Writing- Paraphrasing - JS & SC

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Ideas to supplement class materials

Focus Steps in Paraphrasing Level Intermediate to Advanced

Topic

Paraphrasing

Activity Type

Writing/Vocabulary/Grammar

Focus

Identifying key content words, organisational words, finding synonyms and re-writing sentences using different grammatical structures

Time

2+ hour lesson

Key Language

Content words, organisational words, Synonyms and various grammatical structures

Preparation/materials required

Some pre-teaching/revision of Content words, organisational words, Synonyms and various grammatical structures.

Use of the Compleat Lexical Tutor (Universit du Qubec Montral, 2009) available at: http://www.lextutor.ca/

Additional materials

This exercise can be adapted to suit various subject areas. Three examples are included Law, Business and Psychology.

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Steps in paraphrasing

1. Read the original text for comprehension 2. Highlight/underline the key content words ( topic)

a. Separate technical / specialist terms from general vocabulary. b. Keep the specialist terms. c. Use a thesaurus to find synonyms or alternative expressions for the general

vocabulary. 3. Highlight / underline the key organisational words.

a. Look for alternative words or expressions for these. 4. Change the order of the ideas; express the relationship between them differently. 5. Re-write sentences, using different grammatical structures.

a. Change active verbs to passive. b. Change verbs to nouns or noun phrases. c. Change nouns to verbs. d. Join sentences e. Break sentences up.

Example 1 Original text (Law) The shape of patent law is changing. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, as patent-rich industries such as pharmaceuticals and biotechnology expanded, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the United States Supreme Court pushed the boundaries of patentable subject matter and tied off exceptions to infringement liability.' Now, under the pressure of patent-poor incumbents in the computer industry, Congress is being lobbied to squeeze the law into a smaller shape. Steps 2-3 a. /b. content vocabulary: specialist vocabulary / general vocabulary/ organisational vocabulary The shape of patent law is changing. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, as patent-rich industries such as pharmaceuticals and biotechnology expanded, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the United States Supreme Court pushed the boundaries of patentable subject matter and tied off exceptions to infringement liability.' Now, under the pressure of patent-poor incumbents in the computer industry, Congress is being lobbied to squeeze the law into a smaller shape. (74 words) General Vocabulary law = legislation, regulation patent-rich = having a large number of patents patent poor = having a small number of patents industries = manufacturers, corporations, businesses expanded = grew, increased, spread pushed = extended, stretched boundaries = limits, restrictions subject matter = categories, classes tied off = closed, discontinued exceptions = exclusions, exemptions lobbied = pressurised, put under pressure, persuaded squeeze into a smaller shape = condense, tighten, re-size Organisational vocabulary throughout = during, in such as = like, for example, for instance now = nowadays, currently, in contrast

Steps 4/5

Possible paraphrase Recently there have been shifts in the structure of patent law. Nowadays, the United States Congress is under pressure from computer manufacturers, which hold very few patents, to limit the categories of patentable subjects. During the 1980s and 90s, these subjects were extended, and exclusions from infringement liabilities terminated by the United States courts, because the pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporations, which held a large number of patents, were expanding. (58 words)

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Example 2 Original text (Business) The company's success could serve as a textbook case of how to effectively adapt a business model to an emerging market. The food-storage container maker followed a strategic road map that kept it close to its main business and maintained brand integrity in a new market, while managing costs to compete with lower local prices. From the start, Tupperware understood that to win in the world's second-most-populous nation, it had to focus on the power of its core brandkitchenwareinstead of on other product lines. By entering a large new market in its core sector, Tupperware could give its India plan the necessary attention, expertise, and support. (108 words) Steps 2-3 a. /b. general vocabulary/ academic vocabulary/specialist vocabulary / organisational vocabulary The company's success could serve as a textbook case of how to effectively adapt a business model to an emerging market. The food-storage container maker followed a strategic road map that kept it close to its main business and maintained brand integrity in a new market, while managing costs to compete with lower local prices. From the start, Tupperware understood that to win in the world's second-most-populous nation, it had to focus on the power of its core brandkitchenwareinstead of on other product lines. By entering a large new market in its core sector, Tupperware could give its India plan the necessary attention, expertise, and support.

General and Academic Vocabulary company = business, organisation success = achievement, accomplishment textbook = classic, model, ideal effectively = successfully, profitably adapt = modify, change, customise model = paradigm, scheme, plan emerging = new, growing, expanding maker = manufacturer, producer strategic = tactical, planned maintained = kept, respected, preserved, sustained integrity = reliability, characteristics managing = controlling compete = challenge, vie populous = highly populated focus = concentrate on core = central, main, principle sector = area, zone, region, field expertise = knowledge, skill

Organisational vocabulary that = which and = as well as, in addition to + ...ing while = and at the same time, and simultaneously from the start = from the outset, from the beginning, instead of = rather than, in place of by = through, by means of

Steps 4/5 - Possible paraphrase

Tupperware is a classic example of how to customise an organisational plan for a rising market. In India, the food-storage container manufacturer retained its brand image and maintained costs at a competitive level by remaining close to its core business. It was able to provide the knowledge and skill required to penetrate a new market because it concentrated exclusively on the popularity of its main brand, kitchenware. (67 words)

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Example 3 Original text (Psychology) Pennington, D.C. (1996) Essential Social Psychology. London: Edward Arnold, p. 35,

Often, when reading texts on developmental psychology, one gets the impression, mistakenly, that by the time the child reaches the age of five, personality, emotional responses and social behaviour generally are determined for life. However, the extent to which early childhood experiences predetermine later childhood, adolescence and adulthood is much less straightforward than psychologists once thought.

Step 2 a./b. content vocabulary: specialist vocabulary / general vocabulary / academic vocabulary1

Often, when reading texts on developmental psychology, one gets the impression, mistakenly,

that by the time the child reaches the age of five, personality, emotional responses and social

behaviour generally are determined for life. However, the extent to which early childhood

experiences predetermine later childhood, adolescence and adulthood is much less

straightforward than psychologists once thought. (Pennington, 1996, p.35)

We have six specialist words that we will need to keep as they have too specific a meaning to be changed. Academic words may also be kept although synonyms should be easily identifiable. General vocabulary should be changed. Some suggestions below:

General vocabulary often: frequently, regularly texts: literature one gets the impression: one may think, it is easy to believe mistakenly: incorrectly, erroneously by the time the child reaches the age of five: that a five-year-olds, before the child turns five social behaviour: behaviour, manners within society generally: commonly, usually determined: decided, set, shaped for life: forever however: but, on the other hand, although the extent to which: how much, the way in which early childhood: infancy experiences: event, incident once thought: previously believed, originally thought

Steps 4/5 - Possible paraphrase Pennington (1996, p.35) argues that although one may think, after reading developmental psychology literature, that a five year old childs personality, emotional reactions and behaviour in society are usually set forever, the way in which events in the infancy of a child affect its later development is more complex than psychologists previously believed.

1 Words from the Academic Word List. The distinctions here have been found using Lextutor. Details of this are given on Moodle in Week 08 Writing LexTutor Instructions. Lextutor is from: Universit du Qubec Montral (2009) Compleat Lexical Tutor. [Online] Available at: http://www.lextutor.ca/ [Accessed 04 Nov. 2009]

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Writing- Paraphrasing - JS & SC