advanced english paraphrasing exercises

C1 Advanced - Key Word Transformations Exercises

Certificate in advanced english (cae).

The final part of the Reading and Use of English paper in the C1 Advanced Examination is Key Word Transformations. A sentence followed by a key word and a second sentence which has a gap in it. You have to use the key word to complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first sentence.

2. Please do those photocopies whenever you have the time. happen Please do those photocopies if ______________________________ the time.

Key Word Transformations Exercise 1 Exercise Number: CAE050

Key Word Transformations Exercise 2 Exercise Number: CAE051

Each question is marked in two halves and it's perfectly possible to get one whole point in the exam just for getting a single word correctly, even if you don't know the other words to put in the gap. So you should always give every question a try.

Key Word Transformations Exercise 3 Exercise Number: CAE052

Key Word Transformations Exercise 4 Exercise Number: CAE053

Key Word Transformations Exercise 5 Exercise Number: CAE054

Key Word Transformations Exercise 6 Exercise Number: CAE055

Key Word Transformations Exercise 7 Exercise Number: CAE056

The important thing in key word transformations is that you keep the meaning the same - EXACTLY the same. So it's important that you read through the first sentence and your second sentence to ensure you have kept the meaning the same. Look at these two sentences:

Tommy said he was ready for his driving test and would take it in July. Tommy said he was ready for his driving test and could take it in July.

One letter has been changed, from "would" to "could" but it changes the meaning of the sentence totally. Be careful of this!

Key Word Transformations Exercise 8 Exercise Number: CAE057

Key Word Transformations Exercise 9 Exercise Number: CAE058

Key Word Transformations Exercise 10 Exercise Number: CAE064

Key Word Transformations Exercise 11 Exercise Number: CAE065

Key Word Transformations Exercise 12 Exercise Number: CAE066

Best C1 Advanced Books For Students

Use of English: Ten practice tests for the Cambridge C1 Advanced | See in UK

Cambridge English Qualifications: C1 Advanced Volume 1 Practice Tests Plus with key | See in UK

Grammar and Vocabulary for Advanced Book with Answers and Audio | See in UK

Cambridge English Advanced 1 for Revised Exam - Student's Book with Answers: Authentic Examination Papers | See in UK

CAE Writing Masterclass (Parts 1 & 2) Cambridge English Advanced Writing | See in UK

Grammar & Vocabulary CAE & CPE Workbook With Key | See in UK

• iOS/Android App
• First Words
• Grammar Guide
• Pre-Intermediate
• Intermediate
• Grammar Exercises

Reading Exercises

Listening exercises.

• Business English

Vocabulary Exercises

• Picture Quizzes
• NEW B1 Preliminary
• C1 Advanced
• C2 Proficiency
• Phrasal Verbs
• Phrasal Verbs Definitions

Pronunciation

• Pronunciation Exercises

Español / Castellano

• Aprender Español
• Learn Spanish

Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.

Researching

49 Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is another way of presenting ideas from source material in your own words, but without the condensing that happens in a summary. Instead, paraphrases stay approximately the same length as the original source material being paraphrased.

Why Paraphrase?

To demonstrate understanding.

Paraphrasing can demonstrate your understanding of a text, including its more complex details and connections between its main points, and can also help you double-check the depth of your understanding of a text.

To Provide Support

You might paraphrase a section from a source (unlike summary, it is unlikely that you will ever need to paraphrase an entire source) when an idea or point in that source is important to an assignment you are working on and you feel it needs to be included, but you can rephrase it in a way that fits your work without losing any key information.

Look at the last paragraph of the Scientific American article (found at www.scientificamerican.com) “ Are you a Magnet for Mosquitoes? ,” about why mosquitoes are more attracted to some humans than others.

The following sentence would be a good candidate for a direct quote because you might not know how to paraphrase the part about MHC genes:

“Scientists that study human odors and genetics have previously suggested scent cues associated with genetics are likely controlled via the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes”

The sentence that follows, though, says this:

“Those genes appear to play a role in odor production and also in mammals’ mating choices—because humans and mice alike appear to prefer mates that smell less similar to themselves, which scientists have theorized may be a natural control against inbreeding.”

Since there isn’t particularly specialized or original language in here that must be preserved, this second sentence is a good candidate for paraphrase. One way might look like this:

These same genes that might be attracting mosquitoes more to some of us than to others could also be helping us choose partners that we aren’t likely to be related to.

What Makes Something a Paraphrase?

A paraphrase

• Is in your own words.
• Is not condensed.
• Avoids personal opinion.
• Is completely rephrased from the original.

Like summary, a paraphrase is someone else’s ideas rewritten in your own words. Unlike summary, though, paraphrase should not be condensed—the ideas as you write them should take up about the same amount of space as they do in the original text. A paraphrase should not include your own opinions about the topic, what the author of the text is saying about it, or how that author is presenting their point

It can be easy, when writing a paraphrase, to rely on some of the original author’s phrasing or direct synonyms for the author’s original words. Remember that a paraphrase must be entirely your own writing, not just phrases or words substituted in the same sentence structure, length, etc. used by the original text.

Write paraphrases in sentence structures that are natural to you and true to your own writing voice. The only job of a paraphrase is to accurately and completely represent the relevant idea presented in the text you are paraphrasing.

How Should I Organize a Paraphrase?

It is not likely that you will encounter an assignment that solely requires you to paraphrase a text. Instead, you will use paraphrase to support your own points and ideas in work with a wide range of goals. That said, there are still some guidelines for incorporating paraphrase into your work:

• Introduce the author and original text, just as you would for a summary.
• If there is relevant context, mention that as well.
• Then, restate the part of the original text that you want to use into your own original language and sentence structures.
• Include a parenthetical citation (if appropriate) at the end of the paraphrased material. (To learn how to do this correctly, see the discussion of in-text citation in “ Crediting and Citing Your Sources ,” part of the “Using Sources Correctly” section of this text.)
• After delivering and citing the paraphrased material, reconnect that information to your own topic and point.

Exercise: Create a Paraphrase

Here is a brief passage from Sarah Boxer’s article in The Atlantic , “ An Artist for the Instagram Age ”:

The fact that some folks have managed to make the scene while others get left out in the cold is integral to the excitement of participatory art. The thrill is akin to exotic travel, or getting to see Hamilton. Because not everyone who wants the experience actually gets the experience, these works, even if their intentions and messages are democratic, tend to become exclusive affairs.

Which of the following is an appropriate paraphrase of this passage? Why is that one strong and the other one less functional as a paraphrase?

• The truth that many people have been able to attend these events as others have been shut out of them is key to what makes this kind of art appealing. The excitement is similar to visiting foreign countries or attending a showing of a sold-out musical. Since some people who wish to attend can’t do so, these art forms, despite not necessarily wanting to, often end up denying access to many would-be attendees.
• Boxer notes that this kind of art only maintains its appeal as long as there are more people clamoring to view it than can possibly actually view it. This reliance on scarcity means these artists are ultimately relying on elitist principles to find their success and remain in demand.

Text Attributions

• This chapter was adapted from “ Paraphrasing ” in The Word on College Reading and Writing by Carol Burnell, Jaime Wood, Monique Babin, Susan Pesznecker, and Nicole Rosevear, which is licensed under a CC BY-NC 4.0 Licence . Adapted by Allison Kilgannon.

Media Attributions

• “Stay Relaxed” by Carol Burnell, Jaime Wood, Monique Babin, Susan Pesznecker, and Nicole Rosevear is under a CC BY-NC 4.0 Licence .

Advanced English Copyright © 2021 by Allison Kilgannon is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

Share This Book

Cambridge English: Advanced

Practise the specific areas of language that feature in the Key Word Transformation task in the CAE Use of English paper.

• Spotlight Paper 1
• Key Word Transformation

Video tutorial

Cae key word transformation.

Part 4 of the CAE Reading and Use of English Paper is called 'Key Word Transformation' sometimes referred to as 'sentence transformation'. Watch our short, 4 minute video explaining this task.

The Key Word Tansformation task contains 6 questions, each question consists of a lead in sentence, and a second gapped sentence. The gapped sentence must be completed using between 3 and 6 words. The word in capitals must be used and the form of the word cannot change.

Part 4 tests your ability to paraphrase through your knowledge of grammar and vocabulary. A wide range of language could be tested here, however some patterns appear quite often. Let's look at a few of them.

• Key Word Transformation: Comparative and superlative practice
• Key Word Transformation: Phrasal verbs practice
• Key Word Transformation: Set expressions practice
• Key Word Transformation: Formal structures practice

Exam tips Look out for two necessary changes in each sentence. At CAE level you will often be required to make more than one change in the transformed sentence such as using a set expression as well as a change from active to passive. Be sure to follow the instructions: use the key word given, don't change the form of this word and use between 3 and 6 words - no more. Remember that contractions count as two words.

We've noted several patterns that tend to appear. Pay attention to any new ones you come across during your preparation. This will help you to identify what's required in each question in the exam. Try to learn these new patterns by personalising the two sentences. Rewrite each one using the same structures so they describe something about you, your experience or feelings. Personalising in this way will help you to remember the structures.

That's the end of this video. If you'd like further practice in the new CAE exam visit the Flo-Joe website at www.flo-joe.co.uk.

• Part 4 Key Word Transformation Practice Tests

CAE Info and Practice

Cae resources to buy, cae exam success plus.

Could you benefit from further insights into how the Key Word Transformation task is tested with weekly practice opportunities? CAE Exam Success Plus! Find out more

Your Feedback

"Thank you very much for your excellent website. I successfully passed CAE. I am sure this was partly due to the helpful exercises and the useful information and advice provided by your site. I would certainly recommend your site to friends and colleagues who will take the preparations for any of Cambridge exams. I am sure your site will benefit many learners and I wish you every success for the future." Grazyna, CAE Student, Poland

Best 5 Paraphrasing Exercises

Read on to see our helpful paraphrasing exercises and tips in this article to get you started.

One of the most important skills you can hone as a student or writer is to paraphrase the words of other academics and experts effectively. Since new knowledge is built upon that which is already known, it makes sense that you’d want to reference the ideas of others in your work. However, this is often easier said than done. Paraphrasing, especially if you want to do it well, can be challenging.

Fortunately, as is the case with most other skills in life, you can improve your ability to paraphrase through practice. For instance, you can improve this skill by regularly doing paraphrasing exercises. As I was an academic for a long time in my life, I thought it might be helpful to those who have little or no experience in paraphrasing if I provided a list of paraphrasing exercises. If you’re such a person, I hope that this article will get you started on your journey toward mastering the art of paraphrasing. Your academic or writing career will undoubtedly be better off for it when you do.

The Art of Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing exercises and activities to help you master the skill, 1. broaden your vocabulary, 2. create a word map, 3. paraphrase in small chunks, 4. ways to paraphrase shorter and easier sentences, 5. imagine you’re explaining the source material to someone, helpful tips, 1. avoid plagiarism, 2. summarizing is not paraphrasing, 3. changing word order is not paraphrasing.

Although paraphrasing is an essential skill when writing papers, essays, or articles, it’s one that many find challenging to master. To paraphrase the words of others, you need first to comprehend their meaning, and then you need to express this meaning in your own words. To do this effectively requires a broad and sophisticated range of vocabulary and advanced grammar skills.

As stated in the introduction, you can improve your paraphrasing skills through paraphrasing exercises. Doing this will help you construct meaningful and original paraphrased sentences and increase the speed at which you work. Especially when you’re a student, reading, and paraphrasing the words of other scholars and experts can form a big chunk of your work. Learning how to paraphrase well and at a quick pace will enhance your academic experience and will open up your schedule for other activities, such as sports or parties.

Our paraphrasing vs. summarizing guide might be helpful.

Now that you know the importance of paraphrasing, let’s dive right in and look at some exercises and activities that can help you improve. Remember, as is the case when learning any other new skill, you need to engage with these exercises regularly.

Since you cannot paraphrase appropriately without a decent range of vocabulary, it makes sense to aim to add more words to your vocabulary bank constantly. Of course, if you’re an academic, you’ll want to focus on improving your academic vocabulary in your specific field. However, since academic language has a formal tone, you can add general terms to your vocabulary bank to help you express yourself more sophisticatedly. Examples of such words, for instance, are verbs such as “theorize,” “opine,” “constitute,” and “approximate.”

There are various ways in which you can enrich your academic vocabulary. These include:

• Keeping a word journal: A great way to learn new words is to carry a little book along with you, in which you can write down words that you don’t know. You can write down the word and then look up the meaning when you have time. It can also be helpful to construct your sentence with the word once you’ve jotted down its definition.
• Highlight words in texts: Whether you’re working with a physical copy of a text or a digital version, it’s good to highlight or underline words that you don’t know. You can then either write a definition of the words in the margin or, if you’re working with a digital copy, you can add a comment. Another good tip is to write by hand – people learn better when writing something by hand than if they typed the same information.
• Read as much as you can: Although this may be obvious, the best way to improve your vocabulary is to read as many books and articles as you can fit into your schedule. Even if you don’t have the time to look up the meaning of each word that you don’t understand, just seeing the word pop up in different contexts will help you work out the meaning for yourself over time. Apart from reading, you can also listen to podcasts or watch documentaries and news channels.

If you’re battling to paraphrase an original paragraph or sentence into your own words, it can be helpful to create a word map. You can, for instance, write a few complex words or phrases down on a piece of paper. Next, draw a box around each word or phrase, and leave enough space around each so that you can draw and link other boxes. As a next step, you can draw boxes in which you write the synonym of each word. You can also write down the definition of each word if you’re unsure of its meaning.

Next, you need to clarify the relationship between these words or terms. Draw arrows between them indicating patterns, correlation, or cause and effect. You can also add boxes between the original words or phrases in which you add other words, such as verbs, adverbs, conjunctions, prepositions, or adjectives. Doing so can help you further explain the terms or link them meaningfully. Once you’ve added all the information you can think of, try to create a paraphrased sentence or paragraph from your word map.

A valuable way to learn how to paraphrase when you’re a beginner is to break sentences into smaller parts. For example, instead of paraphrasing a long and complex sentence, which can become overwhelming if you’re not used to this process, you can focus on shorter phrases. Let’s take a look at an example. Here, for instance, is a long and complex sentence:

“ Many impacts are unavoidable and will hit the world’s most vulnerable populations hardest, it warns — but collective action from governments to both curb greenhouse-gas emissions and prepare communities to live with global warming could yet avert the worst outcomes. “

You may find it challenging to paraphrase this sentence as a whole. However, breaking it into smaller chunks makes the task more doable. You can break this sentence up in the following way:

• Many impacts are unavoidable
• And will hit the world’s most vulnerable populations hardest, it warns
• But collective actions from governments
• To both curb greenhouse-gas emissions
• And prepare communities to live with global warming
• Could yet avert the worst outcomes

Remember, the sentence structure of your paraphrased version can and often will look different from the source. This means that you can form two or multiple sentences if this helps you create a meaningful paraphrased version, even if the original is one sentence.

If you want to practice your paraphrasing skills, you can do so by paraphrasing a sentence in two or three different ways. You can practice finding different synonyms, grammar, and sentence structures while retaining the meaning across all versions.

If you have time, you can do this exercise with longer sentences. However, it may be good to start by paraphrasing shorter sentences. Doing so will allow you to focus on finding multiple synonyms and different ways to write the same sentence.

Here’s an example:

“ Scientists know that bees are dying from a variety of factors. “

Paraphrased version 1:

“Experts maintain that the future of bees is in danger due to multiple causes.”

Paraphrased version 2:

“There are many different reasons why bees are going extinct, according to scientists.”

A helpful way of practicing paraphrasing while reading through articles or research papers is to recite your paraphrased version of some more complex sentences. Since the first step of paraphrasing is to ensure that you’ve correctly understood the source, repeating what you’ve just read in your own words can help you grasp the meaning of the source material.

You don’t need to use formal academic language and complex terms when doing this paraphrasing exercise. Instead, the aim is to repeat what you’ve read in plain and simple terms. Also, since you don’t need to write anything down for this paraphrasing exercise, it’s something you can regularly do while you’re reading through the source material.

It’s vital that you understand what you’re reading and that all the information is not just going over your head. Doing this exercise, primarily when you find yourself drifting off or having problems grasping a sentence, will ensure that you’ve understood the section you’ve read. At the same time, you get to practice your paraphrasing skills.

Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind while paraphrasing.

Even though you’re not using direct quotes when paraphrasing but rather stating another author’s ideas in your own words, you still need to reference their work. Failing to do so amounts to plagiarism, a serious offense, whether you’re producing academic work or an article for a web page.

The format you have to use when citing the work of others varies. For instance, in academic writing, you need to provide in-text citations and a list of references at the end of your essay, article, or thesis. The precise way you’ll write your in-text citations and list of references will be determined by the formatting style, whether this is APA , Harvard , Chicago , or MLA .

Although both tools or techniques involve using your own words to describe somebody else’s text, they are different. You need to retain the original work’s meaning with both techniques while using your own words. When you’re summarizing a work , you’re selecting only the most essential points of the text and rewriting these in your own words. This means that you provide a short overview of what a text is about.

It would be best to remain far more loyal to the source material with paraphrasing. You refer to specific ideas an author has provided to incorporate these into your work. To ensure that you’re not changing the original version too much or skewing the meaning the author intended to bring across, you have to rewrite actual sentences and paragraphs. You can’t just write a summary of large chunks of text.

Although this is a “technique” employed by lazy students, you should be aware that merely swapping around the word order of an original text does not constitute paraphrasing. It’s also not good enough to merely change a sentence from passive voice to active voice or vice versa.

Using either of these as your only paraphrasing method when rewriting somebody else’s words can amount to plagiarism since you’ve not used your own words or demonstrated your understanding of the source material. In such instances, you’d be better off simply rewriting the author’s exact words and placing these in quotation marks.

To learn more, check out our guide on paraphrasing vs. plagiarism .

Bryan Collins is the owner of Become a Writer Today. He's an author from Ireland who helps writers build authority and earn a living from their creative work. He's also a former Forbes columnist and his work has appeared in publications like Lifehacker and Fast Company.

View all posts

Breakout English

Advanced (CAE) C1 Key Word Transformations – Inversion

Once your students get to a high C1 level, there isn’t much grammar left to surprise or challenge them. It’s often more important to focus on accuracy than to introduce things that are completely new. However, there are still a few nice, juicy grammar points that we can teach our Advanced students. Inversion is one of those. And, like always, it’s a good idea in an exam class to include the grammar the same way your students may see it in the exam. That’s why we’ve prepared inversion transformations for you to use with your CAE students.

These transformations and many more are part of our book 230 Key Word Transformations for the Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE) exam. The book is available as a digital download here on Breakout English or grab a physical paperback copy on Amazon.

GET 230 C1 ADVANCED (CAE) KEY WORD TRANSFORMATIONS:

In formal English, and in written language in particular, we use negative adverbials at the beginning of the sentence to make it more emphatic or dramatic.

The word order is inverted:

negative adverbial + auxiliary verb + subject + verb

Compare this example from a complaint letter:

NORMAL – I have never had such a bad experience before.

INVERSION – Never before have I had such a bad experience.

While it is an excellent idea to encourage your students to use inversion in their writing and potentially in speaking, inversion should only be used occasionally for dramatic effect. Overusing it will make their English sound rather unnatural.

Negative adverbials used in inversion

These are some commonly seen negative adverbials that are used with inversion.

• Never before
• Under no circumstances
• On no account
• Hardly (ever)
• No sooner…than
• Never again
• Little (did he/she know)
• Not until…*
• Not since…*
• Only when…*

*Note: Inversion is normally used in the clause directly following the negative adverbial. However, with these adverbials, inversion is used in the 2nd clause (e.g. Not until almost everyone had left did Nick start to have fun)

The Materials

Here are 10 inversion transformations in CAE style.

EXAM PART: Use of English

EXAM SKILLS: Key word transformations

TIME: 20 minutes

PREPARATION: One copy of the worksheet per student

eslwriting.org

A panoply of teaching resources.

Learn Paraphrase Writing

Do you want to improve your essay writing skills?

If yes, learn paraphrasing. It is a skill that will upgrade your writing abilities.

Here is a free six lesson e-course. This self-study course can help you write better sentences, paragraphs and essays. I promise.

Who should take this e-course? Four groups of people. They are ESL students with intermediate to advanced English comprehension who:

• need better writing skills
• plan to take a TOEFL or IELTS test
• want to increase English writing abilities quickly
• dream of studying in a western university

Learn Writing Skills

This e-course teaches six kinds of paraphrase writing skills. Each skill is taught in a separate lesson posted on eslwriting.org.

Here are the six skills and links to the lessons.

• Lesson 1: Synonyms . Use words and phrases with a similar meaning.
• Lesson 2: Voice . Change the sentence from active voice to passive.
• Lesson 3: Nominalization . Change nouns to verbs.
• Lesson 4: Conjunctions . Combine two sentence with conjunctions.
• Lesson 5: Clauses .  Join two sentence with relative clauses and appositives.
• Lesson 6: Definitions . Replace a word with its meaning.

What is Paraphrase Writing?

Paraphrasing is a reading and writing skill. Read a sentence or paragraph and then write the same ideas using your words.

Paraphrasing is not copying. Good paraphrasing shows you understand other people’s ideas and can write them in a way that makes sense to you.

Paraphrasing Helps Essay Writing

Paraphrasing helps build writing skills in many areas. In this e-course, the English lessons will help you to:

• improve vocabulary power
• learn different sentence patterns
• expand knowledge of expressions
• develop your own writing style

Paraphrase writing is an important reading and writing skill for students in almost every English-speaking country. It’s hard to write a good high school or university essay without paraphrasing skills. Believe me, I know.

Research and Results

I believe paraphrasing is a great writing skill. Other people agree. Here’s an example.

A paraphrasing test was done by the University of Kansas in the United States. Researchers found that students improved reading comprehension after learning paraphrasing skills.

Before learning how to paraphrase, students were given a reading comprehension test. Their test score was 48 percent. After learning how to paraphrase, the reading score went up to 84 percent. That’s a big increase. (Some details about the research are available here .

Download the Worksheets

Read the lessons and try the exercises. Each lesson has a link so you can download the writing worksheets.

A note about printing. The worksheets are formatted for A4 page size (the standard size in Asia). Printing will work on letterhead (the US standard ) but the font might look a little small.

19 thoughts on “Learn Paraphrase Writing”

• Pingback: Why You Need to Learn Paraphrase Writing | eslwriting.org

Thanks. I look forward to receiving the lessons

• Pingback: Learn Paraphrase Writing #1 | eslwriting.org

You’re welcome Kate.

I hope you try the lessons and write some of your answers (or your students’ answers) here in the comments section.

Good Morning Rob

Thanks for providing these resources for free. Just what I’m looking for to prepare a Chinese class of struggling writers for a TOEFL test.

Good karma to you

Teaching in Japan.

Hi, I am a TOEFL writing teacher in Korea, and I’ve been looking for some paraphrasing resources for my students. I think your worksheets are very well organized and explained. I am wondering if I can use the worksheets provided here in my class. Please let me know. Thank you.

Awesome article.

Wonderful. Let me know how to download

Wanted to let you know your work is still be used — it’s perfect for TOEFL training!

Thank you for your work!

Now i am doing thesis for my master degree, but i am not clear how to paraphrase from the original papers or references.Can you tell me more detail about it. thanks in advance.

Hi ESLwriter,

I am doing my student teaching right now and I would like to use some of your worksheet. Can you please let me know how I can obtain some copies? Thank you very much for your help.

I am a teacher of ESE and ELL students who is looking for an easier way to help my high school students effectively use paraphrasing in their writing.

The lessons look very useful. I am trying to teach my students not to copy word for word when they are asked comprehension questions on a reading.

These lessons look very useful. I am trying to teach my students not to copy word for word when they are answering comprehension questions on a reading.

Hi, How can I get access to the paraphrasing worksheet?

Elisa Arceri

Awesome stuff

After a few weeks of teaching Business Reading, I’m realizing many of my students have a bad habit of copying answers exactly from the reading materials. I find paraphrasing skills are not only good for improving writing, but also great for improving reading comprehension, therefore we’re going to take a break from topical business lessons and look at paraphrasing a bit. Thank you so much for all these resources!

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

• Memberships
• Institutional Members
• Teacher Members

Improve your paraphrasing skills

by AEUK | Jan 29, 2022 | Lessons , Referencing , Writing

  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 be expressed, but the wording has to be your own.

Paraphrasing video.

A 10-minute video on how to paraphrase effectively using the 4-key stages of paraphrasing. This video is based on our Paraphrasing Lesson 1.

  The key skills to paraphrasing are: 

• Change in word forms
• Change in sentence structure
• Reference to the author

PDF Lesson Download

Paraphrasing lesson 1 – how to paraphrase effectively [updated 2021].

 It starts by discussing the differences between quotation, paraphrase and summary. It takes students through the basics of identifying keywords, finding synonyms and then changing the grammatical structure. There is plenty of practice, all with efficient teacher’s notes.  Level ** ** * [B1/B2/C1]   Example  / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP  / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP

£5.00 – Add to cart Checkout Added to cart

Paraphrasing Lesson 2 – improve your paraphrasing skills  [new for 2021]

This lesson helps students to improve their paraphrasing skills. The guided learning approach includes a text analysis activity where students identify the paraphrasing strategies, five sentence-level tasks to practise the strategies and two paragraph-level exercises to build on the previous tasks..  Level ** ** * [B1/B2/C1]   Example  / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP  / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP

Advertisement

Paraphrasing Exercises

Taken from paraphrasing lesson 2 – improve your paraphrasing skills.

Task: Underline the key words you do not have to change in the following sentences.

• Reports predict that zero waste shops are on the increase.
• Many actors feel that funding for performance arts is currently too low.

For a detailed worksheet and more exercises – buy the  download Paraphrasing Lesson 2 below. 

Task: Replace the underlined words with synonyms in the following sentences.

• Every day 8 million pieces of plastic are discarded in the oceans.
• The introduction of bike lanes in many cities has been successful in reducing traffic accidents.
• Every day 8 million pieces of plastic are disposed of in the oceans.
• The introduction of bike lanes in many cities has been effective in reducing traffic accidents.

Task: Rewrite the sentences using a different word form. Use the word in brackets.

1.The sales of electric cars will increase dramatically this year . (dramatic)

___________________________________________________________________

2. The UK’s Test and Trace system failed mainly due to a lack of planning. (failure)

• There will be a dramatic increase in the sales of electric cars this year.
• The failure of the UK’s Test and Trace system was mainly due to a lack of planning.

Task 4: Change the sentence structure in the following sentences. Use the prompt given.

• Although fast food can cause a number of health issues, many people still continue to consume this type of food.

Despite________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

• Despite fast food causing a number of health issues, many people still continue to consume this type of food.

Task 4: Practice all four strategies (synonyms, word form, word order & sentence structure) and add a reporting verb. Use the author in brackets.

The principles of designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use and regenerating natural systems is defined as the circular economy (Macarthur, 2020).

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Possible answer: 

Macarthur (2020) defines the circular economy as the method of eliminating waste and pollution, the continual use of resources and the restoration of physical and biological materials.

NEW! Academic Paraphrasing Lesson 2 Download

Academic paraphrasing lesson 1 download, referencing lessons.

• Harvard Referencing Guide
• APA 7th Edition Referencing Guide

Referencing Guide: Harvard

 This is a basic reference guide to citing and creating a reference list or a bibliography. It shows the correct way to create in-text citations and reference lists for books, journals, online newspapers and websites.   Web page link . TEACHER MEMBERSHIP  / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP

Free Download

Referencing Guide: APA 7th Edition

Referencing: harvard referencing worksheet 1 [updated 2021].

Two part worksheet that is a paragraph and reference list.  Students have to put in the correct in-text reference. The second part is a reference list exercise where students have to put the sections in the correct order. A nice lesson to introduce students to referencing and becoming aware of key referencing principles.  Level ** ** * [B1/B2/C1]  Example  / Webpage link / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP  / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP

£4.00 – Add to cart Checkout Added to cart

Referencing: Harvard Referencing Worksheet 2 [new for 2021]

This lesson supports students in their understanding and use of Harvard referencing. It contains six worksheets: a discussion on referencing, a noticing activity, a reordering task, an error identification exercise, a sentence completion task, a gap-fill activity and a reference list task.   Level ** ** * [B1/B2/C1]  Example  / Webpage link / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP  / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP

Two part worksheet that is a paragraph and reference list. Students have to put in the correct in-text reference. The second part is a reference list exercise where students have to put the sections in the correct order. A nice lesson to introduce students to referencing and becoming aware of key referencing principles.  Level ** ** * [B1/B2/C1]    Example   / Webpage link   / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP  / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP

This lesson supports students in their understanding and use of APA referencing. It contains six worksheets: a discussion on referencing, a noticing activity, a reordering task, an error identification exercise, a sentence completion task, a gap-fill activity and a reference list task. Level ** ** * [B1/B2/C1]    Example   / Webpage link   / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP  / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP

Reporting Verbs 

 Use the verbs in the box to put into the sentences in the worksheet. Each sentence has a description of the type of verb needed. Check the grammar of the verb too! Web page link . TEACHER MEMBERSHIP  / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP

      Writing a paragraph – using quotes about smoking

Students are given a worksheet with nine quotes taken from The New Scientist, BBC News, The Economist, etc… After selecting only three, they use these three quotes to write a paragraph trying to paraphrase the quotes and produce a cohesion piece of writing.  Level ** ** * [B1/B2/C1]    Example  / Webpage link  / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP  / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP

      Memberships (Teacher / Institutional)

      Full access to everything -  £100 /  £200 /   £550

  Join today * x

More writing resources

Academic phrases, academic style [1], academic style [2], academic style [3], academic word list , writing websites, error correction,   hedging [1], hedging [2], noun phrases [1], noun phrases [2], referencing, in-text referencing, harvard referencing, apa referencing, reference generators, reference lists, reporting verbs, credible sources, evaluating sources, academic integrity, ‘me’ in writing, writing skills, paraphrasing [1], paraphrasing [2], paraphrase (quotes), summarising  , summary language, critical thinking, argument essays, spse essays, parallelism, sentence structure [1], sentence structure [2], punctuation, structure    , essay structure, introductions, thesis statements, paragraphing, topic sentences, definitions, conclusions, linking words, marking criteria, more blog posts….

Advertisement:

Phrasal Verbs Exercises (No.1) | C1 Advanced (CAE)

Phrasal Verbs: Exercises 1-3

Complete the sentences. Choose the correct particles.

1. Maya picked the bags up on/in/up and left the restaurant. 2.  He took the suitcases back down/back/into upstairs. 3. I took my cup of coffee into into/over/under the living room. 4. The children threw snowballs at on/in/at each other. 5. He turned on on/in/away the shower. 6. Tommy helped me put my new desk together on/out/together . 7. Jennifer put her glass down with/away/down on the table. 8. Put your hand up up/over/with if you know the answer.

Decide if the following sentences are true or false.

1. If you let someone in , you allow them to leave a place.   True False False 2. If you light something up , you shine light on or in it.   True False True 3. If you put something back , you move it to a new place.   True False False 4. If you throw something in , you drop it into something.   True False True 5. If you turn something off , you make it start working.   True False False 6. If you take something away , you take it to the place where it was before.   True False False 7. If you put something down , you put it on the floor or on a table etc.   True False True 8. If you put something up , you move it to a lower position.   True False False

Make these sentences less formal. Replace the underlined verbs with the phrasal verbs 1 The management will only   lit up put together looking for throw away let in put back let in   admit people who have tickets. 2 She   lit up put together looking for throw away let in put back put back replaced the phone. 3 The sun   lit up put together looking for throw away let in put back lit up illuminated the sky. 4 It takes eight hours to   lit up put together looking for throw away let in put back put together assemble each device. 5 She decided to   lit up put together looking for throw away let in put back throw away discard her old shoes. 6 We are   lit up put together looking for throw away let in put back looking for seeking a new car.

let in If you let someone in, you allow them to come into a place, usually by opening the door for them.

light up To light something up means to shine light on or in it, so that it is bright and easy to see.

look for If you look for something or someone, you try to find them.

pick up If you pick something or someone up, you lift them up from a surface.

put back If you put something back somewhere, you put it in the place it was in before it was moved.

put down If you put down someone or something that you are holding or carrying, you put them on the floor or on

put in If you put something in or put one thing in another, you put one thing inside another thing.

put together If you put together an object or its parts, you join its parts to each other so that it can be used.

put up If you put something up, you move it to a higher position.

take away If you take something away from a place or position, you remove it from a place and put it somewhere else.

take back When you take something back, you take it to the place where you were before or where it was before.

take into If you take someone or something into a place, you go with them there.

throw at If you throw an object at someone or something, you try to hit them with the object by throwing it.

throw away If you throw something away, you get rid of it because you no longer want or need it.

throw in If you throw something in or throw it in something, you casually put or drop it into something such as a container or mixture.

throw out If you throw out something, you throw it so that it moves quickly away from you. If you throw out something you no longer want, you get rid of it.

turn off If you turn off a device or machine, you make it stop working using its controls. If it turns off, it stops working.

FCE, CAE, CPE

Practice tests online, phrasal verbs: exercises 4-6.

1. Would you mind holding on   out/on/back while I call Mr Smith? 2. He’s not here at the moment. Can I ask him to call you back up/back/out 3. I’ll get back back/out/on to you soon with my decision. 4 . The photo is very unclear – I can’t make it out out/up/over very well. 5. He asked her to go to the cinema with him but she turned him down out/back/down . 6. I’ve got a proposal I’d like to put to through/to/with you.

Make these sentences less formal. Replace the underlined verbs with the phrasal verbs

1. Can we go back to the point you raised earlier?   called back call up get back to hang on make out talk to get back to 2. I can’t work out why he did it.   called back call up get back to hang on make out talk to make out 3. I rang Stefan back the following day.   called back call up get back to hang on make out talk to called back 4. Can you hold on for a minute or two?   called back call up get back to hang on make out talk to hang on 5. Can I talk with you about this?   called back call up get back to hang on make out talk to talk to 6. You can phone up and speak to an adviser at any time.   called back call up get back to hang on make out talk to call up

Match sentence halves to make complete sentences.

1. I called her up last night …   to ask how she was turn down the offer what the sign said from him in a long time you about something money from the scheme to ask how she was 2. We haven’t heard …   to ask how she was turn down the offer what the sign said from him in a long time you about something money from the scheme from him in a long time 3. I really need to talk to …   to ask how she was turn down the offer what the sign said from him in a long time you about something money from the scheme you about something 4. It was dark and it was hard to make out …   to ask how she was turn down the offer what the sign said from him in a long time you about something money from the scheme what the sign said 5. I put it to him that he might make …   to ask how she was turn down the offer what the sign said from him in a long time you about something money from the scheme money from the scheme 6. In the end he decided to …   to ask how she was turn down the offer what the sign said from him in a long time you about something money from the scheme turn down the offer

call back If you call back, you go to see someone briefly for a second time. If you call back, you telephone someone for a second time.

call up If you call up or call someone up, you telephone someone.

come back to If you come back to a particular subject, you mention or start to discuss it again.

get back to If you get back to what you were doing or talking about before, you start doing it or talking about it again.

hang on If you hang on, you wait for a short time.

hear from If you hear from someone or hear something from them, you receive a phone call, email, or other message from them.

hold back If you hold back, or if something holds you back, you do not do or say something that you want to do or say.

hold on If you hold on, you wait or stop what you are doing for a short time. If you ask someone you are speaking to on the phone to hold on, you want them to wait for a short time.

make out If you make something out, you manage to see or hear it. If you make something out, you manage to understand it.

put to If you put something to someone, you say it to them in order to find out how they react to it.

talk to If you talk to someone, you have a conversation with them.

talk with If you talk with someone, you have a conversation with them, [mainly AMERICAN]

What is your level of English?

English Current

ESL Lesson Plans, Tests, & Ideas

• North American Idioms
• Business Idioms
• Idioms Quiz
• Idiom Requests
• Proverbs Quiz & List
• Phrasal Verbs Quiz
• Basic Phrasal Verbs
• North American Idioms App
• A(n)/The: Help Understanding Articles
• The First & Second Conditional
• The Difference between 'So' & 'Too'
• The Difference between 'a few/few/a little/little'
• The Difference between "Other" & "Another"
• Check Your Level
• English Vocabulary
• Verb Tenses (Intermediate)
• Articles (A, An, The) Exercises
• Prepositions Exercises
• Irregular Verb Exercises
• Gerunds & Infinitives Exercises
• Discussion Questions
• Speech Topics
• Argumentative Essay Topics
• Top-rated Lessons
• Intermediate
• Upper-Intermediate
• Reading Lessons
• View Topic List
• Expressions for Everyday Situations
• Travel Agency Activity
• Present Progressive with Mr. Bean
• Work-related Idioms
• Adjectives to Describe Employees
• Writing for Tone, Tact, and Diplomacy
• Speaking Tactfully
• Advice on Monetizing an ESL Website
• Teaching your First Conversation Class
• How to Teach English Conversation
• Teaching Different Levels
• Teaching Grammar in Conversation Class
• Members' Home
• Update Billing Info.
• Cancel Subscription
• North American Proverbs Quiz & List
• North American Idioms Quiz
• Idioms App (Android)
• 'Be used to'" / 'Use to' / 'Get used to'
• Ergative Verbs and the Passive Voice
• Keywords & Verb Tense Exercises
• Irregular Verb List & Exercises
• Non-Progressive (State) Verbs
• Present Perfect vs. Past Simple
• Present Simple vs. Present Progressive
• Past Perfect vs. Past Simple
• Subject Verb Agreement
• The Passive Voice
• Subject & Object Relative Pronouns
• Relative Pronouns Where/When/Whose
• Commas in Adjective Clauses
• A/An and Word Sounds
• 'The' with Names of Places
• Understanding English Articles
• Article Exercises (All Levels)
• Yes/No Questions
• Wh-Questions
• How far vs. How long
• Affect vs. Effect
• A few vs. few / a little vs. little
• Boring vs. Bored
• Compliment vs. Complement
• Die vs. Dead vs. Death
• Expect vs. Suspect
• Experiences vs. Experience
• Go home vs. Go to home
• Had better vs. have to/must
• Have to vs. Have got to
• I.e. vs. E.g.
• In accordance with vs. According to
• Lay vs. Lie
• Make vs. Do
• In the meantime vs. Meanwhile
• Need vs. Require
• Notice vs. Note
• 'Other' vs 'Another'
• Pain vs. Painful vs. In Pain
• Raise vs. Rise
• So vs. Such
• So vs. So that
• Some vs. Some of / Most vs. Most of
• Sometimes vs. Sometime
• Too vs. Either vs. Neither
• Weary vs. Wary
• Who vs. Whom
• While vs. During
• While vs. When
• Wish vs. Hope
• 10 Common Writing Mistakes
• 34 Common English Mistakes
• First & Second Conditionals
• Comparative & Superlative Adjectives
• Determiners: This/That/These/Those
• Check Your English Level
• Grammar Quiz (Advanced)
• Vocabulary Test - Multiple Questions
• Vocabulary Quiz - Choose the Word
• Verb Tense Review (Intermediate)
• Verb Tense Exercises (All Levels)
• Conjunction Exercises
• List of Topics
• Business English
• Games for the ESL Classroom
• Pronunciation
• Teaching Your First Conversation Class
• How to Teach English Conversation Class

Paraphrasing Techniques for Academic Writing (EAP)

A few notes on teaching paraphrasing.

When I teach paraphrasing, I generally go over some techniques such as the list below. These techniques can provide students some tools to paraphrase successfully and avoid the overuse of quotations, or worse yet, plagiarism. Although these methods are especially useful to intermediate-level students, keep in mind that the best overall advice is to tell them to try to rewrite the idea into their own words . Some students can get too caught up in the game of changing from active to passive or finding obscure synonyms in the dictionary, and they forget that the best thing to do is ask themselves:  What does this sentence mean?  Can I rewrite it in my own words?

The chances are, if they are upper-intermediate or advanced students, then they may already be able to do this. Nevertheless, the below handout can be useful for students who don't have the flexibility yet to paraphrase on their own.

Five Paraphrasing Techniques

(Handout download:  paraphrasing-techniques-eap.docx )

Approximately 80% of low-income families will be assisted by the proposed `free lunch' program. (Health Canada, 2015)

Techniques:

1. Use Synonyms

According to Health Canada, roughly 80% of poor families will be helped by the suggested `free lunch' campaign .

2. Change from Active to Passive Voice

According to Health Canada, the suggested `free lunch' campaign will help roughly 80% of poor families.

3. Change from Positive to Negative

According to Health Canada, only roughly twenty percent of poor families will not benefit from the program.

4. Change Word Forms

According to Health Canada, the suggested `free lunch' campaign will provide assistance to roughly 80% of poor families.

5. Change the Order of Information

The suggested `free lunch' campaign will provide assistance to roughly 80% of poor families according to Health Canada .

Finally, after using the aforementioned techniques we have gone from this quotation:

to this paraphrased sentence:

The suggested `free lunch' campaign will provide assistance to roughly 80% of poor families according to Health Canada.

• Does the paraphrased sentence contain the same meaning as the original? Yes
• Have we referenced the source of the information? Yes
• Overall, have we avoided plagiarism by paraphrasing sufficiently? Yes

All the answers are 'Yes', which means we have paraphrased well.

- Copyright Matthew Barton of Englishcurrent.com

• The Difference between Patchwriting and Paraphrasing

EnglishCurrent is happily hosted on Dreamhost . If you found this page helpful, consider a donation to our hosting bill to show your support!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Paraphrasing Exercise

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

Directions: On a separate piece of paper, write a paraphrase of each of the following passages. Try not to look back at the original passage.

1. "The Antarctic is the vast source of cold on our planet, just as the sun is the source of our heat, and it exerts tremendous control on our climate," [Jacques] Cousteau told the camera. "The cold ocean water around Antarctica flows north to mix with warmer water from the tropics, and its upwellings help to cool both the surface water and our atmosphere. Yet the fragility of this regulating system is now threatened by human activity." From "Captain Cousteau," Audubon (May 1990):17.

2. The twenties were the years when drinking was against the law, and the law was a bad joke because everyone knew of a local bar where liquor could be had. They were the years when organized crime ruled the cities, and the police seemed powerless to do anything against it. Classical music was forgotten while jazz spread throughout the land, and men like Bix Beiderbecke, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie became the heroes of the young. The flapper was born in the twenties, and with her bobbed hair and short skirts, she symbolized, perhaps more than anyone or anything else, America's break with the past. From Kathleen Yancey, English 102 Supplemental Guide (1989): 25.

3. Of the more than 1000 bicycling deaths each year, three-fourths are caused by head injuries. Half of those killed are school-age children. One study concluded that wearing a bike helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by 85 percent. In an accident, a bike helmet absorbs the shock and cushions the head. From "Bike Helmets: Unused Lifesavers," Consumer Reports (May 1990): 348.

4. Matisse is the best painter ever at putting the viewer at the scene. He's the most realistic of all modern artists, if you admit the feel of the breeze as necessary to a landscape and the smell of oranges as essential to a still life. "The Casbah Gate" depicts the well-known gateway Bab el Aassa, which pierces the southern wall of the city near the sultan's palace. With scrubby coats of ivory, aqua, blue, and rose delicately fenced by the liveliest gray outline in art history, Matisse gets the essence of a Tangier afternoon, including the subtle presence of the bowaab, the sentry who sits and surveys those who pass through the gate. From Peter Plagens, "Bright Lights." Newsweek (26 March 1990): 50.

5. While the Sears Tower is arguably the greatest achievement in skyscraper engineering so far, it's unlikely that architects and engineers have abandoned the quest for the world's tallest building. The question is: Just how high can a building go? Structural engineer William LeMessurier has designed a skyscraper nearly one-half mile high, twice as tall as the Sears Tower. And architect Robert Sobel claims that existing technology could produce a 500-story building. From Ron Bachman, "Reaching for the Sky." Dial (May 1990): 15.

• Paraphrase Online

Paraphrasing and Summarizing Exercises with Answers

Paraphrasing and Summarizing are two skills that are highly useful for writers. With these two techniques, writers can get help creating their content and providing it to their readers in an easy-to-peruse way.

However, if you happen to be new to the field of writing, you could be a little unaware and untrained in both these skills. But don’t worry. Everyone starts out as a beginner.

In this post, we’re going to be looking at some  paraphrasing and summarizing  exercises along with their answers and explanations. By following along, you’ll get a good idea about how you can use these techniques in your own capacity.

Let’s begin!

What is Paraphrasing and Summarizing?

Before we get to the exercises, let’s digress a little and understand what paraphrasing and summarization actually are.

Let’s start with paraphrasing.

Paraphrasing  is the process in which a particular piece of content is reworded and rephrased in such a way that it looks different from its original version but it has the same meaning and context.

A simple example of paraphrasing would be to change “John likes his cat” to “John adores his feline pet”. Paraphrasing can be as slight as merely changing some words in the text, or it can be as drastic as fully changing the tone, structure, order, and words of the content.

On the other hand,  Summarizing  is the process in which a piece of content is shrunk and shortened to about one-tenth of its original size. In this shortened version, the main idea and concept of the content is provided.

Summarization is usually used by authors and writers when they want to give a brief outline of a book or article to their readers.

Now that we’ve looked at the definitions of both, let’s move ahead to look at some exercises.

Paraphrasing Exercises (with Answers)

The main purpose of providing these exercises along with their answers is to help you understand what these techniques look like when they are implemented. Since we have explained their core definition above, you can try and work along the exercises to improve your skills a little as well.

Related:  Difference Between Paraphrasing And Rephrasing

Paraphrasing Exercise # 1:

Here is a sample paragraph that we will be paraphrasing as an exercise. We’ll write the paragraph alone first, and then provide the answer after a brief explanation.

Sample Paragraph:

"John could not find the butter in his fridge. He went to buy some from the store. On coming back, he saw his cat sitting on the floor, smacking its lips. There was some yellow stuff smeared all around its face. Thus, John solved the mystery of the missing butter."

So, as we mentioned earlier, paraphrasing can be done simply and sparingly, or it can be done drastically.

One of the primary and basic ways of paraphrasing is to simply change some words in the provided content with their synonyms. This is, we reiterate, a very basic level of paraphrasing, and it is often very easy to see through it.

So, for this first exercise, we are going to be doing only that level of paraphrasing as a way to illustrate how it looks like.

Here is what the above paragraph looks like when paraphrased:

Paraphrased Paragraph:

"John could not locate the butter in the refrigerator. He went to purchase some from the shop. On coming back, he observed his cat sitting on the ground, licking its lips. There was some yellow material smeared all around its face. Hence, John solved the mystery of the missing butter."

While we are on this discussion, it will also be salubrious to understand that when changing words with their synonyms for the purpose of paraphrasing, you have to be careful that you pick those that don’t mess up the context and intent of the lines.

Paraphrasing Exercise # 2:

Moving on, let’s look at another paraphrasing exercise. Here is the paragraph that we will be using for this one:

"John’s cat got lost in the forest. He went looking for it in the night time. He heard some movement in one of the bushes. He put his hand in and felt the fur. He pulled the thing out, thinking it to be his cat. After coming home, he realized it was an angry raccoon."

We mentioned in the last exercise that the basic level of paraphrasing is to change some of the words in the given text with their synonyms. And we also mentioned how that sort of paraphrasing can be easily detected.

So, for writers who want to paraphrase something in such a way that it does not resemble its original form a lot, there’s a step further that they can go, and that is to change the sentence structures + phrases.

Essentially, by changing the phrases used in the content as well as the arrangement of the sentences, the overall look of the paraphrased piece looks very different. If someone wants to go even ahead of that, they can shuffle the sentence  order  as well.

Considering this type of ‘extensive’ paraphrasing, here is the answer to the paragraph given above:

"John’s cat went missing in the forest. He went to search for it when it was dark. He discerned some movement in the hedge. After putting his hand inside it, he felt some fur. Thinking that it was his cat, he pulled the animal out. It was only after coming home that he realized that it was a frustrated raccoon."

Read more: How And Why to Paraphrase Your Content?

Summarizing Exercises (with Answers)

Now that we have looked at the paraphrasing exercises, let’s move on to look at some for summarizing.

Just as we’ve looked at two types of paraphrasing above, we’ll also look at two different types of summarizing.

Actually, it’ll be better if we explain those two types before getting to the exercises.

Basically, there are  two types of summaries . One of them is called  extractive  and the other is called  abstractive .

In extractive summarization, the summary of a piece of content is generated merely by taking out some sentences from it and joining them together. This is usually the type of summaries that you get from automated tools.

When extractive summaries are created, there is no effort to understand the actual meaning and context of the text. Rather, the purpose is only to take some lines from it and join them together in such a way that they make sense.

On the other hand, abstractive summaries are those that are written using a completely new and different set of words, phrases and sentences than the content (that is being summarized). As opposed to extractive summarization, abstractive summarization involves understanding the meaning and context of the text, and then creating a completely new summary that features all those concepts and ideas.

Summarizing Exercise # 1 (Extractive)

In order to demonstrate and explain extractive summarization, we’re going to first write a paragraph here and then provide its summary afterwards:

Sample paragraph:

"John’s car broke down. He stopped by the road side and screamed at people to stop and help him. But no one stopped for him. He continued howling and howling for hours. People kept driving by. After getting tired, he picked up a sheet and wrapped it around himself. Then, he started spinning on his spot. He grew dizzy. He kept spinning and spinning until he fell asleep."

Now, since we have to use the “extractive” summarization technique here, we’ll create the summary using the lines and sentences used in the content itself.

"John’s car broke down. But no one stopped for him. Then, he started spinning on the spot. He kept spinning and spinning until he fell asleep."

Summarizing Exercise # 2 (Abstractive)

For this exercise, we will use the same para that we did above. However, the technique used for the summarization will be different.

Since we will be using the abstractive technique here, the summary will be created using different words and phrases as the original.

"John’s vehicle went phut. But, no one stopped their car to help him. After he was tired, he made himself dizzy by spinning and then went to sleep."

So, that’s about it.

If you were a little confused about paraphrasing and summarization techniques, hopefully you’re a little more confident about them now.

These skills can come in handy for writers in a lot of different situations. If you don’t have the hang of them already, you should try and get it as quick as you can.

English Exercises: paraphrasing

Visit also: Magic Vocabulary English vocabulary games and worksheets generator .