Paraphrasing

What is paraphrasing?

Paraphrasing is saying the author’s ideas in different words and phrases instead of quoting the author’s message exactly.

Exercise 1

1. Despite their massive size, elephants are known for being agile.

Elephants are fast, even though they are really heavy.

2. Because elephants consume up to 500 pounds of food a day, they are able to strip a forest bare in no time.

Elephants can eat a lot of food per day, so a forest can disappear if they are really hungry

3. Over the centuries, lions have been used in art to represent power and magnificence.

Power and magnificence is what lions have represented in art pieces , throughout years.

4. Lions are social animals with one dominant male in each pride.

Lions are animals that live in communities and they have just one leader.

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

The person who carved George Washington was a really dedicated teacher and he contributed during his life to his people and his country.

6. Archibald McLeish, known for his poetry, was appointed head of the Library of Congress by President Roosevelt in 1939.

President Roosevelt designated Archibald McLeish who was known for his job in poetry, to be the head of the Library of Congress.

Exercise 2

1. There is plenty of water of water on the earth. In fact, there is enough water in this planet for everyone to have a huge lake. The trouble is that the water is not always found in the place where it’s needed. In addition, much of water is polluted or salty. Because of these problems. There are many people without sufficient water.

Main idea: the water on earth and its unequal distribution.

2. New oil supplies need to be found to replace those that have been used up. There is a constant search for new oil fields. Oil hunters sink their wells wherever there are signs of oil. Each of these drillings costs thousands and thousands of dollars, and often there is not enough oil to make it profitable. Nevertheless, the search for new oil never ends.

Main idea: the expensive search for oil supplies.

3. Quakers a religious group known as the Society of Friends, have always worked for human causes. Before the Civil War in the United States, they were against slavery and led the movement to help slaves escape from the southern part of the United States and seek for freedom in the northern part. Today, they fight hunger and disease around the worlds and still aid people fleeing tyranny and war. Their beliefs are based on the principles of pacifism and simple living.

Main idea: Quakers are known for their beliefs and work for human causes.

Exercise 3.

Students rights.

Thesis: Students are the ones that will spend part of their life at University and they ask to their leaders to let them participate in issues that affect their lives throughout the university lives

I Main Idea: students fight for their inclusion in university matters as faculty selection, curriculum planning and scheduling.

II Main Idea: the selection of the faculty members.

III Main idea: student’s interests in the material that should be used to study. They fight for the permission to participate in the curricula planning that should be implanted in the university.

Conciness

According to Ryan Weber and Nick Hurn, The goal of concise writing is to use the most effective words. Concise writing does not always have the fewest words, but it always uses the strongest ones. Writers often fill sentences with weak or unnecessary words that can be deleted or replaced. Words and phrases should be deliberately chosen for the work they are doing. Like bad employees, words that don't accomplish enough should be fired. When only the most effective words remain, writing will be far more concise and readable.

Exercise on Page 100

Adam Smith, the founder of Modern Economics, proposed a theory in the eighteen century that has made him controversial ever since. Smith was born in Scottland and educated in England, wrote the first study of political economy. The wealth of nations was published in the same year that Americans declared the independence from England, in 1776. Smith’s book pointed out the interdependence of freedom and order, economic processes, and free trade laws. Although his thinking did not really affect economic policies, its influence in the next century was considerable. “The invisible hand” and “Laissez-faire” are synonymous with Smith’s name. Business people will smile and make a response like “ He was a good man- really understood how business works” if you say “Adam Smith” the opposite will happen if you say his name to liberal reformers, they will say “ He was an evil man really sold the average citizen down to the river”. Both reactions are extreme but they responses indicate how controversial Smith’s ideas are now.