Paraphrase, summaries and synthesis
Exercise 1. Examples of Paraphrasing:
Original text:
Selling a product successfully in another country often requires changes in the original product.
What main idea do you want to keep? ______
Two paraphrases -- Which is good and which is bad? Why?
Good or Bad ?Why? / Good or Bad ?
Why?
The most successful exporting companies have succeeded because they made important changes in their products / To sell a product successfully in another country, you need to change the product.
Exercise 2. Decide which paraphrase is: the best, too similar, or too different/wrong information.
1. With the arrival of the South Florida Railroad in 1880, Orlando was on its way to rapid growth.
_____A. The city of Orlando began to grow tremendously when the South Florida Railroad reached the city in 1880.
_____B. With the arrival of the South Florida Railroad in 1880, the city of Orlando was on its way to fast growth.
_____C. Most people were genuinely shocked at how quickly Orlando gredw after the South Florida Railroad arrived in 1880.
2. These theme parks bring more than 25 million people a year to what was until recently an empty area of land.
_____ A. Over 25 million tourists visit this recently developed Florida city because of its numerous theme parks.
_____B. The theme parks in Orland attract over 25 million people every year, and this area was empty until recently.
_____C. Because the theme parks in the Orlando area are so popular, there is no more space for additional parks.
3. Two decades after Cape Canaveral opened, Orlando experienced rapid growth again on an incredible scale when Walt Disney World opened its gates to tourists in 1971.
_____A. Twenty years later, rapid growth on an incredible scale was seen in Orlando when Walt Disney World opened its gates to tourists.
_____B. In 1971, Walt Disney World opened for business in Orlando.
_____C. The opening of Walt Disney World in 1971 caused a massive increase in the number of tourists to Orlando.
Write a paraphrase of the following:
“Naturalistic writers were influenced by the evolution theory of Charles Darwin. They believed that one's heredity and social environment decide one's character. Whereas realism seeks only to describe subjects as they really are, naturalism also attempts to determine "scientifically" the underlying forces (i.e. the environment or heredity) influencing these subjects' actions. They are both opposed to romanticism, in which subjects may receive highly symbolic, idealistic, or even supernatural treatment. Naturalistic works often include uncouth or sordid subject matter. For example, Émile Zola's works had a frankness about sexuality along with a pervasive pessimism. Naturalistic works exposed the dark harshness of life, including poverty, racism, prejudice, disease, prostitution, filth, etc. They were often very pessimistic and frequently criticized for being too blunt.”
(Naturalism. (2007) In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved Nov. 24, 2007, from:
(from Folse, K. et al (2003). Blueprints. NY: Houghton Mifflin. Pp. 14 – 17)
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