Examples of Using Paraphrasing

When paraphrasing any text, you rewrite it in other words trying to stick to the original content. The importance here is to mold the meaning in new words and phrases. To maintain the originality of writing and avoid plagiarism, it is important to rewrite the given text in your own words.

How to Paraphrase Blocks of Text

Paraphrasing can be approached in two ways: as rewriting of separate sentences or whole paragraphs. Here are a few examples of paraphrasing (for both paragraphs and sentences) presented below if you need to rewrite the text:

Rewriting Sentences

Look at the following examples to see how the sentences were paraphrased:

1. Original: The years of her social activity and fighting for equal rights and freedoms were important for women living in her country.

Paraphrased: The entire women population of her country was positively influenced by her significant contribution to equality struggle.

1. Original: In China there are many reservations for pandas where they are cared for.

Paraphrased: Pandas receive proper care in specialized Chinese reservations.

1. Original: If you plan to travel abroad, make sure that your money and valuables are kept safe.

Paraphrased: When travelling to a foreign country, keep your wallet safe to prevent it from being stolen.

Rewriting Paragraphs

To assist our students in rewriting text, we provide examples of rewritten paragraphs to make them understand which text can be regarded as plagiarized and which not.

Here is an example of a rewritten paragraph about the TV show Grey’s Anatomy taken from the Duke website: 

Original Paragraph:

Grey’s Anatomy is a medical-based drama that centers on the life and career of Meredith Grey, who is an aspiring surgeon student and a daughter of one of the most prominent surgeons, Dr. Ellis Grey. As the drama unfolds, Meredith Grey and her newly acquired friends at Seattle Grace Hospital go through plenty of personal and professional obstacles in life.

Paraphrased Passage:

Grey’s Anatomy is a drama where the main events revolve around the lives of fellow doctors. The main storyline is focused on Meredith Grey, a prospective and enthusiastic surgeon who is a daughter of one of the best surgeon doctors, Ellis Grey. Over the thirteen seasons of the drama series, Meredith undergoes much personal and professional turmoil at Seattle Grace Hospital.

What Was the Paragraph about?

The main aim of the summary was to provide a brief overview of the events happening in the TV series. The series focus on the lives of doctors who overcome both personal and professional challenges side by side.

What Changes Were Made During Paraphrasing?

• A medical-based drama = a drama where the main events revolve around the lives of fellow doctors;
• an aspiring surgeon = a prospective and enthusiastic surgeon
• Meredith goes through professional and personal challenges = Meredith undergoes much personal and professional turmoil

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How to Avoid Plagiarism

When rewriting a text, you should definitely realize the thin line between paraphrasing and plagiarizing. If the wording of the rewritten text is almost the same as of the original (where only a few words are changed into synonyms), then such text is considered to be plagiarized. Remember: you should save the meaning – not wording.

If there is a need of using the exact wording of a particular author, then you need to cite the text or provide it as a direct quote. In cited text, you mostly paraphrase the exact wording, but provide a source in the parentheses, whereas in quoting you provide the exact wording in quotation marks without any changes made on your own.

In the process of paraphrasing, the passage may become shorter than initially. That is why summary refers to a brief overview of the main points.

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