Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing means to make a shorter version of a text by using our own words, but keeping the author's idea. Paraphrasing is a strategy for understanding an author’s meaning and it must be used carefully, using synonyms and changing the sentence structure.

Exercise 1
Paraphrase each sentence. There may be more than one way to rewrite each one. Remember to change vocabulary, phrases and sentence structure wherever you can.

a. Despite their massive size, elephants are known for being agile.
Despite elephants are big, they are very agile

b. Because elephants consume up to 500 pounds of food a day, they are able to strip a forest bare in no time.
Elephants eat too much food daily; they could leave a forest desert

c. Over the centuries, lions have been used in art to represent power and magnificence.
A representation of power and magnificence has been seen in lion’s figure, for many years in art.

d. Lions are social animals with one dominant male in each pride.
Lions live in a social way, with a dominant male for each herd

e. George Washington Carver was a dedicated teacher; in addition, he was known as a talented artist, musician, and researcher who made valuable contributions to his people and his country.
George W. Carver helped his country and people as a dedicated teacher, a talented artist, a musician and a researcher.

f. Archibald McLeish, known for his poetry, was appointed head of the Congress by President Roosevelt in 1993.

President Roosevelt appointed as head of the Congress to Archibald McLeish, a poet, in 1939.

Exercise 2
Read each paragraph and state the main idea in your own words.

1. Main idea: There is too much water in the world, but because of the problems to use it, there are too many people without enought of it.

2. Main idea: New oil fields are explored to replace the old ones.

3. Main idea: There is a religious group called Quakers that defend the human rights and they live a simple and pacific life.