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Highlight, underline or note down important terms and phrases that you need to remember. Read and Make NotesĬarefully read the text that you want to paraphrase. To paraphrase text, follow these four steps: 1. Both tools are useful when the precise wording of the original communication is less important than its overall meaning. Used correctly, summarizing and paraphrasing can save time, increase understanding, and give authority and credibility to your work. Summaries leave out detail or examples that may distract the reader from the most important information, and they simplify complex arguments, grammar and vocabulary. People often summarize when the original material is long, or to emphasize key facts or points.
SUMMARIZE DEFINITION SERIES
You might summarize a whole research paper or conversation in a single paragraph, for example, or with a series of bullet points, using your own words and style. In contrast, a summary is a brief overview of an entire discussion or argument. Paraphrased material should keep its original meaning and (approximate) length, but you can use it to pick out a single point from a longer discussion. Or, if you're putting together a report, presentation or speech, you can use paraphrasing to maintain a consistent style, and to avoid lengthy quotations from the original text or conversation. You might use paraphrased material to support your own argument or viewpoint. Putting it into your own words can clarify the message, make it more relevant to your audience, or give it greater impact. When you paraphrase, you use your own words to express something that was written or said by another person. We also explore the differences between the two skills, and point out the pitfalls to avoid.
SUMMARIZE DEFINITION HOW TO
In this article, we explain how to paraphrase and how to summarize, and how to apply these techniques to text and the spoken word. The solution is to paraphrase and summarize the reports, so your boss gets only the key information that she needs, in a form that she can process quickly. You asked everyone in your team to contribute, and they all had plenty to say!īut now you have a dozen reports, all in different styles, and your CEO says that she can spare only 10 minutes to read the final version. Imagine you're preparing a presentation for your CEO. Make complex information easier to digest!
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