PARAPHRASING

What is a Paraphrase?

- A paraphrase is a restatement and

restructuring of ideas for the purpose of
clarifying the meaning of a text. Restatement
means that you rephrase the original using your
own words.
 STEPS IN PARAPHRASING

1. Read the original passage several times until you understand it

fully.
2. Take note of the important details.
3. Write your paraphrase referring only to your notes.
4. Check your paraphrase against the original to make sure you have
not copied vocabulary or the sentence structure too closely.
 Check your understanding

Annie thinks that the issue of adolescent problems is important to write

about.
A. Martha thinks that adolescents like to write about their problems.
B. Martha feels that writing about adolescent problems is worthwhile.
C. Martha believed that the dream of most adolescents is to write
something important.
D. Martha thinks that adolescents can write about their problems.
 Check your understanding

It has been reported that the richest one percent of Americans own 40% of
the country’s wealth.
A. The richest 1% are 40 times as wealthy as the rest of Americans
B. If the gap between rich and poor continues to grow at the current rate,
the richest one percent will soon own 40% of the country’s wealth.
C. 40% of the country’s wealth is in the hands of only 1% of Americans
D. 99% of Americans own 40% as much as the richest 1%
 Check your understanding

25% of adolescents who have one baby have a second baby within two years
of the first baby’s birth
A. 25% of babies are born to mothers who are adolescents.
B. One out of four adolescent mothers has another baby before the first baby
reaches his second birthday.
C. A quarter of adolescent mothers give birth when their first born is two.
D. 25% of adolescent mothers become pregnant again when their first babies
are two years old.
Avoiding Plagiarism

The Merriam Webster dictionary

defines the act of plagiarism as; “to
steal and pass off ideas or words of
another as one’s own”.
MLA (Modern Language Association) Style
for Academic Work (2018-2019)
The Purpose of Citing Sources
1) to give credit to (cite) other people’s ideas, creations, and
information (sources) used within your academic work, and
2) to direct your readers to your sources through your Works
Cited list at the end of your academic work.
 In-Text Citations: Citing Sources within
Your Academic Work [MLA 54-58]
In-text citations include two parts:
1) usually the surname of the author(s), but sometimes a title,
whichever is the first element in your Works Cited list, and
2) the page number (if available or other location indicator), which
appears in parentheses (parenthetical citation) after the author’s
name if the name is not included in your sentence.
Example: (Laurence 167)
 Citing Sources with No Page Numbers [MLA 56-57, 123-24]
● Do not create your own location indicators if none are present. Use only what is visible in
the source. (Do not number the pages or unnumbered paragraphs.)
Example: (Huang)
● Location indicators other than page numbers may be visible in your sources, particularly in
electronic sources. Some common indicators are chapter (ch., chs.), paragraph (par., pars.),
section (sec., secs.) or volume (vol., vols.) [MLA 96-97]
● When using the author’s name in a parenthetical citation, place a comma after the name,
followed by the location indicator.
Example: (Beer and Penfold-Mounce, ch. 2)
● To indicate location for time-based sources, use a specific time or time range by separating
the hours, minutes, and seconds with colons.
Example: (Grassy Narrows First Nation Youth, 00:01:32)
 Sample Work Cited
3. Title of Container
2. “Title of Source.” It is the book the essay is
FORMAT: In quotation found in.
1. Author marks because the ssay FORMAT: Italicized,
FORMAT: Last is part of a larger work because it is self-
Name, First Name (book) contained.

Laurence, Margaret. “Where the World Began.” The Broadview Anthology of Expository Prose,
edited by Laura Buzzard et al., 2nd ed., Broadview Press, 2011, pp. 164-69.

5. Version 6. Publisher 7.
4. Other Contributors 8. Location
FORMAT: Use the FORMAT: If there were Publication
FORMAT: Usae “et al” FORMAT: Use pp.
Arabic numerals a university press the date
if there are three or for a range of
(1,2,3) instead of word “Press” would be
pages
more contributors. (First, Second shortened to P.
 Paraphrase this paragraph.

Language is the main means of communication between peoples.

But so many different languages have developed that language
dreamed of setting up an international universal langauge which
all people could speak and understand. The arguments in favor of
a universal language are simple and obvious. If all people spoke
the same tongue, cultural and economic ties might be much
closer, and goodwill might increase between countries. (Kispert)
STEP 1: Read the original passage several times until
you understand it fully. Look up unfamilar words,
and find sysnonyms for them.
STEP 2: Write down only the few words for each
idea-- not complete sentences.
STEP 3: Write your paraphrase from your
notes.
STEP 4: Check your paraphrase against the
original