How To Rewrite A Quote

Paraphrasing is a corking mode to contain someone else's thoughts into your writing without using a direct quote. You can apply paraphrasing to incorporate evidence or support for your ideas. When you paraphrase, it's important that y'all accurately nowadays the original author's ideas in your own words. Subsequently y'all paraphrase the quote, make sure you properly cite it.

i
Choose a 1-3 sentence quote. Don't endeavor to paraphrase too much information at once. Focus on the sentences that almost effectively support your ideas or arguments, and condense them into a paraphrased statement. If you want to use a longer department of text, it's amend to write a summary.^[1]
- A summary is broader than a paraphrase because it focuses on the main points of an entire section of text and provides an overview of the text as a whole. A paraphrase focuses on one main idea or concept within a larger work.
- Choose a quote that straight supports your argument. For example, yous might choose statistical data contained within an article or an skilful'south stance almost the effect you lot're writing about.
2
Comment the quote by identifying the master ideas and supporting details. Identify what the author is saying, such equally their main point or argument. Then, annotation how they support those ideas. What does this quote mean overall?^[two]
- Exist detailed in your notes. This will help you sympathise the quote, plus you can condense your notes into a paraphrase.
- For instance, you might choose this quote: "Despite expectations, installing metered ramps did not subtract the congestion levels on the highway. Travel times from downtown to the nearest suburb averaged twoscore minutes earlier meters were added to the ramps. Afterward installation, travel times averaged 38 minutes, a difference which is not significant." In this quote, the author's principal idea is that metered ramps did not solve congestion bug on this highway, and their supporting details are statistics specifying the similar travel times before and after the installation.
3
Paraphrase the quote if the words are less important than the idea. If y'all can limited the same ideas in different words, it's a good idea to use a paraphrase when including information technology in your newspaper. This ensures more of your paper is in your ain words. Plus, you don't want to include also many quotes.^[iii]
- If you're citing information, facts or statistics, paraphrasing is your best option.
- Yous tin can use paraphrasing to avoid having too many direct quotes in your paper. A paraphrase condenses the ideas in a quote and changes the original language.
- You still need to cite a paraphrase. Otherwise, you're plagiarizing.
- For example, you might directly quote dialogue, verse, a oral communication, or a quote that contains unique phrasing. Anything else can be paraphrased.
four
Avoid paraphrasing if the phrasing of a quote is of import. Phrasing might be of import if you need the author's original words to maintain the original pregnant, preserve the adept'southward authority on the topic, or present eloquent wording. For example, you might direct quote Dr. Martin Luther Rex's famous "I Accept a Dream" speech, every bit his actual words are important.^[iv]
- Information technology'south best to directly quote the words of a political effigy, glory, or writer.
- If the linguistic communication of your text is important, a direct quote might be best. However, y'all might cull to paraphrase a paragraph or longer passage to make information technology more than concise.

one
Re-read the quote you want to use. You need to fully understand the quote before you can paraphrase it. In some cases, you might want to re-read it several times before yous write your paraphrase.^[v]
- Focus on the ideas in the quote. What is the author really trying to say?
- For example, y'all might re-read the quote, look over your notes, so re-read the quote once more.
two
Restate the ideas using your own words. Apply your notes and understanding of the text every bit a whole to rewrite the quote. Don't just substitute synonyms for the words in the original quote, as this is plagiarism. Instead, make sure your phrasing is completely original. This means you lot should also use a different judgement structure from the original quote, which should fit the style of your essay.^[6]
- For example, let'southward say this is your original quote: "Our results bear witness that 40% of voters in the referendum ballot didn't brand up their minds until they arrived at the polling place."
- This would exist plagiarism: "The product of their research displayed that xl% of people who voted in the election for the referendum decided a response upon getting to the polling site."
- Instead, you might write this: "Based on this written report, forty% of referendum voters waited until they got to the polling location to decide how they would vote."
three
Check your paraphrase against the original quote. Read both passages aloud and make sure they convey the same ideas but in different words. Your paraphrase should be different plenty to not be plagiarism, merely not then different that you lose the writer's intent.^[7]
- Revise your paraphrase if y'all're non sure it properly reflects the original quote.
- You might ask someone else to read over the original quote and your paraphrase. Get their feedback on how well your paraphrase reflects the author's ideas in your own words.
iv
Make sure your paraphrase reflects the author's intent. It'southward possible to accept a quote out of context and use it in a way the author never intended. This allows you to support your arguments, but it'southward not accurate. Annihilation yous cite from a source must reverberate the original author'southward intent in the context of their work every bit a whole.^[8]
- For example, let'southward say the original author wrote a instance report virtually a small town's special vote on allowing dogs in a local park. You lot might find this quote: "When nosotros talked to citizens who voted against the mensurate, nosotros found that most of them weren't concerned nearly the dogs. Notwithstanding, they didn't like the way supporters pressured them to modify the park rules."
- If your newspaper is virtually voting in general, it would exist incorrect to use the quote like this: "Co-ordinate to Williams, nearly people who vote in an ballot intendance more than about the campaign than the ballot options." This does not actually reflect the author's intent.
5
Don't put quotation marks effectually your paraphrase. Since a paraphrase is written in your own words, yous don't need to use quotation marks around it. You will write information technology as any other text that'southward in your own words.
- Use quotation marks effectually unique words that are necessary to convey the author's significant. For example, when citing a passage from the book Freakonomics by Stephen J. Dubner and Steven Levitt, you would need to employ the term "freakonomics" in quotation marks.^[nine]

1
Cheque your instructor's prefered style guide. The most popular writing style guides include MLA, APA, and Chicago Style. You lot'll need to follow your formatting guide's requirements for citing the paraphrase both in-text and on your sources folio at the end of the newspaper.^[10]
- Check your assignment sheet or talk to your instructor. If y'all use the incorrect style guide, you lot may not receive full credit for your work.
ii
Apply a parenthetical citation for citing in-text in MLA or APA. Yous need to cite your paraphrased passage correct after information technology appears in your paper. To do this, yous'll put the publication information in parentheses later on the paraphrase.
- If you're using MLA, your parenthetical citation will include the writer's concluding proper noun and page numbers. For example: "Children should play outside for an hour each twenty-four hour period (Lopez 25-27).^[11]
- For APA formatting, you lot'll utilise the writer's proper name and the year of publication. For example: "Children should play outside for an hour each solar day (Lopez 2018).^[12]
- If yous use the name of the author in the paraphrase in either style guide, you tin omit their proper name in the citation. Y'all'd write for MLA, "According to Lopez, Children should play exterior for an hour each 24-hour interval (25-27).
iii
Insert footnotes for in-text citations for Chicago Fashion. Later on your paraphrase, insert a subscript number adjacent to the flow. Then, utilise the formatting tools in your give-and-take processor to insert a footnote at the bottom of the page. Include all of the publication information from your Bibliography page. Nevertheless, listing the writer's outset proper noun then the terminal in the footnote.^[13]
- Start your footnote numbers at 1 and increase them sequentially as you lot insert more than footnotes.
- For instance, your footnote might expect like this ^aneEva S. Lopez, "No Dogs Allowed: The Failure of a Entrada," in Example Studies in Local Politics (New York: LightOn Publications, 2018), 122-137.
4
Create a Works Cited, References or Bibliography page. Yous'll need to set up your citations according to your chosen style guide. Each type of source will have its own formatting requirements for documenting the author, title, and publisher information.^[fourteen]
- You'll write a Works Cited page if y'all're using MLA.
- A References page is for APA.
- In Chicago Manner, y'all'll write a Bibliography.

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Question

Can you give a simple example of paraphrase?

Christopher Taylor is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Austin Customs College in Texas. He received his PhD in English Literature and Medieval Studies from the Academy of Texas at Austin in 2014.

English Professor

Expert Answer

Check dorsum through this article for examples of original quotes and paraphrased versions.
Question

What step is unnecessary in paraphrasing?

All steps are important. A shorter version is to: 1. Include quote. 2. Change it upwards a bit. three. Make sure that EXACT quote is not taken. 4. Erase quote marks.

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This technique tin exist practical to any course of writing. It doesn't thing if you're in elementary, high school, college, or on the job.

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Paraphrasing means taking another person'due south ideas and re-diction them. This is why you must notwithstanding cite your source.

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See your called reference or guidebook for examples of quotes and paraphrases and how to cite them.

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Warning

Plagiarizing is a serious offense and can result in you losing credit for your work. Make certain y'all employ your ain words when writing a paraphrase, and always cite where you got the information.