Paraphrase and Summary

1. Paraphrase and Summary Wendy M. Gough St. Mary College/Nunoike Gaigo Senmon Gakko Nagoya, Japan

2. Why are paraphrasing and Summarizing Important? According to Writing Academic English (4th ed),Academic writing requires you to support your ideas with facts, quotations, statistics and other kinds of information. You can quote information directly or indirectly, paraphrase, and summarize. Therefore, paraphrasing and summarizing are important skills.

3. What is a Paraphrase? To paraphrase information, Writing Academic English notes, you rewrite it in your own words without changing the meaning. A paraphrase includes almost all of the original content, so it is almost the same length as the original.

4. What is a Summary A summary, unlike a paraphrase, does not include all of the information in the original passage. A summary restates only the most important information or main ideas in the passage in your own words. It is much shorter than the original passage-typically about 1/3 of the original length or about 5 sentences depending on the type of summary and limits of the assignment.

5. Let’s look at an example of a paraphrase and a summaryfrom Writing Academic English Original passage Language is the main means of communication between peoples. But so many different languages have developed that language has often been a barrier rather than an aid to understanding among peoples. For many years, people have dreamed of setting up an international universal language which all people could speak and understand. The arguments in favor of a universal language are simple and obvious. If all peoples spoke the same tongue, cultural and economic ties might be much closer, and good will might increase between countries (Kispert) (136).

6. Paraphrase About the same length as the original but using different words Humans communicate through language. Because there are so many different languages, however, people around the world have a difficult time understanding one another. Some people have wished for a universal international language that speakers all over the world could understand. Their reasons are straightforward and clear. A universal language would build cultural and economic bonds. It would also create better feelings among countries (Kispert) (136).

7. Summary Much shorter and uses different words than the original but states the most important ideas in the original passage. People communicate through language; however, having different languages creates communication barriers. A universal language could bring countries together culturally and economically as well as increase good feelings among them (Kispert) (136).

8. How to Write a Successful Summary Before you begin writing • Take good notes on the information you will be summarizing • Decide which information in your notes about main ideas • and which is about details • Decide which information is most directly related to • understanding the general meaning of the passage • Write down words or phrases with similar meanings to • those used in the original passage

9. How to write a Successful Summary When you start writing • Use your own words and different sentence structures • from the original • Remember the summary is much shorter than the • original so only include the main points and • supporting ideas • Leave out most of the details • Be careful not to change the meaning of the original

10. References Oshima, Alice, & Ann Hogue. Writing Academic English. 4th ed. New York, USA: Pearson Education, Inc., 2006.