Warm-Up Question
Reflect on the following prompt and record your answer in your writing space:
What experience have you had with paraphrasing in the past? How did you approach it? What was the point of paraphrasing?
Introduction
Many students learn to rephrase rather than actually paraphrase. Rephrase means “to phrase again.” It entails repeating source ideas using similar wording and structure. Paraphrase, on the other hand, means “to phrase alongside.” It entails re-composing source ideas to express them in new ways.
Rephrasing can be useful for reminding readers of specific language while making room for a little fine-tuning. Given its limitations, rephrasing is better-suited to clarifying your own phrases in slightly different ways.
Paraphrasing—actual paraphrasing—adds value by summarizing, clarifying, and/or interpreting ideas from the source (see Part 1). It can also prove invaluable for focusing or emphasizing relevant details to accommodate a new rhetorical situation (see Part 2).
Part 1: Clarity and Conciseness
Read the following nursery rhyme:
Mary Had a Little Lamb
Mary had a little lamb,
its fleece was white as snow.
Everywhere that Mary went,
the lamb was sure to go.
its fleece was white as snow.
Everywhere that Mary went,
the lamb was sure to go.
Now compare the rephrased and paraphrased versions below:
Rephrase: Mary owned a small sheep with a coat the color of snow. It was certain to go anywhere that Mary went.
Paraphrase: Mary’s small, white lamb followed her everywhere.
The rephrased version removes value without adding much of anything. For example, “white” and “lamb” have been replaced by the less specific words “color” and “sheep.” Slightly restructuring the second sentence hasn’t added much, yet it removed the rhyme scheme that makes the original memorable.
The paraphrased version adds value: specifically, brevity. Two sentences and twenty-one words are condensed into one sentence and seven words—a third the length of the original—while preserving all key ideas.
While it’s hard to imagine scenarios in which the rephrased version would be preferred, the paraphrased version could be useful as a summary; for example, if a researcher wanted to study narrative content in children’s rhymes, paraphrasing for brevity and clarity would be extremely useful for both the researcher (when collecting and analyzing data) and for readers learning about the research results.
For activities #1 and #2, we’ll use the nursery rhyme below:
The Itsy-Bitsy Spider
The itsy-bitsy spider
climbed up the water spout.
Down came the rain
and washed the spider out.
Out came the sun
and dried up all the rain.
The itsy-bitsy spider
Climbed up the spout again.
climbed up the water spout.
Down came the rain
and washed the spider out.
Out came the sun
and dried up all the rain.
The itsy-bitsy spider
Climbed up the spout again.
Activity #1: Rephrase
In your writing space, rephrase the original wording of “The Itsy-Bitsy Spider” by exchanging a few words for similar words and perhaps rearranging the structure slightly.
Reflect: What value was lost as a result of rephrasing? Record your answer in your writing space.
Activity #2: Paraphrase
In your writing space, paraphrase “The Itsy-Bitsy Spider” by saying clearly and concisely what happened in the narrative (i.e., what happened to the spider).
Reflect: What value was added as a result of rephrasing? Record your answer in your writing space.
Part 2: Rhetorical Context
Paraphrasing is a powerful tool for focusing or emphasizing relevant details to accommodate new rhetorical contexts, such as changes in audience or purpose.
For activities #3, #4, and #5, we’ll use the nursery rhyme below:
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you are
Up above the world so high
Like a diamond in the sky
How I wonder what you are
Up above the world so high
Like a diamond in the sky
Activity #3: Museum Brochure
In your writing space, paraphrase Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star for the following scenario:
You are writing a brochure for a museum of nature and science. Your audience includes parents of young children who might be interested in visiting the museum. You want to use the nursery rhyme as an example of how even young children are already curious about natural phenomena.
Optionally, you can use this template to get started:
From babies to preschoolers, even the littlest little ones benefit from a trip to the museum! Young children are already curious about natural phenomena. In the nursery rhyme Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, for example, [paraphrase here].
Activity #4: Invitation to Children’s Poetry Reading
In your writing space, paraphrase Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star for the following scenario:
You are writing an advertising flier for an elementary school event featuring 4th–6th grade children reading their own original poetry they wrote in class during the school year. Your audience includes parents with children who might be interested in attending or participating in the event. You want to use the nursery rhyme to show how simple children’s rhymes can evoke beautiful images and emotions.
Optionally, you can use this template to get started:
Poems don’t need to be complex to be beautiful. Even simple children’s rhymes can evoke beautiful images and emotions. In Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, for example, [paraphrase here].
Activity #5: Infographic about Pollution and Environmental Laws
In your writing space, paraphrase Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star for the following scenario:
You are writing text for an infographic to educate people in your town about pollution and propose new ordinances regarding industrial manufacturing and waste. You’ve learned that stars and planets were significantly more visible in historical eras before industrial pollution. You want to use the nursery rhyme to discuss how our children are missing out on the fullness of the night sky.
Optionally, you can use this template to get started:
Stars and planets were significantly more visible in historical eras before industrial pollution. Our children are missing out on the fullness of the night sky our ancestors once enjoyed. In the early nineteenth-century lullaby Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, for example, [paraphrase here].
Activity #6: Reflection
Reflect: How did your paraphrasing strategy adapt for these different rhetorical situations? What aspects of the source did you focus on or emphasize? Why? Record your answer in your writing space.
Cool-Down Question
Reflect on the following prompt and record your answer in your writing space:
How have you approached paraphrasing in the past? Was your approach to these activities different from your past paraphrasing efforts? If yes, how? What are your key takeaways from this activity?
Rephrase vs. Paraphrase © 2019 by Tim Becker is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
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