Paraphrasing

"Be careful to avoid plagiarism!"

Paraphrasing:
To express what someone else has said or written using different words, especially in order to make it shorter or clearer.

"Paraphrasing and summarizing require that you fully digest an author's idea and interpretations and restate them in your own words. It is not enough simply to modify the original author's sentences slightly, to change a word here and there."

When you paraphrase information, you are really "translating" the author's English into your own English.

Whereas quoting means you use the exact words of the writer, paraphrasing means restating the words or ideas from a book or article in your own words. So you need to follow the rules of paraphrasing carefully in order to avoid being accused of plagiarism.

1.  Change word forms  

            When we look at a comparison between A and B ...

            When we compare A and B ...

The noun comparison is replaced with the verb compare.

            There are a variety of solutions to problem C.

            There are various solutions to problem C.

The noun variety is replaced with the adjective various.

Guides for Varying Sentence Types and Elements

A long series of sentences identical or very similar in length and structure is monotonous. But a series of well-written, varied sentences provides the reader with more than mere absence of monotony. It reflects the writer's careful molding of form to thought and the careful choice of length and structure to supply emphasis that creates meaning. The following is five guides for varying sentence types and elements. 

1.  Transform short sentences into compound or complex sentences.
     I went into the snake house. Elmer waited outside.
     I went into the snake house, but Elmer waited outside. (compound)
     Jan and I went to the zoo. We watched the seals.
     When we went to the zoo, Jan and I watched the seals. (complex)

2. Transform two or more simple sentences into one smooth simple sentence by combining elements into a compound.
    This salat is delicious. It is also attractive.
    This salat is delicious and attractive.

3. Combine sentences by using a single word or a phrase.
    A pair of dungarees lay across the chair. They were dirty.
    A pair of dirty dungarees lay across the chair. (word)
    I often attend the open-air concerts. They are held in Grant Park.
    I often attend the open-air concerts held in Grant Park. (participial phrase)
    I studied hard. I wanted to pass the test.
    I studied hard to pass the test. (infinitive phrase)
    I basted the hem. Then I stitched it.
    After basting the hem, I stitched it. (prepositional phrase containing a gerund)
    I lost my fountain pen. It was an old one.
    I lost my fountain pen, an old one. (appositive)

4. To show a closer relationship between ideas, transform one sentence into a noun, adjective, or adverb clause.
    A man just came into the room. He is my father.
    The man who just came into the room is my father. (adjective clause)
    I reached the office. Mr. Sims was already there.
    When I reached the office, Mr. Sims was already there. (adverb clause)
    John was bluffing. Everyone realized that fact.
    Everyone realized that John was bluffing. (noun clause)

5. The best expression is usually the most concise. Try reducing a phrase to a word, or a clause to a phrase or a word.
    A face wearing a smile peered out at me.
    A smiling face peered out at me. (phrase to word)
    When he saw me, the man began to run.
    Seeing me, the man began to run. (clause to phrase)
    Today I wore my new coat, which is a red one.
    Today I wore my new red coat. (clause to word)

Guides for ...

Guides for Developing Reading Skills

Rhetorical strength-the suasive quality of writing-is developed by reading a lot. To be a good writer you have to be a good reader, too.

1. Increase your eye spans and the speed with which you make them. Eye span is the number of words that your eyes focus on at one time. Learn to read groups of related words in one eye span in this manner: The back door closed--with a bang--that shook the house.
2. In silent reading, do not use the lips, mouth, or throat to form words. Do not use a finger to mark words or lines. train your eyes to keep the place.
3. Avoid holding reading material too close to your eyes. This position narrows your eye span and slows your eye movements. Find the farthest distance at which you can see the print well and practice reading in this position.
4. If you have any defects in vision or hearing, get medical treatment.
5. Make your vocabulary grow.
6. Before you begin to read a selection, make clear to yourself the purpose of the writing so that you can relate to the purpose the ideas that you read. Use titles and headings to help you follow the thought and organization.
7. Concentrate as you read, to help you get the meaning of a sentence the first time that you read it. Reread only if necessary.
8. Learn to organize the central idea of a paragraph and to observe how the other ideas support it.
9. As you finish reading a paragraph, think of the topic that should logically follow in the next paragraph.
10. Develop interest in any reading that you must do. Interest increases reading ability; lack of interest causes poor reading.
11. To become a good reader, you must practice reading. Make up your mind to read more than you do now. Read new kinds of material.
12. Learn to adjuct your reading rate to the kind of material that you are reading and to your purpose in reading it.

• Skimming means looking quickly through printed material until you recognize words for which you are looking or words in which you are interested.

• Rapid reading is the method that you use for light and interesting material, such as recreasional reading.

• Close or thorough reading is the kind that you do when you need to understand and remember what you read. Here you should apply what you have already learned about taking notes and about outlining and summarizing.

Schedule

Schedule of Studying 

You'll remember more if you schedule a few hours every day or several times weekly than if you schedule all your study time for long blocks on weekends

One good method of studying for the TOEFL test (or almost anything!) is the "30-5-5" Method:

• Study for thirty minutes
• Take a five minute break
• When you return, spend five minutes reviewing what you studied before and previewing what you will study next.