the burdens and benefits
equally.” We are losing a war [in the Grand Canyon).”
 Exercise
• Read the text: The Dangers of Cramming
• Pay attention to the summary 1 and 2
• Analyse the summary
 Summary 1

In “The Dangers of Cramming,” Keith Ablow explains that students who

try to stay up all night studying for exams are probably doing
themselves more harm than good. Most of these students did not
bother to study hard enough during the term and when exams come
they feel they have to try to catch up and learn everything all at once.
The problem with disrupting normal sleep patterns in this way is that the
students may fall into a temporary intellectual lapse, and after the
exam the next day they lament the obvious answers they blew
because they just couldn’t focus. Ablow points out that using
stimulants to stay awake can be dangerous because they can cause
unexpected side effects. On the other hand, most young people can
recover from an “all-nighter” with one good night sleep. Some
students suffer from not being able to fall asleep when they are
nervous and others may worry about sleeping too much, but the
author advises moderation and regular sleeping habits as the best
formula.
 Analysis of Summary 1
• Does it include a mention of the source?
• Does it correctly interpret the original?
• Does it include any editorial comments?
• Does it include only the most important
points, without details?
• Does it use the summarizer’s own words,
not those of the original author (unless in
quotation marks)?
 Summary 2

Contrary to what many students think, staying up all night to study for
an exam is not very efficient. Such a disruption in sleeping habits can
actually make the student less mentally alert the next day and cause
“microsleeps,” in which the student cannot concentrate. Taking
drugs to help stay awake can cause “Caffeine Intoxication
Syndrome” with accompanying headaches and feelings of anxiety,
according to neurologist and sleep therapist David Buchholtz of The
Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. Although for most people it
would probably take at least 10 cups of coffee to produce this
syndrome, some people are so sensitive that they can develop
unpleasant side effects with only 2 or 3 cups of coffee. In most
young people, other kinds of sleep disorders are rare or temporary
and one good night’s sleep can get them back to normal. As with
many other things, the best advice is to not make major and drastic
changes in sleeping habits and always think in terms of moderation.
 Analysis of Summary 2
• Does it include a mention of the source?
• Does it correctly interpret the original?
• Does it include any editorial comments?
• Does it include only the most important
points, without details?
• Does it use the summarizer’s own words,
not those of the original author (unless in
quotation marks)?
Summary 3

According to Keith Ablow in “The Dangers of Cramming,” if you stay up

all night trying to study for an exam, you may find yourself the next
morning actually less prepared for the exam than if you had just gone
to bed, gotten a good night’s sleep, and taken your chances with the
exam. The reason is that major disruptions in sleep patterns can cause
a lack of mental alertness, so that even if you studied for the exam you
may not be able to remember much the next day. Furthermore, no
matter what people say about not need so much sleep, scientists know
that everyone needs a good night’s sleep before a big day, usually 7—9
hours. Stimulants used to help students stay up all night may trick the
students into feeling awake even when their minds are going to sleep
on them and they stare vacantly for minutes at a time. In addition, even
mild stimulants such as caffeine can cause unpleasant side effects if
taken in too great a quantity. Moderation is the watch word. Study
during the whole term, not just before the exam, you are sure to do
better in school if you don’t overdo it.
 Analysis of Summary 3
• Does it include a mention of the source?
• Does it correctly interpret the original?
• Does it include any editorial comments?
• Does it include only the most important
points, without details?
• Does it use the summarizer’s own words,
not those of the original author (unless in
quotation marks)?