Learn to Paraphrase

hing about "male colleagues or superiors." It also follows the same order or structure of ideas. 
Guide to paraphrase 
Paraphrase B: 
Some statements may be inappropriate in one context, even though they are complimentary in another. 
Compliments by male colleagues or superiors regarding a female coworker’s appearance, for example, often make 
the woman feel uncomfortable. Instead of treating the women as contributing workers, men obviously think of them 
as visual decoration (Locker, 2003). 
Comment: While this paraphrase does a better job of changing the sentence structure, it also is ineffective. It uses 
too many of the words from the original passage. Further, it changes the meaning when it declares that "men 
obviously think of them as visual decoration." It also follows the same order or structure of ideas 
Paraphrase C: 
Women may feel uneasy upon receiving ordinarily positive comments on their appearance from male coworkers or 
supervisors. To these women, the remarks carry an implied meaning: instead of being thought of as productive 
employees, they are actually being viewed as just a pretty part of the atmosphere. Depending on the situation, words 
or expressions which appear favorable may actually be unsuitable in a conversation (Locker, 2003). 
Comment: This paraphrase is the most effective. In addition to changing both the wording and sentence structure, it 
includes all points and retains the meaning of the original passage. It also changes the order of ideas.] 
Exercises 
Now, let’s try some exercises to check your understanding of how to paraphrase. 
Exercise I: 
At least four separate theories of crime and punishment compete for preeminence in guiding correctional policies. 
Justice: First, there is the ancient Judeo-Christian idea of holding individuals responsible for their guilty acts and 
compelling them to pay a debt to society. Retribution is an expression of society’s moral outrage, and it lessens the 
impulse of victims and their families to seek revenge. Deterrence: Another philosophy argues that punishment 
should be sure, speedy, commensurate with the crime, and sufficiently conspicuous to deter others from committing 
crimes. Incapacitation: Still another philosophy in correctional policy is that of protecting the public from 
lawbreakers or habitual criminals by segregating them behind prison walls. Rehabilitation: Finally, there is the 
theory that criminals are partly or entirely victims of social circumstances beyond their control and that society 
owes them comprehensive treatment in the form of rehabilitation. (p. 100-101) 
 --Dye, T. (1995). Understanding public policy (8th ed.). Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall. 
Use the lines below to identify the main points: 
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Now let’s look at a sample paraphrase of the passage. This sample paraphrase has several key problems. Read the 
paraphrase and then write in the box the left some of the problems with this paraphrase. 
Four separate theories about crime and punishment compete in guiding 
correctional policies. The first is an ancient Judeo-Christian idea of justice. This 
idea holds individuals responsible for their own actions and compels them to pay a 
debt to society. In this case, retribution is an expression of society’s moral 
outrage. This lessens the impulse of victims to seek revenge. A second theory of 
crime and punishment is deterrence. This philosophy argues that punishment 
Your comments: 
Guide to paraphrase 
should certain, swift, and commensurate with the crime. If punishment is 
conspicuous, this theory holds that it will deter others from committing crime. A 
third theory is the theory of incapacitation. This theory is to protect the public 
from criminals by placing criminals behind prison walls. A final theory of crime 
and punishment is the theory of rehabilitation. This theory suggests that criminals 
are victims of social circumstances beyond their control. In this instance society 
owes them comprehensive treatment in the form of rehabilitation (Dye, 1995). 
Write your own paraphrase of the passage in the space below. 
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Exercise II: 
Sentence rhythm is a feature of all modes of language, not just speech. The peaks and valleys are there when we 
read silently, and they are there when we write, as we think of the words and phrases while moving our pen or 
punching the keyboard. Although philosophers may debate about whether it’s possible to think in the absence of 
language, we are certainly conscious of doing our own thinking in words. In fact, we often “write” mental lists; we 
hold silent conversations with ourselves; we scold ourselves; we rehearse what we plan to say to others and what we 
wish we had said but didn’t. And that interior language, the sentences and fragments of our inner voice, has all the 
peaks and valleys that our spoken language has. (p. 25) 
--Kolin, M. (1999). Rhetorical grammar: Grammatical choices, rhetorical effects (3rd ed.). Boston: Allyn and 
Bacon. 
Exercise III: 
While may people separate ethical and legal issues, the boundary between these issues is often ambiguous to the 
business manager who is not ordinarily trained as a lawyer. The manager is trained to make functional business 
decisions and yet has a responsibility for the management of legal and ethical affairs. When it is suggested that legal 
and ethical decisions are independent, there is an assumption that the good executive “instinctively” recognizes 
differences in legal and ethical issues. While there are some legal issues that are obvious, many borderline ethics 
decisions result in civil litigation. In reality, civil complaints and litigation are a formal procedure resolving ethical 
disputes between two parties. 
--Ferrell, O.C. & Fraedrich, J. (1997). Business ethics. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. 
Exercise I: Problems with the Sample Paraphrase 
The writer of the paraphrase did not change the structure of ideas, sentence structure, or wording. Essentially, 
this writer is guilty of plagiarism 
Guide to paraphrase 
Extra practices 
1. "At some point in the assimilation to the new way, the immigrant child realizes that his or her parents are no 
longer sources of real knowledge about the new society. Their information and their way of life are no longer the 
way to success, and as soon as the child understands this, his or her attitude towards the parents changes. Though 
some people consider such changes to be a betrayal, they are an inevitable part of assimilation." (Adam Khutorsky, 
"Immigrants Adapting") 
2. "The undermining of self, of a woman’s sense of her right to occupy space and walk freely in the world, is deeply 
relevant to education. The capacity to think independently, to take intellectual risks, to assert ourselves mentally, is 
inseparable from our physical way of being in the world, our feelings of personal integrity. If it is dangerous for me 
to walk home late from the library, because I am a woman and can be raped, how self-possessed, how exuberant can 
I feel as I sit working in the library? How much of my working energy is drained by the subliminal knowledge that, 
as a woman, I test my physical right to exist each time I go out alone?" (Adrienne Rich, "Taking Women Students 
Seriously") 
3. "Email's intoxicating qualities are now well known: It's convenient, efficient, simple, and informal, a way to stay 
connected to more people, a democratizing force in the workplace and less intrusive than the telephone. But as 
email proliferates, its more pernicious effects are increasingly evident. Much as it facilitates the conduct of business, 
email is threatening to overrun people's lives." (Tony Schwartz, "Going Postal") 
4. "The Antarctic is the vast source of cold on our planet, just as the sun is the source of our heat, and it exerts 
tremendous control on our climate," [Jacques] Cousteau told the camera. 
"The cold ocean water around Antarctica flows north to mix with warmer water from the tropics, and its upwellings 
help to cool both the surface water and our atmosphere. Yet the fragility of this regulating system is now threatened 
by human activity." From "Captain Cousteau," Audubon (May 1990):17. 
5. Of the more than 1000 bicycling deaths each year, three-fourths are caused by head injuries. Half of those killed 
are school-age children. One study concluded that wearing a bike helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by 85 
percent. In an accident, a bike helmet absorbs the shock and cushions the head. From "Bike Helmets: Unused 
Lifesavers," Consumer Reports (May 1990): 348. 
6. While the Sears Tower is arguably the greatest achievement in skyscraper engineering so far, it's unlikely that 
architects and engineers have abandoned the quest for the world's tallest building. The question is: Just how high 
can a building go? Structural engineer William LeMessurier has designed a skyscraper nearly one-half mile high, 
twice as tall as the Sears Tower. And architect Robert Sobel claims that existing technology could produce a 500-
story building. From Ron Bachman, "Reaching for the Sky." Dial (May 1990): 15.