--TOEFL Support Skills – Paraphrasing--

Paraphrasing means restating what you have heard or read in your own words. The objective is to use different words to express the same ideas. You must resist the temptation to copy entire lines or long phrases from the original passage, or learn acceptable ways in which to do so.

Copying the words of others is called plagiarism, and is looked upon very strictly in academic and professional environments.

It's best to develop effective paraphrasing strategies today, which you can use confidently all your life.

PARAPHRASING TECHNIQUES


You will need to recognize a paraphrase or produce a paraphrase in all sections of the TOEFL.

Barron's TOEFL iBT provides step-by-step techniques, which help you learn how to paraphrase in a number of ways. Their methods include substituting synonyms, using alternative grammatical forms, avoiding common paraphrasing difficulties, and citing expressions and ideas. Many other ESL writing books include similar sections on developing paraphrasing skills.

The best way to practice paraphrasing is by reading an article and trying to write a summary.

While you summarize it, use notes or extracts from the article and try to paraphrase them in your own way. Be careful not to change the meaning of the sentence – changing or paraphrasing it without changing the meaning of it.

 

Good luck!