📝 Summarizing and Paraphrasing

🎯 Learning Objectives

• Summarize a long text into a concise version (⅓ of original length)
• Paraphrase a sentence or passage in your own words without changing meaning
• Distinguish between summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting
• Avoid plagiarism by properly citing sources
• Apply techniques like synonym replacement, sentence restructuring, and voice change

📋 Prerequisites

• BSHS1001 Week 2: Vocabulary Building — using synonyms effectively
• BSHS1001 Week 5: Sentence Structure — transforming sentence types
• BSHS1001 Week 6: Paragraph Writing — understanding paragraph structure

3. 📖 Core Content

3.1 Intuition: Why Summarize and Paraphrase?

Real-world context: In academic writing, you MUST use your own words. Copying directly from sources = plagiarism (a serious offense). Summarizing and paraphrasing show that you understand the material AND help you avoid plagiarism.

3.2 Summary vs. Paraphrase vs. Quotation

Example

"Climate change, driven primarily by human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, has led to a measurable increase in global average temperatures. This warming has resulted in melting polar ice caps, rising sea levels, and more frequent extreme weather events across the planet."

3.3 How to Summarize

The 5-Step Summary Process

Step-by-Step Example

"The Industrial Revolution, which began in Britain in the late 18th century, marked a major turning point in human history. It transformed agrarian and craft-based economies into industrial powerhouses. Key inventions like the steam engine, spinning jenny, and power loom revolutionized manufacturing and transportation. This led to rapid urbanization as people moved from rural areas to cities for factory work. However, the Industrial Revolution also brought significant challenges, including poor working conditions, child labor, and environmental pollution. Despite these problems, the era laid the foundation for modern technological advancement and economic growth." Step 1 — Read and understand: The passage is about the Industrial Revolution — its positive transformations AND negative consequences. Step 2 — Identify main idea: The Industrial Revolution transformed economies and society through new inventions, causing urbanization but also problems like poor working conditions. Step 3 — Note key points:

• Began in Britain in late 1700s
• Transformed economies from agrarian to industrial
• Key inventions: steam engine, spinning jenny, power loom
• Led to urbanization
• Negative: poor conditions, child labor, pollution
• Positive: foundation for modern tech Step 4 — Write in your own words (summary):

"The Industrial Revolution began in late 18th-century Britain, transforming agricultural economies through inventions like the steam engine. It caused mass urbanization but also poor working conditions and pollution. Despite these issues, it enabled modern technological progress." Step 5 — Check length: Original: 120 words. Summary: 35 words (about ⅓). ✓

3.4 How to Paraphrase

6 Techniques for Paraphrasing

Worked Example: Full Paraphrase

"Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking made groundbreaking contributions to our understanding of black holes and the origins of the universe, despite being diagnosed with a debilitating motor neuron disease at the age of 21." Paraphrase (using multiple techniques): "Stephen Hawking, a famous physicist, transformed how we understand black holes and the universe's beginnings. He achieved all this even though he was diagnosed with a serious motor neuron disease when he was only 21 years old."

3.5 Summarizing vs. Paraphrasing: Which to Use?

3.6 Avoiding Plagiarism

What Counts as Plagiarism?

The "Patchwork" Problem

3.7 Annotated Example: Bad vs. Good Paraphrase

"The rapid expansion of urban areas in developing countries has created unprecedented challenges for infrastructure systems, including transportation networks, water supply, and waste management." Bad Paraphrase (Plagiarism): "The quick expansion of urban regions in developing nations has created unmatched challenges for infrastructure systems, such as transportation networks, water supply, and waste management."

"Cities in developing countries are growing quickly, which puts enormous pressure on their infrastructure. Roads, water systems, and waste disposal facilities struggle to keep up with the increasing population."

3.8 Précis Writing (Advanced Summary)

Rules of Précis Writing

Précis Example

"Thomas Jefferson is best known for the Declaration of Independence, in which he announced the separation of the 13 British colonies in North America — the right of Americans in these places to govern themselves. The declaration listed grievances against King George III and articulated the philosophical foundations of democratic governance, including the idea that all men are created equal and endowed with unalienable rights. This document became a cornerstone of American democracy and influenced liberation movements worldwide." Précis Development:

3.9 Key Concepts Summary Table

4. Common Pitfalls

Pitfall 1: Patchwork Paraphrasing

• Mistake: Changing 2-3 words but keeping the exact same sentence structure
• Why: Students think "different words = different text"
• How to fix: Read the original, close it, then write what you remember. If your version looks like the original, rewrite it.
• Correct: Change both words AND structure.

Pitfall 2: Adding Opinions in a Summary

• Mistake: "The author argues that pollution is harmful. I think this is a valid point."
• Why: Students confuse summary with response
• Rule: A summary is NEUTRAL. It reports what the original says WITHOUT your opinion.
• Correct: "The author argues that pollution is harmful." (stop there)

Pitfall 3: Making the Summary Too Detailed

• Mistake: Including minor examples and statistics in a summary
• Why: Students cannot distinguish main ideas from supporting details
• How to fix: Ask: "If I could only keep 3 sentences, which would they be?"
• Correct: Include only the main idea and key supporting points; leave out examples and data.

5. Practice Questions

Question 1

"The internet has revolutionized communication, commerce, and education. People can now connect instantly across continents, businesses can reach global markets, and students can access courses from prestigious universities. However, the digital divide means that millions lack access to these benefits, creating new forms of inequality." a) "The internet is good for communication, business, and learning, but some people cannot use it." b) "The internet has transformed how we communicate, do business, and learn, yet unequal access creates a digital divide." c) "I use the internet every day for many things." d) "The internet was invented in the 1990s." Click for answer

Answer: b)

Why: It captures both the benefits (communication, commerce, education) AND the drawback (digital divide/inequality) in a balanced way, using different words. Option (a) is too simplistic. (c) adds personal opinion. (d) is incorrect information.

Question 2

Click for answer

Sample paraphrase: "Before reaching any conclusions, the researcher examined the data thoroughly."

Techniques used: Reordered the sentence (time clause first), used synonyms ("examined" for "analyzed," "thoroughly" for "carefully," "reaching" for "drawing").

Question 3

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It is plagiarism (patchwork). Only one word changed ("rapidly" → "quickly"). The structure and most words are identical. This is NOT acceptable paraphrasing.

Question 4

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Sample summary (20 words): "The human brain's 86 billion interconnected neurons enable all cognitive functions, yet fully understanding it remains a scientific challenge."

Question 5

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a) Summary (condensing a long text) b) Paraphrase (restating in your own words) c) Quotation (exact words with quotation marks)

Question 6

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Passive paraphrase: "The new product was launched by the company in March."

Alternative: "In March, the new product was launched by the company."

Question 7

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Paraphrase: "The artist living in poverty painted this masterpiece."

Or: "This masterpiece was painted by an artist who lived in poverty."

Question 8

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Sample: "Water scarcity, worsened by climate change and agricultural demands, affects 40% of the global population, requiring solutions like better irrigation and water recycling."

Question 9

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Problem: Patchwork plagiarism (changed only one word).

Fixed version: "What users see on social media is determined by algorithms that analyze their browsing habits and interests, tailoring the content to each individual."

Question 10

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Answer: b) — It changes the sentence structure (passive voice), starts differently, and uses synonyms ("called into question" for "challenged," "surprising" for "unexpected").

(a) is patchwork (only changed "yielded" → "gave"). (c) changes the meaning.

Question 11

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Paraphrase: "The professor announced that students had to submit their assignments by Friday."

Changes: Restructured from direct to indirect speech, changed "must" to "had to."

Question 12

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Original word count: ~85 words. Target: ~28 words.

Précis: "Solar and wind energy are becoming cost-competitive with fossil fuels, accelerating the global transition to renewables despite ongoing storage and grid integration challenges."

6. Cross-References

• BSHS1001 → Week 2: Vocabulary Building — using synonyms for paraphrasing
• BSHS1001 → Week 5: Sentence Structure — restructuring sentences
• BSHS1001 → Week 8: Essay Structure — integrating summaries into essays
• BSHS1002 → Week 8: Research Writing and Citation — proper citation alongside paraphrasing
• BSHS1002 → Week 2: Report Writing — summarizing findings in reports Join Discord PreviousParagraph WritingNextEssay Structure