Effective Paraphrasing and Summary

To paraphrase is to take someone else's ideas and express them using your own unique vocabulary and sentence structure. Unlike a direct quote, which uses quotation marks to signal a word-for-word copy, a paraphrase shows you truly understand the material. The goal is to keep the original meaning (the 'what') while changing the delivery (the 'how'). A common mistake is simply swapping a few words for synonyms—this is often called 'word-swapping' and doesn't count as a true paraphrase. Instead, try the 'Look Away' method: read the passage, look away, and explain it out loud to an imaginary friend. This forces your brain to process the concept rather than just the words.

While paraphrasing focuses on specific details, summarizing is about the 'Big Picture.' A summary condenses a long text into its most essential parts. Think of it as a $10:1$ ratio; if you read 10 pages, your summary might only be one page (or even one paragraph). To write a great summary, you must identify the Main Idea and the Key Supporting Details. Ask yourself: 'If I could only tell someone three things about this article, what would they be?' Leave out minor details, examples, and personal opinions. Your job is to be an objective reporter of the author's primary message.

The most common trap for students is patchwriting. This happens when you stay too close to the original text's structure, even if you change many of the words. It’s like taking a Lego castle, changing the color of three bricks, and claiming you designed the whole thing. Patchwriting is considered a form of plagiarism because you are stealing the author's 'thought flow.' To avoid this, you must change the syntax (the order of the ideas). If the original sentence starts with the 'cause' and ends with the 'effect,' try starting your paraphrase with the 'effect' and ending with the 'cause.' This ensures the sentence structure is truly yours.