paraphrasing sentences practice

Best 5 Paraphrasing Exercises

Read on to see our helpful paraphrasing exercises and tips in this article to get you started.

One of the most important skills you can hone as a student or writer is to paraphrase the words of other academics and experts effectively. Since new knowledge is built upon that which is already known, it makes sense that you’d want to reference the ideas of others in your work. However, this is often easier said than done. Paraphrasing, especially if you want to do it well, can be challenging.

Fortunately, as is the case with most other skills in life, you can improve your ability to paraphrase through practice. For instance, you can improve this skill by regularly doing paraphrasing exercises. As I was an academic for a long time in my life, I thought it might be helpful to those who have little or no experience in paraphrasing if I provided a list of paraphrasing exercises. If you’re such a person, I hope that this article will get you started on your journey toward mastering the art of paraphrasing. Your academic or writing career will undoubtedly be better off for it when you do.

The Art of Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing exercises and activities to help you master the skill, 1. broaden your vocabulary, 2. create a word map, 3. paraphrase in small chunks, 4. ways to paraphrase shorter and easier sentences, 5. imagine you’re explaining the source material to someone, helpful tips, 1. avoid plagiarism, 2. summarizing is not paraphrasing, 3. changing word order is not paraphrasing.

Although paraphrasing is an essential skill when writing papers, essays, or articles, it’s one that many find challenging to master. To paraphrase the words of others, you need first to comprehend their meaning, and then you need to express this meaning in your own words. To do this effectively requires a broad and sophisticated range of vocabulary and advanced grammar skills.

As stated in the introduction, you can improve your paraphrasing skills through paraphrasing exercises. Doing this will help you construct meaningful and original paraphrased sentences and increase the speed at which you work. Especially when you’re a student, reading, and paraphrasing the words of other scholars and experts can form a big chunk of your work. Learning how to paraphrase well and at a quick pace will enhance your academic experience and will open up your schedule for other activities, such as sports or parties.

Our paraphrasing vs. summarizing guide might be helpful.

Now that you know the importance of paraphrasing, let’s dive right in and look at some exercises and activities that can help you improve. Remember, as is the case when learning any other new skill, you need to engage with these exercises regularly.

Since you cannot paraphrase appropriately without a decent range of vocabulary, it makes sense to aim to add more words to your vocabulary bank constantly. Of course, if you’re an academic, you’ll want to focus on improving your academic vocabulary in your specific field. However, since academic language has a formal tone, you can add general terms to your vocabulary bank to help you express yourself more sophisticatedly. Examples of such words, for instance, are verbs such as “theorize,” “opine,” “constitute,” and “approximate.”

There are various ways in which you can enrich your academic vocabulary. These include:

• Keeping a word journal: A great way to learn new words is to carry a little book along with you, in which you can write down words that you don’t know. You can write down the word and then look up the meaning when you have time. It can also be helpful to construct your sentence with the word once you’ve jotted down its definition.
• Highlight words in texts: Whether you’re working with a physical copy of a text or a digital version, it’s good to highlight or underline words that you don’t know. You can then either write a definition of the words in the margin or, if you’re working with a digital copy, you can add a comment. Another good tip is to write by hand – people learn better when writing something by hand than if they typed the same information.
• Read as much as you can: Although this may be obvious, the best way to improve your vocabulary is to read as many books and articles as you can fit into your schedule. Even if you don’t have the time to look up the meaning of each word that you don’t understand, just seeing the word pop up in different contexts will help you work out the meaning for yourself over time. Apart from reading, you can also listen to podcasts or watch documentaries and news channels.

If you’re battling to paraphrase an original paragraph or sentence into your own words, it can be helpful to create a word map. You can, for instance, write a few complex words or phrases down on a piece of paper. Next, draw a box around each word or phrase, and leave enough space around each so that you can draw and link other boxes. As a next step, you can draw boxes in which you write the synonym of each word. You can also write down the definition of each word if you’re unsure of its meaning.

Next, you need to clarify the relationship between these words or terms. Draw arrows between them indicating patterns, correlation, or cause and effect. You can also add boxes between the original words or phrases in which you add other words, such as verbs, adverbs, conjunctions, prepositions, or adjectives. Doing so can help you further explain the terms or link them meaningfully. Once you’ve added all the information you can think of, try to create a paraphrased sentence or paragraph from your word map.

A valuable way to learn how to paraphrase when you’re a beginner is to break sentences into smaller parts. For example, instead of paraphrasing a long and complex sentence, which can become overwhelming if you’re not used to this process, you can focus on shorter phrases. Let’s take a look at an example. Here, for instance, is a long and complex sentence:

“ Many impacts are unavoidable and will hit the world’s most vulnerable populations hardest, it warns — but collective action from governments to both curb greenhouse-gas emissions and prepare communities to live with global warming could yet avert the worst outcomes. “

You may find it challenging to paraphrase this sentence as a whole. However, breaking it into smaller chunks makes the task more doable. You can break this sentence up in the following way:

• Many impacts are unavoidable
• And will hit the world’s most vulnerable populations hardest, it warns
• But collective actions from governments
• To both curb greenhouse-gas emissions
• And prepare communities to live with global warming
• Could yet avert the worst outcomes

Remember, the sentence structure of your paraphrased version can and often will look different from the source. This means that you can form two or multiple sentences if this helps you create a meaningful paraphrased version, even if the original is one sentence.

If you want to practice your paraphrasing skills, you can do so by paraphrasing a sentence in two or three different ways. You can practice finding different synonyms, grammar, and sentence structures while retaining the meaning across all versions.

If you have time, you can do this exercise with longer sentences. However, it may be good to start by paraphrasing shorter sentences. Doing so will allow you to focus on finding multiple synonyms and different ways to write the same sentence.

Here’s an example:

“ Scientists know that bees are dying from a variety of factors. “

Paraphrased version 1:

“Experts maintain that the future of bees is in danger due to multiple causes.”

Paraphrased version 2:

“There are many different reasons why bees are going extinct, according to scientists.”

A helpful way of practicing paraphrasing while reading through articles or research papers is to recite your paraphrased version of some more complex sentences. Since the first step of paraphrasing is to ensure that you’ve correctly understood the source, repeating what you’ve just read in your own words can help you grasp the meaning of the source material.

You don’t need to use formal academic language and complex terms when doing this paraphrasing exercise. Instead, the aim is to repeat what you’ve read in plain and simple terms. Also, since you don’t need to write anything down for this paraphrasing exercise, it’s something you can regularly do while you’re reading through the source material.

It’s vital that you understand what you’re reading and that all the information is not just going over your head. Doing this exercise, primarily when you find yourself drifting off or having problems grasping a sentence, will ensure that you’ve understood the section you’ve read. At the same time, you get to practice your paraphrasing skills.

Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind while paraphrasing.

Even though you’re not using direct quotes when paraphrasing but rather stating another author’s ideas in your own words, you still need to reference their work. Failing to do so amounts to plagiarism, a serious offense, whether you’re producing academic work or an article for a web page.

The format you have to use when citing the work of others varies. For instance, in academic writing, you need to provide in-text citations and a list of references at the end of your essay, article, or thesis. The precise way you’ll write your in-text citations and list of references will be determined by the formatting style, whether this is APA , Harvard , Chicago , or MLA .

Although both tools or techniques involve using your own words to describe somebody else’s text, they are different. You need to retain the original work’s meaning with both techniques while using your own words. When you’re summarizing a work , you’re selecting only the most essential points of the text and rewriting these in your own words. This means that you provide a short overview of what a text is about.

It would be best to remain far more loyal to the source material with paraphrasing. You refer to specific ideas an author has provided to incorporate these into your work. To ensure that you’re not changing the original version too much or skewing the meaning the author intended to bring across, you have to rewrite actual sentences and paragraphs. You can’t just write a summary of large chunks of text.

Although this is a “technique” employed by lazy students, you should be aware that merely swapping around the word order of an original text does not constitute paraphrasing. It’s also not good enough to merely change a sentence from passive voice to active voice or vice versa.

Using either of these as your only paraphrasing method when rewriting somebody else’s words can amount to plagiarism since you’ve not used your own words or demonstrated your understanding of the source material. In such instances, you’d be better off simply rewriting the author’s exact words and placing these in quotation marks.

To learn more, check out our guide on paraphrasing vs. plagiarism .

Bryan Collins is the owner of Become a Writer Today. He's an author from Ireland who helps writers build authority and earn a living from their creative work. He's also a former Forbes columnist and his work has appeared in publications like Lifehacker and Fast Company.

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Exercise : Intermediate-level Paraphrase Exercises

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Paraphrase Exercise

• Please read the following passages carefully and paraphrase it. “In the United States, about six out of ten students in graduate schools are women. The same is true of today’s young adults who already have a degree beyond college. As a result, the Census Bureau expects that more women than men will hold professions such as doctors, lawyers and professors.” (Women Edge Past Men in Getting Doctorates, Voice of America, learningenglish.com)
• “The Human Relations Commission (HRC) was established by the City of West Lafayette to protect the rights of our citizens and to ensure that West Lafayette remains a fair and inclusive community.” (What is the Human Relations Commission?, City of West Lafayette Indiana, westlafayette.in.gov)
• “The years after World War One were an important turning point in the making of the American nation. The country turned away from the problems of Europe. Now it would deal with problems of its own.” (American History Series: The United States Turns Inward After World War One, Voice of America, learning English.voa.com)

Summary Exercise

Please read the following passage carefully and write a summary for them.

• “Business is the most popular subject for international students in the United States. At last count, 21% of foreign students at American colleges and universities were studying business and management.” (Business English Speakers Can Still be Divided by a Common Language, Voice of America, learningenglish.voanews.com)
• “There were more victories for supporters of the Tea Party movement. This movement centers on cutting taxes and government spending. It brings together conservatives and libertarians -- strong believers in individual liberty.” (More Wins for TEA Party Activists, but Will They Win in November?, Voice of America, learningenglish.voanews.com)
• “In the years after World War I, new technologies changed America. Technology made it possible for millions of people to improve their lives. It also brought great changes in American society.” (Movies Become Big Business in the 1920s, Voice of America, learningenglish.voanews.com)

How to Paraphrase: Dos, Don'ts, and Strategies for Success

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Is It Considered Plagiarism If You Paraphrase?

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How to Paraphrase and Tips for Paraphrasing Correctly

Write Down Paraphrases of a Source on Notecards

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As if the research process isn't hard enough already—finding relevant and reliable sources, reading and interpreting material, and selecting key quotations/information to support your findings/arguments are all essential when writing a research essay.

Academic writers and students face the additional stress of ensuring that they have properly documented their sources. Failure to do so, whether intentionally or unintentionally, could result in plagiarism, which is a serious academic offense.

That's why we've written this article: to provide tips for proper paraphrasing. We'll start with an overview of the difference between paraphrasing and quoting, and then we'll provide a list of paraphrasing dos and don'ts, followed by strategies for proper paraphrasing. 

We will include paraphrasing examples throughout to illustrate best practices for paraphrasing and citing paraphrased material .

As mentioned in our previous article on plagiarism , "simply taking another writer's ideas and rephrasing them as one's own can be considered plagiarism as well." 

Paraphrasing words is acceptable if you interpret and synthesize the information from your sources, rephrase the ideas in your own words, and add citations at the sentence level. It is NOT acceptable if you simply copy and paste large chunks of an original source and modify them slightly, hoping that your teacher, editor, or reviewer won't notice. 

Passing off another's work as one's own is a form of intellectual theft, so researchers and students must learn how to paraphrase quotes and be scrupulous when reporting others' work.

You might be familiar with all this. Still, you might be concerned and find yourself asking, "How do I paraphrase a source correctly without running the risk of unintentional plagiarism?" 

For many writers, especially those who are unfamiliar with the concepts of a particular field, learning how to paraphrase a source or sentence is daunting.

To avoid charges of plagiarism, you must not only document your sources correctly using an appropriate style guide (e.g., APA, Harvard, or Vancouver) for your reference list or bibliography but also handle direct quotations and paraphrasing correctly.

Quoting uses the exact words and punctuation from your source, whereas paraphrasing involves synthesizing material from the source and putting things in your own words. Citing paraphrases is just as necessary as citing quotations.

Even if you understand quoting versus paraphrasing, you might still need some additional paraphrasing help or guidance on how to paraphrase a quote. 

Summarizing is when you're discussing the main point or overview of a piece, while paraphrasing is when you're translating a direct quote into language that will be easy for your readers to understand .

It's easy to see how the two are similar, given that the steps to paraphrasing and summarizing both include putting ideas into your own words. 

But summarizing and paraphrasing are distinctly different. Paraphrasing highlights a certain perspective from a source, and summarizing offers more of an overview of an entire subject, theme, or book.

You can usually tell the difference between paraphrasing and summarizing by the length of what you're writing abore writing about. If you’re writing about a quote, that would be a smaller theme inside a larger work, so you'd paraphrase. 

If you're writing about the themes or plot of an entire book, you'd summarize. Summaries are usually shorter than the original work.

Learn How to Format Quotation Marks here.

When learning how to paraphrase a quote, you first need to consider whether you should be paraphrasing a text or quoting it directly.

If you find the perfect quote from a reliable source that fits your main topic, supports your argument, and lends authority to your paper but is too long (40+ words) or complex, it should be paraphrased. Long/complex quotes can also be shortened with omissions and editorial changes (as discussed below).

Introduce the quote with a signal phrase (e.g., "According to Ahmad [2017] . . .") and insert the entire quotation, indicating the text with quotation marks or indentation (i.e., a block quote).

If you only need to use parts of a long quotation, you can insert an ellipsis (. . .) to indicate omissions. You can also make editorial changes in square brackets [like this]. 

Keep in mind that you need to reflect the author's intent accurately when using this strategy. Don't change important words in a quotation so that it better fits your argument, as this is a form of intellectual fraud.

Changes in square brackets should only be used to clarify the text without altering meaning in the context of the paper (e.g., clarifying antecedents and matching verb tense). They signal to the reader that these changes were made by the author of the essay and not by the author of the original text.

Paraphrasing

Demonstrate that you clearly understand the text by expressing the main ideas in your own unique style and language. Now, you might be asking yourself, "Do paraphrases need to be cited like quotes?" The answer is a resounding "yes."

When deciding whether to paraphrase or use a direct quote, it is essential to ask what is more important: the exact words of the source or the ideas.

If the former is important, consider quoting directly. If the latter is important, consider paraphrasing or summarizing.

Direct quotation is best for well-worded material that you cannot express any more clearly or succinctly in your own style. It's actually the preferred way of reporting sources in the arts, particularly in literary studies.

Shortening a long quote is a great way to retain the original phrasing while ensuring that the quote reads well in your paper. However, direct quotations are often discouraged in the sciences and social sciences, so keep that in mind when deciding whether to paraphrase or quote.

Paraphrasing is best used for long portions of text that you can synthesize into your own words. Think of paraphrasing as a form of translation; you are translating an idea in another "language" into your own language. The idea should be the same, but the words and sentence structure should be totally different.

The purpose of paraphrasing is to draw together ideas from multiple sources to convey information to your reader clearly and succinctly. 

As a student or researcher, your job is to demonstrate that you understand the material you've read by expressing ideas from other sources in your own style, adding citations to the paraphrased material as appropriate. 

If you think the purpose of paraphrasing is to help you avoid thinking for yourself, you are mistaken.

When you paraphrase, be sure that you understand the text clearly . The purpose of paraphrasing is to interpret the information you researched for your reader, explaining it as though you were speaking to a colleague or teacher. In short, paraphrasing is a skill that demonstrates one's comprehension of a text.

Yes, paraphrases always need to be cited. Citing paraphrased material helps you avoid plagiarism by giving explicit credit to the authors of the material you are discussing. 

Citing your paraphrases ensures academic integrity. When you sit down to write your paper, however, you might find yourself asking these questions: "Do paraphrases need to be cited? How do I paraphrase?"

Here is a quick paraphrase example that demonstrates how to cite paraphrased ideas. The opening lines to one of Juliet's most famous speeches are "O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? / Deny thy father and refuse thy name; / Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, / And I'll no longer be a Capulet" (Romeo and Juliet, 2.2.880–884). 

If you needed to paraphrase these lines in an essay, you could do so as follows:

Juliet muses about why Romeo's family name is Montague and concludes that if either gave up their name (and thereby their family affiliations) for the other, they could be together (Romeo and Juliet, 2.2.880–884).

Generally speaking, you must include an in-text citation at the end of a paraphrased sentence. 

However, if your paraphrased material is several sentences long, then you should check with your preferred style guide. Some style guides (such as APA) call for a paraphrase citation after the first paraphrased sentence. Other style guides (such as MLA) call for a paraphrase citation after the last paraphrased sentence. 

Remember, no matter what style guide you use, it is not necessary to cite every single sentence of paraphrased material in a multi-sentence paraphrase.

Don't Start Paraphrasing by Picking Up a Thesaurus

This might shock you, but a thesaurus is NOT the answer to the problem of paraphrasing. Why? Using a thesaurus to swap out a few words here and there from an original source is a form of patchwriting, which is a type of plagiarism.

You shouldn't have to resort to a thesaurus unless you are completely unsure about what a word means—although, in that case, a dictionary might be a better tool. Ideally, you should be able to use clear, simple language that is familiar to you when reporting findings (or other information) from a study.

The problem with using a thesaurus is that you aren't really using your own words to paraphrase a text; you're using words from a book. Plus, if you're unfamiliar with a concept or if you have difficulty with English, you might choose the wrong synonym and end up with a paraphrase like this: "You may perhaps usage an erroneous word."

This is a common mistake among writers who are writing about a field with which they are unfamiliar or who do not have a thorough grasp of the English language or the purpose of paraphrasing.

If you choose to keep a few phrases from the original source but paraphrase the rest (i.e., combining quoting and paraphrasing), that's okay, but keep in mind that phrasing from the source text must be reproduced in an exact manner within quotation marks.

Direct quotations are more than three consecutive words copied from another source, and they should always be enclosed in quotation marks or offset as a block quotation.

A sentence that combines a direct quote with paraphrased material would look like this: 

In "The Laugh of the Medusa," Cixous highlights women's writing as a specific feat and speaks "about what it will do" when it has the same formal recognition as men's writing (Cixous 875).

The paraphrased paragraph of Cixous' essay includes a direct quote and a paraphrase citation.

Did you know that copying portions of a quote without quotation marks (i.e., patchwriting) is a form of plagiarism—even if you provide an in-text citation? If you've reworded sections of a quote in your own style, simply enclose any direct quotations (three or more words) in quotation marks to indicate that the writing is not your own.

When learning how to paraphrase, you need to distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate forms of paraphrasing. The Office of Research and Integrity , a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, puts it this way:

Taking portions of text from one or more sources, crediting the author/s, but only making 'cosmetic' changes to the borrowed material, such as changing one or two words, simply rearranging the order, voice (i.e., active vs. passive) and/or tense of the sentences is NOT paraphrasing.

What does paraphrasing too closely look like? Here is an overly close paraphrase example of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' description of plagiarizing:

Using sections of a source, citing it, but only making surface-level changes to the language (such as changing a few words, the verb tense, the voice, or word order) fails as a paraphrase. True paraphrasing involves changing the words and syntactical structure of the original source. Keep reading for strategies for paraphrasing properly.

Get Help with Proper Paraphrasing

Hire an expert academic editor , or get a free sample.

In an article on how to paraphrase , the Purdue University Online Writing Lab suggests that you read the source text carefully and write paraphrases on notecards. You can then compare your version with the original, ensuring that you've covered all the key information and noting any words or phrases that are too closely paraphrased.

Your notecards should be labeled with the author(s) and citation information of the source text so that you don't lose track of which source you used. You should also note how you plan to use the paraphrase in your essay.

If you are a visual learner, the benefit of this strategy is that you can visualize the content you intend to paraphrase. 

Because a notecard is a tangible object, you can physically arrange it in an essay outline, moving the right information to the appropriate paragraph so that your essay flows well. (If you're not sure how to write an outline , check out our article.)

Plus, having a physical copy of paraphrased information makes it harder for you to accidentally plagiarize by copying and pasting text from an original source and forgetting to paraphrase or quote it properly. Writing out your paraphrase allows you to distance yourself from the source text and express the idea in your own unique style.

For more paraphrasing help, Jerry Plotnick from the University College Writing Centre at the University of Toronto provides a similar strategy for paraphrasing.

Plotnick advises that you take point-form notes of text that you want to use in your paper. Don't use full sentences, but instead "capture the original idea" in a few words and record the name of the source.

This strategy is similar to the notecard idea, but it adds another step. Instead of just reading the source carefully and writing your complete paraphrase on a notecard, Plotnick recommends using point-form notes while researching your sources. These notes can then be used to paraphrase the source text when you are writing your paper.

Like handwriting your paraphrases on notecards, taking notes and coming back to them later will help you distance yourself from the source, allowing you to forget the original wording and use your own style.

The Plotnick method above describes how to use point-form notes while researching a paper to keep your paraphrasing original. To paraphrase in your paper using Plotnick's method above, look at your sources and try the following:

Write down the basic point(s) you want to discuss on a notecard (in your own words).

Take your notecard points and turn them into sentences when you write your essay.

Add the reference for the source.

Compare your paraphrase to the original source to make sure your words are your own.

Practice Two-Step Paraphrasing: Sentence Structure and Word Choice

In an article on how to paraphrase by the Writing Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the first two strategies are acknowledged—taking notes and looking away from the source before you write your paraphrase. 

The authors then suggest another two-step strategy for paraphrasing: change the structure first and then change the words. Let's break down this process a bit further.

Sentences in English have two main components: a subject and a predicate . The subject is who or what is performing an action (i.e., a noun or pronoun), and the predicate is what the subject is doing (i.e., a verb). Sentences can be simple, compound, complex, or compound-complex. 

Here are some paraphrase examples using different sentence structures:

Simple: It was difficult.

Compound: It was difficult, but she knew there was no going back.

Complex: Although it was difficult, she knew there was no going back.

Compound-complex: Although it was difficult, she knew there was no going back, so she kept calm and carried on.

Once you have identified the structure of the original sentence, you can reconstruct it using one of the different types of sentences illustrated above.

You can also change passive voice to active voice, or vice versa.

The active voice is structured like this: Subject + Verb + Object (e.g., She learned how to paraphrase.)

The passive voice is structured like this: Object + "To Be" Verb + Past Participle (e.g., How to paraphrase was learned by the girl.)

See how awkward the passive sentence example is? It's best not to force a sentence into an unnatural sentence structure. 

Otherwise, you'll end up with Yoda-speak: "Forced to learn how to paraphrase a sentence, the girl was." (Did you like the unintentional "force" pun?)

Another way to distinguish your paraphrase from the original source is to use different sentence lengths. Often, scholarly articles are written using long, compound, complex, or compound-complex sentences. Use short sentences instead. 

Break down complex ideas into easy-to-understand material. Alternatively, you can combine several ideas from the source text into one long sentence, synthesizing the material. Try to stick with your own style of writing so that the paraphrased text matches that of the rest of your document.

Once the paraphrased sentence structure is sufficiently different from the original sentence structure, you can replace the wording of the original text with words you understand and are comfortable with.

Paraphrasing isn't meant to hide the fact that you are copying someone else's idea using clever word-swapping techniques. Rather, it is meant to demonstrate that you are capable of explaining the text in your own language.

One handy article on word choice by the Writing Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill lists some strategies for successful word choice, such as eliminating jargon and simplifying unnecessary wordiness. While this applies to academic writing in general, the "questions to ask yourself" are also useful as great paraphrasing help.

Once you have completed a sentence-long paraphrase, you include an in-text citation at the end of that sentence. However, if your paraphrased material is several sentences long, then you should check with your preferred style guide. 

Some style guides (such as APA) call for a paraphrase citation after the first paraphrased sentence. Other style guides (such as MLA) call for a paraphrase citation after the last paraphrased sentence. 

To paraphrase properly, you need to explain a text in your own words without using a direct quote . Keep in mind, however, that different styles require different formats when it comes to documenting paraphrased sources. Some styles require a citation after the first paraphrased sentence, while others require a citation after the last.

For this reason, we've outlined examples of how to paraphrase in the APA, MLA, and Chicago styles below. Be sure to check with your professor to see which style your essay requires.

APA guidelines for paraphrasing include citing your source on the first mention in either the narrative or parenthetical format. Here's a refresher of both formats:

Narrative format: Koehler (2016) noted the dangers of false news.

Parenthetical format: The news can distort our perception of an issue (Koehler, 2016).

Here's an example of how to paraphrase from a primary source in APA:

Dudley (1999) states that "direct quote" or paraphrase (Page #).

Note: It's not always necessary to include the page number, but it's recommended if it'll help readers quickly find a passage in a book.

Below are a couple of examples of how to paraphrase in APA. Keep in mind that for longer paraphrases, you don't have to add the citation again if it's clear that the same work is being paraphrased.

Short paraphrase:

Stephenson (1992) outlined a case study of a young man who showed increasing signs of insecurity without his father (pp. 23–27).

Long paraphrase:

Johnson et al. (2013) discovered that for small-breed dogs of a certain age, possession aggression was associated with unstable living environments in earlier years, including fenced-in yards with multiple dogs all together for long periods of time. However, these effects were mediated over time. Additionally, with careful training, the dogs showed less possession aggression over time. These findings illustrate the importance of positive reinforcement over the length of a dog's life.

When paraphrasing in MLA, include an in-text citation at the end of the last paraphrased sentence. 

Your in-text citation can be done either parenthetically or in prose, and it requires the last name of the cited author and the page number of the source you're paraphrasing from. Here are MLA citation examples :

Parenthetical:

Paraphrase (Author's Last Name Page #)

Author's Last Name states that paraphrase (Page #)

In addition to adding a short in-text citation to the end of your last paraphrased sentence, MLA requires that this source be included in your Works Cited page, so don't forget to add it there as well.

Here are two examples of how to paraphrase in MLA:

In an attempt to communicate his love for Elizabeth, all Mr. Darcy did was communicate the ways in which he fought to hide his true feelings (Austen 390).

Rowling explains how happy Harry was after being reunited with his friends when he thought all was lost (17).

Paraphrasing correctly in Chicago style depends on whether you're using the notes and bibliography system or the author-date system.

The notes and bibliography system includes footnotes or endnotes, whereas the author-date system includes in-text citations.

Below, you'll find the correct way to format citations when paraphrasing in both the notes and bibliography and author-date systems.

Notes and Bibliography

For the notes and bibliography system, add a superscript at the end of your paraphrase that corresponds to your footnote or endnote.

Johnson explains that there was no proof in the pudding. 1

Author-Date

For the author-date style, include the page number of the text you're referencing at the end of your paraphrase. If you mention the author, include the year the source was published.

Johnson (1995) explains that there was no proof in the pudding (21).

In summary, the purpose of paraphrasing is not to simply swap a few words; rather, it is to take ideas and explain them using an entirely different sentence structure and choice of words. It has a greater objective; it shows that you've understood the literature on your subject and are able to express it clearly to your reader.

In other words, proper paraphrasing shows that you are familiar with the ideas in your field, and it enables you to support your own research with in-text citations. 

Knowing when to paraphrase or quote strengthens your research presentation and arguments. Asking for paraphrasing help before you accidentally plagiarize shows that you understand the value of academic integrity.

If you need help, you might consider an editing and proofreading service, such as Scribendi. While our editors cannot paraphrase your sources for you, they can check whether you've cited your sources correctly according to your target style guide via our Academic Editing service.

Even if you need more than just paraphrase citation checks, our editors can help you decide whether a direct quote is stronger as a paraphrase, and vice versa. Editors cannot paraphrase quotes for you, but they can help you learn how to paraphrase a quote correctly.

What Is the Meaning of "Paraphrase"?

Paraphrasing is when you write text from another source in your own words. It's a way of conveying to your reader or professor that you understand a specific source material well enough to describe it in your own style or language without quoting it directly. 

Paraphrasing (and citing your paraphrases) allows you to explain and share ideas you've learned from other sources without plagiarizing them.

You can write things in your own words by taking original notes on the sources you're reading and using those notes to write your paraphrase while keeping the source material out of sight. 

You can also practice putting things in your own words by changing sentences from passive to active, or vice versa, or by varying word choice and sentence length. You can also try Jeremy Plotnick's idea of paraphrasing from your own point-form notes.

When you're paraphrasing something, it means you are putting someone else's writing in your own words. You're not copying or quoting content directly. Instead, you are reading someone else's work and explaining their ideas in your own way. 

Paraphrasing demonstrates that you understand the material you're writing about and gives your reader the opportunity to understand the material in a simplified way that is different from how the original author explained it.

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How to paraphrase (including examples)

Jessica Malnik

Paraphrasing has gotten a bad reputation due to its association with plagiarism . However, when used correctly, paraphrasing has the potential to elevate your writing and give you a better understanding of the research.

In this post, we’ll discuss what paraphrasing is, why we do it, and 6 steps to walk you through the process. We’ll also share what not to do with paraphrasing, along with some examples.

Paraphrasing definition and rules

Paraphrasing is simply a way of summarizing someone else’s content in your own words. When you paraphrase, you keep the meaning or intent of the original work without copying it word for word. However, paraphrasing can quickly become a form of plagiarism if done incorrectly. This is why it’s crucial to follow the rules of paraphrasing.

When borrowing the ideas from someone else’s content, there’s one important rule to follow: you must correctly cite your source. This can be done in a number of ways depending on the style guide you use. 

Source citing is different for MLA and APA formatting and style guides. You’ll need to familiarize yourself with the citation formats for whichever one you follow. However, in some cases, simply hyperlinking the source will be sufficient.

Why do we paraphrase?

There are a number of reasons that professional writers and students alike choose to paraphrase content. Here are just a few of the common reasons that a writer would choose to paraphrase instead of including a quote or summarization.

Process information better 

One benefit of paraphrasing is that it helps you process the author’s ideas. When you have to rewrite the material in your own words, it makes you really think about the context and how it fits into your piece. If you want to really understand the material you’re citing, try rewriting it. If you were to quote the same information, you would miss out on the benefit of analyzing the source material.

For example, if you are writing a research paper all about Shakespeare’s influence on modern-day literature, you don’t want to just use a ton of direct quotes, instead by paraphrasing original passages, it can help you comprehend and analyze the material better.  

Improve your credibility with readers

You can also improve your credibility by association with the sources you decide to paraphrase. 

When you rewrite the material, you create a connection between your content and the knowledge from the source. 

Your audience will have a better understanding of the direction of your piece if you’re paraphrasing a reputable source with established authority on the subject.

Present data in an interesting way

If you’re referencing a data-heavy webpage or study, then paraphrasing is an engaging way to present the information in your own writing style. 

This allows you to tell a story with the source material instead of simply citing numbers or graphs.

Show that you understand the source

Another reason for paraphrasing that’s particularly important in academic writing is to demonstrate that you’ve read and comprehended the source material. 

For example, if all of you are doing is copying and pasting the original words of a textbook, you aren’t really learning anything new. When you summarize the material in your own words, it helps you to understand the material faster.  

How to paraphrase in 6 steps

Paraphrasing is simple when you break it down into a series of steps. 

Here are the 6 steps you can use to paraphrase your sources:

1. Choose a reputable source

First, you need to pick a credible source to paraphrase. A credible source will likely have ideas and concepts that are worth repeating. Be sure to research the author’s name and publisher’s credentials and endorsements (if applicable).

You’ll also want to check the date of the publication as well to make sure it’s current enough to include in your writing.

2. Read and re-read the source material

You want to be sure that you understand the context and information in the original source before you can begin to rework it into your own words. Read through it as many times as you need so you’re sure that you grasp the meaning.

3. Take some notes 

Once you have an understanding of the passage, you’ll want to jot down your initial thoughts. 

What are the key concepts in the source material? 

What are the most interesting parts? 

For this part, it helps to break up the content into different sections. This step will give you a sort of mini-outline before you proceed with rephrasing the material.

4. Write a rough draft

Write your version of the content without looking at the original source material. This part is important. 

With the source hidden, you’ll be less likely to pull phrasing and structure from the original. You are welcome to reference your notes, though. This will help you write the content in your own words without leaning on the source but still hit the key points you want to cover.

5. Compare and revise

Once you have your initial draft written, you should look at it side by side with the original source. Adjust as needed to ensure your version is written in a way that’s unique to your voice. 

This is a good time to break out a thesaurus if you notice you have used too many of the same words as the original source.

6. Cite your source

Whether you use MLA, APA, Chicago, or another style guide, now is the time to give proper credit to the original author or source. When posting content online, you may only need to hyperlink to the original source.

Keep in mind that the paraphrased text will not change depending on the citation style that you follow. It will just change how it’s cited.

What you shouldn’t do when paraphrasing

Now that you understand the process of paraphrasing and can follow the steps, it’s important that you know what to avoid. When paraphrasing, here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Do NOT write while you’re still researching

You might be tempted to start writing during the research phase. However, this sets you up to miss information or restate the copy too closely to the source material. Be sure to do your research first, take notes, and then start writing the piece.

2. Do NOT skip the citations

When you pull a small amount of information from a paraphrased source, you may think you don’t need to cite it. However, any idea or copy that’s taken from another source is considered plagiarism if you don’t give it credit, even if it is only a little bit of information.

Paraphrasing examples

Here are some examples to help you understand what paraphrasing looks like when done correctly and incorrectly

Excerpt from LinkedIn’s Official Blog:

“When reaching out to connect with someone, share a personalized message telling the person why you would like to connect. If it’s someone you haven’t been in touch with in a while, mention a detail to jog that person’s memory for how you met, reinforce a mutual interest and kickstart a conversation.”

Here’s another example. This one is from the U.S. Department of Education:

“ The U.S. Department of Education does not accredit educational institutions and/or programs. However, the Department provides oversight over the postsecondary accreditation system through its review of all federally-recognized accrediting agencies. The Department holds accrediting agencies accountable by ensuring that they enforce their accreditation standards effectively. ”

Here’s one more example to show you how to paraphrase using a quote from Mark Twain as the source material:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover.”

Paraphrasing can be a beneficial tool for any writer. It can give you credibility and a deeper understanding of the topic. However, to successfully use paraphrasing, you must be careful to properly cite your sources and effectively put the material into your own words each time.

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Improve your paraphrasing skills

by AEUK | Jan 29, 2022 | Lessons , Referencing , Writing

  Paraphrasing  is using your own words to express someone else’s message or ideas. In a paraphrase, the ideas and meaning of the original source must be maintained; the main ideas need to be expressed, but the wording has to be your own.

Paraphrasing video.

A 10-minute video on how to paraphrase effectively using the 4-key stages of paraphrasing. This video is based on our Paraphrasing Lesson 1.

  The key skills to paraphrasing are: 

• Change in word forms
• Change in sentence structure
• Reference to the author

PDF Lesson Download

Paraphrasing lesson 1 – how to paraphrase effectively [updated 2021].

 It starts by discussing the differences between quotation, paraphrase and summary. It takes students through the basics of identifying keywords, finding synonyms and then changing the grammatical structure. There is plenty of practice, all with efficient teacher’s notes.  Level ** ** * [B1/B2/C1]   Example  / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP  / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP

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Paraphrasing Lesson 2 – improve your paraphrasing skills  [new for 2021]

This lesson helps students to improve their paraphrasing skills. The guided learning approach includes a text analysis activity where students identify the paraphrasing strategies, five sentence-level tasks to practise the strategies and two paragraph-level exercises to build on the previous tasks..  Level ** ** * [B1/B2/C1]   Example  / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP  / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP

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Paraphrasing Exercises

Taken from paraphrasing lesson 2 – improve your paraphrasing skills.

Task: Underline the key words you do not have to change in the following sentences.

• Reports predict that zero waste shops are on the increase.
• Many actors feel that funding for performance arts is currently too low.

For a detailed worksheet and more exercises – buy the  download Paraphrasing Lesson 2 below. 

Task: Replace the underlined words with synonyms in the following sentences.

• Every day 8 million pieces of plastic are discarded in the oceans.
• The introduction of bike lanes in many cities has been successful in reducing traffic accidents.
• Every day 8 million pieces of plastic are disposed of in the oceans.
• The introduction of bike lanes in many cities has been effective in reducing traffic accidents.

Task: Rewrite the sentences using a different word form. Use the word in brackets.

1.The sales of electric cars will increase dramatically this year . (dramatic)

___________________________________________________________________

2. The UK’s Test and Trace system failed mainly due to a lack of planning. (failure)

• There will be a dramatic increase in the sales of electric cars this year.
• The failure of the UK’s Test and Trace system was mainly due to a lack of planning.

Task 4: Change the sentence structure in the following sentences. Use the prompt given.

• Although fast food can cause a number of health issues, many people still continue to consume this type of food.

Despite________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

• Despite fast food causing a number of health issues, many people still continue to consume this type of food.

Task 4: Practice all four strategies (synonyms, word form, word order & sentence structure) and add a reporting verb. Use the author in brackets.

The principles of designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use and regenerating natural systems is defined as the circular economy (Macarthur, 2020).

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Possible answer: 

Macarthur (2020) defines the circular economy as the method of eliminating waste and pollution, the continual use of resources and the restoration of physical and biological materials.

NEW! Academic Paraphrasing Lesson 2 Download

Academic paraphrasing lesson 1 download, referencing lessons.

• Harvard Referencing Guide
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Referencing Guide: Harvard

 This is a basic reference guide to citing and creating a reference list or a bibliography. It shows the correct way to create in-text citations and reference lists for books, journals, online newspapers and websites.   Web page link . TEACHER MEMBERSHIP  / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP

Free Download

Referencing Guide: APA 7th Edition

Referencing: harvard referencing worksheet 1 [updated 2021].

Two part worksheet that is a paragraph and reference list.  Students have to put in the correct in-text reference. The second part is a reference list exercise where students have to put the sections in the correct order. A nice lesson to introduce students to referencing and becoming aware of key referencing principles.  Level ** ** * [B1/B2/C1]  Example  / Webpage link / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP  / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP

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Referencing: Harvard Referencing Worksheet 2 [new for 2021]

This lesson supports students in their understanding and use of Harvard referencing. It contains six worksheets: a discussion on referencing, a noticing activity, a reordering task, an error identification exercise, a sentence completion task, a gap-fill activity and a reference list task.   Level ** ** * [B1/B2/C1]  Example  / Webpage link / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP  / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP

Two part worksheet that is a paragraph and reference list. Students have to put in the correct in-text reference. The second part is a reference list exercise where students have to put the sections in the correct order. A nice lesson to introduce students to referencing and becoming aware of key referencing principles.  Level ** ** * [B1/B2/C1]    Example   / Webpage link   / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP  / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP

This lesson supports students in their understanding and use of APA referencing. It contains six worksheets: a discussion on referencing, a noticing activity, a reordering task, an error identification exercise, a sentence completion task, a gap-fill activity and a reference list task. Level ** ** * [B1/B2/C1]    Example   / Webpage link   / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP  / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP

Reporting Verbs 

 Use the verbs in the box to put into the sentences in the worksheet. Each sentence has a description of the type of verb needed. Check the grammar of the verb too! Web page link . TEACHER MEMBERSHIP  / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP

      Writing a paragraph – using quotes about smoking

Students are given a worksheet with nine quotes taken from The New Scientist, BBC News, The Economist, etc… After selecting only three, they use these three quotes to write a paragraph trying to paraphrase the quotes and produce a cohesion piece of writing.  Level ** ** * [B1/B2/C1]    Example  / Webpage link  / TEACHER MEMBERSHIP  / INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP

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Paraphrasing and Summarizing Exercises with Answers

Paraphrasing and Summarizing are two skills that are highly useful for writers. With these two techniques, writers can get help creating their content and providing it to their readers in an easy-to-peruse way.

However, if you happen to be new to the field of writing, you could be a little unaware and untrained in both these skills. But don’t worry. Everyone starts out as a beginner.

In this post, we’re going to be looking at some  paraphrasing and summarizing  exercises along with their answers and explanations. By following along, you’ll get a good idea about how you can use these techniques in your own capacity.

Let’s begin!

What is Paraphrasing and Summarizing?

Before we get to the exercises, let’s digress a little and understand what paraphrasing and summarization actually are.

Let’s start with paraphrasing.

Paraphrasing  is the process in which a particular piece of content is reworded and rephrased in such a way that it looks different from its original version but it has the same meaning and context.

A simple example of paraphrasing would be to change “John likes his cat” to “John adores his feline pet”. Paraphrasing can be as slight as merely changing some words in the text, or it can be as drastic as fully changing the tone, structure, order, and words of the content.

On the other hand,  Summarizing  is the process in which a piece of content is shrunk and shortened to about one-tenth of its original size. In this shortened version, the main idea and concept of the content is provided.

Summarization is usually used by authors and writers when they want to give a brief outline of a book or article to their readers.

Now that we’ve looked at the definitions of both, let’s move ahead to look at some exercises.

Paraphrasing Exercises (with Answers)

The main purpose of providing these exercises along with their answers is to help you understand what these techniques look like when they are implemented. Since we have explained their core definition above, you can try and work along the exercises to improve your skills a little as well.

Related:  Difference Between Paraphrasing And Rephrasing

Paraphrasing Exercise # 1:

Here is a sample paragraph that we will be paraphrasing as an exercise. We’ll write the paragraph alone first, and then provide the answer after a brief explanation.

Sample Paragraph:

"John could not find the butter in his fridge. He went to buy some from the store. On coming back, he saw his cat sitting on the floor, smacking its lips. There was some yellow stuff smeared all around its face. Thus, John solved the mystery of the missing butter."

So, as we mentioned earlier, paraphrasing can be done simply and sparingly, or it can be done drastically.

One of the primary and basic ways of paraphrasing is to simply change some words in the provided content with their synonyms. This is, we reiterate, a very basic level of paraphrasing, and it is often very easy to see through it.

So, for this first exercise, we are going to be doing only that level of paraphrasing as a way to illustrate how it looks like.

Here is what the above paragraph looks like when paraphrased:

Paraphrased Paragraph:

"John could not locate the butter in the refrigerator. He went to purchase some from the shop. On coming back, he observed his cat sitting on the ground, licking its lips. There was some yellow material smeared all around its face. Hence, John solved the mystery of the missing butter."

While we are on this discussion, it will also be salubrious to understand that when changing words with their synonyms for the purpose of paraphrasing, you have to be careful that you pick those that don’t mess up the context and intent of the lines.

Paraphrasing Exercise # 2:

Moving on, let’s look at another paraphrasing exercise. Here is the paragraph that we will be using for this one:

"John’s cat got lost in the forest. He went looking for it in the night time. He heard some movement in one of the bushes. He put his hand in and felt the fur. He pulled the thing out, thinking it to be his cat. After coming home, he realized it was an angry raccoon."

We mentioned in the last exercise that the basic level of paraphrasing is to change some of the words in the given text with their synonyms. And we also mentioned how that sort of paraphrasing can be easily detected.

So, for writers who want to paraphrase something in such a way that it does not resemble its original form a lot, there’s a step further that they can go, and that is to change the sentence structures + phrases.

Essentially, by changing the phrases used in the content as well as the arrangement of the sentences, the overall look of the paraphrased piece looks very different. If someone wants to go even ahead of that, they can shuffle the sentence  order  as well.

Considering this type of ‘extensive’ paraphrasing, here is the answer to the paragraph given above:

"John’s cat went missing in the forest. He went to search for it when it was dark. He discerned some movement in the hedge. After putting his hand inside it, he felt some fur. Thinking that it was his cat, he pulled the animal out. It was only after coming home that he realized that it was a frustrated raccoon."

Read more: How And Why to Paraphrase Your Content?

Summarizing Exercises (with Answers)

Now that we have looked at the paraphrasing exercises, let’s move on to look at some for summarizing.

Just as we’ve looked at two types of paraphrasing above, we’ll also look at two different types of summarizing.

Actually, it’ll be better if we explain those two types before getting to the exercises.

Basically, there are  two types of summaries . One of them is called  extractive  and the other is called  abstractive .

In extractive summarization, the summary of a piece of content is generated merely by taking out some sentences from it and joining them together. This is usually the type of summaries that you get from automated tools.

When extractive summaries are created, there is no effort to understand the actual meaning and context of the text. Rather, the purpose is only to take some lines from it and join them together in such a way that they make sense.

On the other hand, abstractive summaries are those that are written using a completely new and different set of words, phrases and sentences than the content (that is being summarized). As opposed to extractive summarization, abstractive summarization involves understanding the meaning and context of the text, and then creating a completely new summary that features all those concepts and ideas.

Summarizing Exercise # 1 (Extractive)

In order to demonstrate and explain extractive summarization, we’re going to first write a paragraph here and then provide its summary afterwards:

Sample paragraph:

"John’s car broke down. He stopped by the road side and screamed at people to stop and help him. But no one stopped for him. He continued howling and howling for hours. People kept driving by. After getting tired, he picked up a sheet and wrapped it around himself. Then, he started spinning on his spot. He grew dizzy. He kept spinning and spinning until he fell asleep."

Now, since we have to use the “extractive” summarization technique here, we’ll create the summary using the lines and sentences used in the content itself.

"John’s car broke down. But no one stopped for him. Then, he started spinning on the spot. He kept spinning and spinning until he fell asleep."

Summarizing Exercise # 2 (Abstractive)

For this exercise, we will use the same para that we did above. However, the technique used for the summarization will be different.

Since we will be using the abstractive technique here, the summary will be created using different words and phrases as the original.

"John’s vehicle went phut. But, no one stopped their car to help him. After he was tired, he made himself dizzy by spinning and then went to sleep."

So, that’s about it.

If you were a little confused about paraphrasing and summarization techniques, hopefully you’re a little more confident about them now.

These skills can come in handy for writers in a lot of different situations. If you don’t have the hang of them already, you should try and get it as quick as you can.

Paraphrasing Exercises with Answers

Paraphrasing is one of the most accessible tools in the English language that allows you to create original content from scratch. With the help of this article paraphrasing exercises with answers you will do better at paraphrasing. Anyone can do a little bit of research of their own online and comfortably talk about their findings to make new articles or produce a research report. The scale of paraphrasing is quite an importance in the life of anyone who is into writing a lot of stuff. It is an acquired Academic skill which can be perfected with the help of some practice.

If you are someone who has to write content in your day to day life regularly, then using a reword tool along with the art of paraphrasing would help you to produce better articles.

Related Article: Summarizing and Paraphrasing Examples

Many of our readers have asked us about how one can get better at paraphrasing articles. The answer to that comes from the simple saying of practice makes perfect.

ABOUT PARAPHRASING

Paraphrasing can be put into simple words by just saying that it is the procedure of rewording information. It involves researching multiple sources online, and when one puts their understanding of the subject into their own words, It is known as paraphrasing. You may want to read this article – the meaning of paraphrasing .

HOW TO GET BETTER AT PARAPHRASING

To get better at paraphrasing specific rules and regulations need to be followed while trying to create your content. Following these basic necessary steps would help you get better at paraphrasing.

• Read the text thoroughly to understand it.
• When you feel that now you have enough knowledge about the subject, try to write a paraphrase about it.
• Speak your thoughts out while writing a paraphrase to write it better.
• Repeat steps 1 to 3 if you forget any essential topics from the original passage.
• After completing your paraphrase read the source material to confirm all topics have been mentioned in your paraphrase.

Here are a few paraphrasing exercises that would help you to practice your newly acquired paraphrasing skills.

Paraphrasing Exercises

1) Condenser microphones have been a part of society for a long time now. Because of their fantastic sound quality that has been little to no innovation in the mic industry for over 30 years now. The basics of condenser mic have remained the same which allow countless many new manufacturers to create great mic for low prices. One such example of this comes from China where the patent laws are quite loose. Now anyone can buy a decent condenser mic just under the price of a pizza.

2) Albert Einstein is one of the most influential scientific figures in recent history. His theory of black holes was just confirmed a few days ago when the first picture of a black hole was photographed. It is incredible how such an influential scientific figure once had to turn down a task much more significant than him. In 1952 Einstein was offered the role of the Israeli President since he had been considered as the best Jew in the world. The ironical part about this was that Albert Einstein wasn’t even Israeli, to begin with.

1) The microphone industry has been using the same technology involved in making condensers for over 30 years. A condenser mic has an impressive sound quality and has been in the market for a long time. The procedure, as well as the mechanics involved in making a condenser mic, has remained the same allowing new businesses to produce mics with competitive pricing. China is a leading hub of microphone manufacturing because of the non-existent labor laws.

2) Scientist and influencer Albert Einstein are one of the most historic figures. Because of his theories, we now know more about space than ever. Even without having adequate resources Einstein theorized the existence of black holes which have been recently photographed by space researchers. What we don’t know about the man is that he was once offered the job of leading the nation of Israel in 1952. Even though Einstein was not Israeli, he still had positive ratings in the country as he was considered one of the best Jewish men in the world.

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IELTS Preparation with Liz: Free IELTS Tips and Lessons, 2024

• Test Information FAQ
• Band Scores
• IELTS Candidate Success Tips
• Computer IELTS: Pros & Cons
• How to Prepare
• Useful Links & Resources
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• Writing Task 1
• Writing Task 2
• Speaking Part 1 Topics
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• 100 Essay Questions
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• Advanced IELTS

IELTS Writing Task 2: Paraphrasing Practice

IELTS writing task 2 paraphrasing practice exercise. To get a good mark in IELTS writing task 2 for the criterion of vocabulary, you need to be able to paraphrase. The exercise below is a chance for you to practice your paraphrasing skills.

The answers for this exercise have now been posted below. No more writing should be posted for this lesson. But you can still learn from completing the exercise on your own and checking your writing with the answers provided.

Paraphrase the words in this paragraph using the words in the box below. Only paraphrase a word if you are sure it is appropriate to do so.

Many people, when driving their cars, go over the speed limit in city centers. As a way of solving this, the government should put more speed cameras on major streets to put people off  speeding. If this is done, more people who speed will be caught and this problem will eventually be solved.

Paraphrasing Options

You do not need to use all the words. You must decide which words to use and which words not to use.

town         an answer            the law           install         motorway         stop        humans         put away         authorities               exceed               deter  from         directly          riding        ought to            key             by doing this            arrested       vehicles               resolved             citizens            large            caught red handed             speed prevention             increasing       urban

Answers and Advice

Please see the answers given below:

Many people, when driving their cars, exceed  the speed limit in urban centers . As a way of solving this, the authorities ought to install more speed cameras on major streets to deter people from  speeding. By doing this , more people who speed will be caught and this problem will eventually be resolved .

Common Mistakes and Explanations

• Collocation: drive a car, not ride a car. We use the verb “ride” with bicycles.
• A town is not a city.  You can write “city center” or “urban center”. A town is much smaller and this essay is not about small towns and villages.
• The government can usually be paraphrased with the word “authorities”.
• The word “should” can be paraphrased as “ought to”. This is a common paraphrase.
• If you are writing about setting up or putting up equipment, you can use the word “install”.
• “to deter” is used to put people off committing a crime or an offence. It is actually a better word to use than “put off” for formal essay writing.
• “By doing this” and “As a way of solving this” both have the same meaning in this context. You can’t write “As an answer for solving this” – it isn’t correct English even though the meaning is the same.
• “people” are people. We rare use the word “citizen” in an essay about transport. However, it would be acceptable to use it in the second sentence which refers to the government.
• “people” cannot be paraphrased as “humans” except in one context – please watch the video below to learn. Any student making this mistake is not studying effectively. The video below explains this very clearly so you should not be making this mistake.
• “caught red handed” must be written as it is shown. You can never write “caught red”. There are three words in this idiom. However, this expression is mainly for theft or other crimes in which a person is caught face to face by the police. It can’t be used for speed offences caught by camera.
• “vehicles” is used when we don’t know what type of transport is being written about or when we refer to different types. This essay is about cars only which means you can’t use the word “vehicle”.
• This paragraph is about “streets”. This is not the same as a “motorway”. A motorway is a very large road outside a city which contains two or three lines in both directions for heavy traffic.

Results and Advice

• If you had one mistakes, it is acceptable for band 7 or 8.
• If you have two or three mistakes, it is around band 6.
• More Mistakes = Lower Score
• You need to learn both the use and meaning of a word.
• Don’t aim for range until you can achieve accuracy.
• When you learn a noun or verb, learn the full collocation.
• When you learn a word, learn when you can and cannot use it.
• When you learn an idiom, learn if the words can be changed or not.

Best Writing Posted:

Well done to Esmaeil Bahmyari ! You wrote very well indeed but don’t avoid using the word “people”, it is the correct and most appropriate word to use for this essay. You have the potential to well with your level of English.

To all other students, I hope you learn to be careful when paraphrasing. Try to avoid making errors. You can see that a band score 9 student does not paraphrase continuously.

I hope you benefited from this lesson. I will put similar lessons up in the future if you found it useful.

Video: Paraphrasing Tips

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Most people drive their vehicles over the maximum speed limit in city centers. As a solution, the governmet should implement more speed cameras on main streets in order to hinder individuals from speeding. Consequently, more people who drive off the limit will be captured and eventually this will lead to solving the issue.

Majority of people, while driving their cars in city centers, exceed their speed limit. To tackle this problem, the government need to mount lots of speed cameras on the main streets to scare, and capture people driving beyond the speed limits, which in turn puts an end to the problem.

I don’t usually comment because I don’t offer feedback, but I will say “good but be careful of your language”: 1. The majority of people 2. the government need S 3. to scare = to deter 4. to deter people from driving over the speed limit Take more time thinking about your language to avoid getting a lower score.

Many people when driving their vehicles exceed the speed limit in city centers. As a way of resolving this, the authorities should install more speed cameras on major streets to deter people from speeding. By doing this, more people who speeds will be caught and eventually this problem will be resolved.

The authorities ought to install more cameras in urban centers to prevent the exceeding the speed limit by a large number of drivers. By doing this the authorities will manage to resolve the problem and deter motorists from speeding.

Hello Liz, Greetings from Cameroon and thank you for the tips it’s really help me. I would like to know what’s appropriate concerning the writing section American or British english for example the word center (American) and centre (British) which form is correct ? Thanks a bunch.

You can find your answer on this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-help-faq/ . Look at question 5 of the test info section and review all other sections.

Lot of peaple go over the speed when they are driving in the urban cities. So govenment thoght putting more camaras in the street can be cought the person who drive more speed and they think problem will be resolved eventualy.

Establishing more speed monitoring systems such as speed cameras would be integral for the authorities, since more people are getting over the speed limits while driving. As more violators will be caught if more monitoring exhibits, less and less people will be willing to cross the limits.

Exceeding speed limits while driving is commonly seen in city centres. The government installing more speed cameras on the streets can be seen as a solution to this problem. This will ensure that more violators are punished and will prevent over speeding in urban areas.

Sometimes drivers exceed legal speed in towns. Because of the possible dangers, authorities should install more control cameras in the streets. Preventing predicted consequences could happen by arresting citizens who do not respect speed limits.

the people, when driving vehicles exceed the speed limit in urban centers, Authorities resolved this by installing speed cameras on streets to deter drivers from the law. By doing this, a large number of people have been arrested and this can be a good solution for this problem.

Most residents may ignore limitation of speed and surpass it. One way to defeat this problem is that governments should impose a limitation on speed. This goal having been achieved by checking speed with cameras at the road of cities.

Majority of drivers nowadays go beyond the implemented speed limits inside premises of cities, hence, it is expected that the ruling body should install speed cameras on major streets to demotivate such act and eventually solving the current issue.

Over speeding while driving is considered a problematic issue mostly in city centres. It is often suggested that in order to solve this issue, authorities should install more speed cameras on major streets to catch offender drivers and decrease over speeding in urban areas.

A large number of people exceed their speed limit while driving their cars. One possible solution to resolve this issue could be that the higher authorities should install more speed detection devices, especially on main roads to slow down people’s driving speed. By doing this, humans can be caught red-handed, and finally, the issue would be minimized.

I trust you are doing well. I wrote my test yesterday and I’d like to thank you immensely for the wealth of knowledge and information on this website and in particular, your Ideas for IELTS Essay book. I purchased it 5 days before my actual test and had to burn the midnight candle to go through all the topics. It was indeed an invaluable resource.

My task 2 topic : some people think that there is less communication between family members these days compared to the last few years. Do you agree/disagree. Give your opinion.

Task 1 topic: You just got an international job, write a letter to your former boss/ex-employer requesting for a reference letter.

A tip for everbody- on test day, I’d advise you tackle the task 2 essay first because it carries more marks and the time moves INCREDIBLY FAST!

Good luck with your results 🙂

Owing to the problem, those who drive cars over the limit at high speed in city centers, which is usually a rushy area. Despite a warning by the government, people considered it a casual way of driving, whereas putting more cameras is the most effective solution in consequences by which speedy drivers can be caught very easily.

Lot of people, cross the speed limit while driving their cars in urban centers. One of the way to solve this issue is that authorities should install more speed cameras on major streets to deter people from over speeding. With the help of this, more people exceeding the speed will be caught and this problem eventually will get resolved.

Personally I think “cross the speed limit” is not correct, it should be “exceed the speed limit”. Moreover, “to speed” means move quickly; so no need to use “over speeding”. The word “issue” is not appropriate in this paragraph, I suppose. Maybe “bad situation” is a better one, or just keep the word “problem”. 🙂

An attempt to solve speeding problems in downtown areas it is expected from the authorities to install an additional number of speed cameras on the most significant streets which, if done correctly will result in higher number of speed offenders to be captured and a gradual solution to this problem.

It would mean a lot if Miss Liz (or anyone) can point out any error if there’s any.

Two possible paraphrases I have managed to come up with:

1. Government should install many surveillance devices to discourage speeding automobiles since there are high number of people who cross the speed limit at the central town. Perhaps, this would enable law enforcement bring down those in speed violation and at the end put a full stop for this problem.

2. Towards solving the problem of speeding vehicle, the government should installing several surveillance devices, which acts as a harbinger of the consequences, because there are several people who have drove their automobiles over the speed limit in the central town. Implementing this, enables law enforcement to bring down those in violation, and at the end put an end to this problem.

Citizens,when driving their cars,go over the speed limit in city centers,In other way of solving this, the authorities should put more speed cameras on major streets for speed prevention and this issue will eventually be solved.

More often, many citizens while driving their car through the city, exceed the speed limits. To have a check over, speed cameras should be installed on the major streets of the cities. By doing so, the speed limits of the cars will be regulated, as the cameras would catch the rash drivers red handed.

I have just started surfing around, on your website and I am aiming for 7.5 band score of writing section in time period of 3 months (I got TOEFL IBT few year ago). This is really brilliant how you explained the answer for this example. Can I find more of this example somewhere? I am also wondering if there exists ”writing task correction” service available on your website which students can buy? .

I’m glad this was helpful 🙂 You can use the red menu bar to find what you need on this site. This site contains over 300 pages of free lessons, tips etc. Sorry, I don’t offer a marking service. I only offer Advanced Writing Task 2 lessons as extra: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/

Most people while driving in city centers exceeds the permitted limit for speed.This issue can be addressed by installing speed cameras on most popular streets to inhibit provocation .This will enable the authorities to capture evidence and penalize the violators of the law.

I need feedback .

Thank you Liz, your materials are helpful

this is mine. hope you correct me.

people often break the speed limit when driving their in the centre of a city. as an attempt to solve this. the ministry should install more trafic enforcement camera on the main street, to prevent people from speeding. if everything is set up. this will rise the number of people who get caught when they speed up. And this problem will be solved.

thank your for readding

Hello Liz, Kindly let me know, these four Linking word have same meaning “Due to, Owing to, By the virtue of, On account of. For instance, I must go to office today due to short of attendance.

Regards Khan

We don’t use “by virtue of” any more. Otherwise, they have the same meaning – but this doesn’t mean you can use them in the same way. Always review how the grammar structure changes.

Speeding while driving cars, which has become a problem in the city centres, can be curtailed by using speed cameras on motorways. By the installation of cameras, the people who exceed the speed limit will be caught. This will ultimately help authorities to resolve this problem.

While some “Commentators” believe…., other “analysts” defend the idea.

Is Using Commentators and Analysts in spite of People correct? Are they accurate synonyms of people?

It is not normal to use such language in IELTS essays. I would avoid it. The opinions are from people – not analysts. And the word “commentators” is an inappropriate word to use. There are many words you can paraphrase in your essay- the word “people” isn’t usually one of them. Please watch the video above again which explains about being more careful with paraphrasing.

Ought to exceeding the speed limit in urban cities by large number of drivers, the government can maintain this issue by installing cameras in main roads as a result, people who doing this can be arrested, which in turn this problem can be gradually solved.

Usally in city areas, people drive their car faster han in village areas. The government can solve this problem by installing more speed cameras on the major streets. Realizing that that the drivers are being constantly monitored, they will start driving slowly eventually.

Increasing number of people speed up their cars while driving in city centers. To overcome this problem, authorities ought to install speed cameras on major streets to keep drivers under the speeding limit. By doing this, overspeeding drivers will be caught and this problem will eventually be resolved.

Most of the people are exceeding their speed limits while driving their vehicles. As a result, the local authorities should take charge to shut down the rash drivers by keeping speed sensors and cameras in the major areas. If they accomplished the above idea ,then we can see the reduction in this problem .

These days, numerous shows related to the crime are broadcasted on the television. As a consequence lot of violence taking place giving birth to numerous criminal activities. Therefore, it is said that such a program should not be telecast. I strongly agree with this statement and will discuss in upcoming paragraphs.

First and foremost, nowadays, the most people more time to spend in mass media. It is responsible for framing through a human process. Therefore, it should be banned. Mostly young ones follow serials on television and its effects adversely on their mindset. For instance, in India, there is a program called Crime Patrol which talks about the different crimes and how those crimes are committed by criminals. Definitely, after watching this kind of telecast, the youngster may become delinquent, feeling that they would also appear on television if they do something of that sort.

Furthermore, some people instead of considering such serial as the part of an awareness program. programs grasp various ways and misuse them getting templated result in diverting them towards the path of crime. Although, it is a source whichever provided with a solution by watched shows. People adopt certain techniques and strategies come out of various problems an encounter ever in life. Yet, it is a total time wasting because of this type of show just a part of the entertainment. Overall, I strongly agree with this statement these programs should be stopped, it is less fruitful and more drawbacks. Moreover, it does not provide a particular knowledge of awareness.

I tried practice on writing tasks. But there is grammatical errors, plz guide me. How to improve it.

Your problem relates to your English language, not your exam skills. This means you need an English language website or a local teacher. Google online to find English language websites.

Many driver have tendency to do overspeeding in urban center while driving car. it is thought by some people that key way to overcome this is to install more speed cameras on major street by government. This will certainly result in catching more overspeeding drivers.

Urban drivers,overspeed their cars in city centers.To solve it, officials have to keep an eye on them through installing speed cameras on main streets to keep them under speed limit.This way whoever will speedup their cars will be arrested and problem will be resolved.

Majority of people, while driving cars, Saturate the speed limit in urban centre. To overcome this problem management should install possible number of speed cameras on streets.

mostly people living in the urban arease drive carelessly beying the exceeding limits. to overcome this problem, authorities should take control by putting some laws and rules like speed camers over the main areas of the town. if it is to be done than the law breakers can be eaily caught red handed and peope will automatically follow the rules.

liz can u check my parapharse sentence.. i am writing again and again but u r not replying me plz reply me

I do not offer a marking service.

We have to paraphrase in General IELTS essay as well. I am asking this because in one of the video you said that this is for academic. Kindly clear my doubt.

There is no difference between the GT and Academic writing task 2 techniques. You write the essays in exactly the same way. If you want to learn more about essay writing for IELTS, purchase my advanced lessons: https://elizabethferguson.podia.com/

Hi Liz Your lessons are very helpful Please can “the amount of meat” be paraphrased as “the quantity of meat” ?

Yes, that’s fine 🙂

Hi liz, please can we use individuals as a synonym for people.

Synonyms must be used in the right context and in the right way. Individuals is certainly a synonym that can be used, but you must learn when and how to use it.

While driving in the busy parts of city, many people drive their cars at such speed which is usually well above the authorized speed limit. To encounter, authorities must install more speed cameras to monitor the drivers effectively. Consequently, more violators will be be caught that will eventually resolve the issue of over speeding.

Over-speeding is a major problem in cities as many drivers tend to drive above the allowed speed limits. A possible solution to this problem is the installation of surveillance cameras on the highways in order to apprehend offenders. This will deter people from over-speeding and will eventually solve the problem on the long run.

I read the list of uncountable nouns. Isn’t tea is the countable noun? I am confused. Regards Sonia.

No, it is uncountable. You can have “a cup of tea”. When people say “would you like a tea?”, it is informal and the full meaning is “would you like a cup of tea?”.

my l/r/w was on 2/12/2017. A true false not given question was: The railway company owns 18,000 wagons. In the passage it was just mentioned in “all 18,000 wagons are washed every 28 days”. as it was not mentioned that the company owns it or if they are on lease. I answered Not Given. your views please

For this question, you need to refer to the whole paragraph or at least the five or six sentences surrounding that statement. It is common in IELTS that your answer will not be found in one sentence only and references might be made in other sentences.

Morning Liz,what is the difference between highways and motorways. Also,kindly check if highways is acceptable for my paraphrasing: Authorities ought to install speed cameras on the major roads because majority of the people tend to over speed along the main highways. Placing these cameras would make offenders caught,and thus resolving the issue

There difference is US English and UK English. For writing, you need to choose one only. For speaking, it is fine to have a mixed accent as long as pronunciation is easy to understand.

Several people, drive above the stipulated speed limit when driving their vehicles.As a method of combating this,there should be more speed cameras installed on major streets to stop people over speeding.More people will be apprehended when this takes effect and thus leads to an end to over speeding.

Citizen mostly exceed speed limits while riding their personal vehicle in the motorways. This can be put to end, by installing surveillance / monitoring camera in major streets and some other strategic locations where over-speeding can be monitored and noticed by the authority.

Wao. Have realized my mistakes.

To combat the problem of overspeeding in city centres, government should install more surveillance cameras on big streets, which will help to catch offenders and alleviate the menace.

In order to restrict people from driving cars above the speed limit, the government should impose strict rules such as installing speed cameras on busy streets which will be an incentive to overcome the consequences of speedy cars.

Hey, Liz I have paraphrased the above question as- In order to avoid over-speeding, which is very common in city centers, the Government has decided to install more speed cameras to qualify people from over-speeding. The authorities believe that after the installation of speed cameras the problem will be abated and in my opinion, the Government will get the desired results and the problem will be resolved.

Thanks Liz, informative and good for learning and introspection!

Hi Liz. I enjoyed watching your lessons and the same time I learn a lot about the Ielts exam. Actually my exam is on 14 October 2017. Im a little bit nervous. Writing essay task1 and task2 is the hardest part. Any advise please. Thank you.

hi liz, My name is Vishwas from India, My question is, is there any prescribed structure for IELTS task 2 writing part which guarantee the high band. please reply. Thanking you in anticipation.

No. Most essays will have either two body paragraphs or three. But it depends on your main points and what you want to say. The examiner is marking you on logic – so organise logically.

Thanks Liz. Tomorrow is my LRW pray for me

Thanku liz for such paraphrasing practice.please upload more such videos. Thanks.

Thank you ma’am for this lesson.I have really learnt a lot today.

Its a wonderful exercise , would you be kind enough to provide more exercises like this or share any link , where I can do more practice.

Sure, I’ll try to put more lessons like this up. Thanks for letting me know it was useful 🙂

Yes please do it…so usefu. Thank you

Hello Liz, I watched your video “how to write introduction” and have a question. If we are asked ” discuss this view and give your own opinion”, background statement and thesis statement in our introduction is the same ?

Yes, it’s the same technique. Paraphrase the essay question for the background and write your opinion as the thesis.

Hai mam, during speaking test , if I can’ t hear or understand the question, requesting for repeating the question may affect my score..??

It won’t affect your score. It is fine to say “Could you repeat that, please”.

Hi Liz, can I use highways for major streets? Thanks

You will need to check in a dictionary. It is American and I’m British.

Hello, liz im adithya should we write both “BACK GROUND STMT” and “THESIS STMT” in the introduction or any one is enough ?

Watch this free video lesson about writing introductions: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2-how-to-write-an-introduction/

Hello Liz, I am sadiya, Can you please check my errors in below writing task 2. so that I can rectify my mistakes. i will be thankfull

The relative importance of main aim of advertising the various product on television to attract teenagers has been targeted should be prohibited. which can not be fully agreed, has now become more controversial. The substantial influence of the different advertisements of various products included in different categories has sparked the controversy over the potential impact of this advertising trend in this recent years.it can be argued that it has some advantages on advertisements, but it has some drawbacks as well. This essay will elaborate both the positive and negative impact of advertisements resembling two sides of the single coin. Which usually runs in parallel and then will lead’s to the logical conclusion. At the outset, there are numerous ways to benefit the young children. The most conspicuous one is advertisements of various products which are used in daily life to improve the health as well standard of living according to status. Firstly, coming to improve or save the economic cost by spending on the product which is worth full in daily life. Like some branded products helpful in the kitchen with latest options as the technology has been fully developed. ex: which reduces the time spent in the kitchen for cooking, watching utensil, cleaning floors. Secondly, various health conscious product is known which help of advertisement, to cure the various minor diseases like cough syrup, pain reliefs painkillers, and healthy shakes so on.Thirdly, advertisements are beneficial to choose the good and cost effective product at less cost. The fourth one, the people are getting educated with these various adds in various ways, one of them is to maintain their personality lifestyle modification. Finally, people are knowing their rights to select the product and getting educated about the product before they are going to buy it,Products working status and its benefits has been compared with another. nevertheless, there remain some disadvantages, which can certainly, overwhelm the potential influence of advertisement on teenagers. But the most alarming one lies in the fact that the children are getting affected with advertisements via improper adds before their mindset has not well developed. There may chance of learning bad habits changing their social lifestyle.ex; smoking, chewing gutka, and other than this learning bad habits. Secondly, few adds are not proper for teenaged children like naked adds, getting addicted to television. from what has been discussed above it can be concluded that the impact of the advertising on children 70% is around beneficial and remaining 30% can be well handled by educating the children regarding good thing like having the proper diet, lifestyle modifications, learning how to improve the economic cost, learn the consumer rights.

Sorry, I don’t comment on writing. Make sure your introduction is only two sentences long. See the videos on this page to learn: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/

Hi Liz! Thank you for your videos. They’re very informative. I need your help though. Could you check if what I did was correct??

Q: Prevention is better than cure. Do you agree or disagree that out of the country’s health budget, a large proportion should be diverted from treatment to spending on health education and preventive measures.

A: The eradication of diseases is the focus of many countries in terms of health. However, disease prevention through health education is the lesser concern. In my view, the government should equally support both of these programs in terms of finances to create a better and healthier community.

This is my introduction. it took me almost 10 mins to formulate this one. What do you think??

What is the maximum limit of words for both task and can i use persnl words..?

Your answers are on this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/

Can you please post more lessons of this kind. thank you.

I am a student of Ielts. now i want to sit for exam but my hand writing is not up to mark i have problem on Grammer and spelling, what will i do?

https://ieltsliz.com/liz-notice-2015-2016/

Hi Liz, Thanks very much for all your ielts tip,they are very useful. I just checked my results now and i got the required bands listening-7.5,Reading-8.0,Writing-7.0,Speaking-8.5. Once again thank you very much. Beatrice

Overall band score 8 – excellent!! A very good score which you should be proud of. I hope you can now go forward with confidence and achieve your future goals. Thanks for letting me know 🙂 Liz

Hllo liz I have required a great practice material, for improve my band score. My target was to achieve minimum 7 band score overall. But, i scored only 5.5 band as on 27 june, 2015. S- 5 L-5.5 R- 6 W- 4.5 now i again fill my exam that will be on 8 oct. so now i want want to attain best score. I really thankful to you, if you give me some help to attain my goal.

All my lessons and tips are on this blog. To get band score 7, you will need to develop your level of English. Students getting around band 5 in speaking and writing are making too many mistakes to be awarded band 6. You now have just under 3 months to improve your English language. Go to google and look for English language websites. All the best Liz

Thanks a lot for the great tips and lessons. I just got my result and I was able to increase my writing score to 6.5. However, I need to score minimum 7 in writing, so I will give it another try as soon as possible.

Best regards.

Hi Teacher,

My name is Santhosh and I would like to improve my writing skills very much to attain a band score of 7+. First of all, I would like to thank you very much that, your online videos were very helpful for me.

I took IELTS GT exam for 3 times to get a band score of 7+ in each modules and below are the score that I got:

L8, S7, R6.5, W5 L7, S7, R6, W6.5 L7, S6.5, R6, W6.5.

As you can see my writing is not upto the mark. Kindly provide an effective method to reach my goal and also I would like to do some practice exercise for planning and paraphrasing also, the link provided for paraphrasing practice is not available.

Thanks, Santhosh.

All lessons are listed on this blog. I don’t have extra lessons. All the best Liz

Thank you teacher,

While going through all the lesson’s and writing topics that you had provided in the website, I think it is sufficient enough for practice.

Thanks for providing good materials for the exam.

Thanks Santhosh

Hi, Liz. First of all, I would like to thank you for all of the amazing resources you have created. I watched many of your video lessons and used them to prepare for my IELTS Academic test. I got my results this week and they were: Listening 6.5, Reading 8, Writing 6.5, and Speaking 9. I’ve got nothing to complain about the Listening part because I got distracted during the first track and didn’t hear the exact words and also because I also had trouble with another conversation about giving directions in a building. I’m not good at giving and getting directions. Not even in my native language, so I know I must work on that. However, I am puzzled at my writing score. I am pretty sure I made no grammar nor spelling mistakes. I felt I did well on Writing Task 2 but perhaps my graph analysis was rather simple. I’ve read about other examinees complaining about having a hard time to score higher than 6.5 in the writing section. Any thoughts on this? What would you suggest to improve this score? Thanks.

Thanks a lot, Liz. I just emailed you my writing samples.

Hello liz…. M planning to appear fr ielts in the coming 2 weeks, the only problem I feel with me is with speaking part…. I have no problem with speaking English or framing sentences but then I use the word umm… aa…. Quite often while thinking about the next sentence which I can say… Will that affect my bands??

Yes, that will affect your score for the criterion of fluency. However, it won’t affect your score for grammar, vocabulary or pronunciation. All the best Liz

I want to check my writing mam could you please provide any link for that to caliculate. Because I don’t have any idea about my standard in writing english.

Try this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2-band-scores-5-to-8/ All the best Liz

Thank you so much mam

Hello Liz, I have one question for you. Currently, just I am preparing my self to take IELTS exam in the first week of August. Always I wonder on time management. So, to manage my time in relation to my experience, what if I do the written exam in the following order. 1. Listening 2. Writing 3. Reading Thank you for your consideration, and I eagerly awaits your response. Kind regards,

Don’t change the order of doing the skills. In fact, I’m not sure that you can. The time management is during the skill. For example, sticking with only 20 minutes for each reading passage and spending no more than 20 mins on writing task 1. All the best Liz

Large no of people while driving their cars overshoot the speed limit in city centres. To avoid this , governent should place extra cameras on major streets . This will ensure that people who overshoot would be caught .

hi liz teacher ,thank you so much to teach us beneficial points i really confuse in paraphrases but i learn alot of things from your lessons

I’m glad the lessons are useful 🙂 Liz

mam,i am very weak in task 2. Becoz,when i strat essay to cofuse, what i write

You will need to develop ideas for topics, learn how to organise ideas and also improve your level of English. In your message above, you made two spelling mistakes and also grammar mistakes. This means, to get over band 5, you will need to be able to write more accurately. Here’s a link to my writing lessons: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-2/ . For English will need either a teacher or to find a website to help you. You can google that. All the best Liz

A number of people exceed the speed limit, while they are crossing in the urban areas. To solve this problem the authorities have to install speed cameras in main junctions To deter people from speeding. By doing this, many people who are driving crazily will be coughed and the problem will disappear.

This lesson is now closed. You will find the answer above in the lesson. Liz

Thank you Liz for your valuable instructions. I doubted in using “citizens” , but at last I used it. Regards

You did really well. 50% of your writing is based on your grammar and vocabulary. That means you will do well in those criteria. You should focus now on coherence & cohesion and task response. Good luck Liz

hello Liz my name is Anna :-Certain individuals used to exceed their vehicles speed limit in urban centers.Futhermore,authorities ought to overcome the issue by increasing the quantity of cameras on main streets to deter drivers from speeding.As a result ,people will stop to drive fast and the problem will be resolved completely.

A lot of car drivers exceed in speed when riding their vehicles in urban centers, going over the mandatory limits. One way to face this issue could be an increase in number of speed cameras installed by authorities in the main streets. By doing this, citizens will be deterred from driving too fast by the risk of being caught handed out and, consequently, the problem will probably be solved.

Increasing number of people exceed the speed limit while driving in city centers. The only key to the problem is to install speed cameras on major streets by the government deterring people from speeding. By doing this, speed can be prevented and those who break the law will be caught red handed.

Many citizens, when driving their vehicles, exceed the speed limit in urban areas. In order to resolving this, the authorities should install speed cameras in motorways to deter from speeding. By doing this, more individuals who speed will be arrested and this issue will be solved.

Can you tell me please, if it is correct. Thank you.

I will post the answer at 5pm UK time. Liz

It’s almost 7 pm UK time

The answers have been posted. Please look above in the lesson. Thanks Liz

Many people, when driving cars, exceed the speed limit in city centers. To stop this, the government authorities should put more speed cameras on major streets to put people off speeding. If this is done, more people who speed will be caught red handed and this problem will eventually resolved.

A large number of people,when riding their vehicles,exceeds the speed limit in city centres. As a way of speed prevention, authorities should install more cameras on major streets to deter from speeding.By doing this,more people who speed will be arrested and this problem will directlly be resolved

Some people exceed the speed limit while driving their vehicle in town centers. In order to resolve the problem, authorities ought to install large number of speedy cameras on motorways to prevent from increasing speed as by catching citizen red handed on cameras that in consequent deter directly the motor speed in urban areas.

Many citizens, when riding their vehicles, exceed the speed limit in city centers. As an answer for this, the authorities ought to install more speed prevention cameras on motorways, to deter people from speeding. By doing this more humans who put the law away will directly be arrested and this problem will eventually be resolved.

An increasing number of people riding their vehicles in urban areas, exceed the speed limit. As an answer to speed prevention, the authorities ought to install more speed cameras on motorways to deter people from speeding. By doing this, more people who speed will be arrested and the problem will be resolved.

Large number of peopl, when driving their car, exceed speed limit in urban centers. In order to resolve this, authorities ought to install more speed cameras on motorway to deter them from speeding. Doing this, citizens who speed will be arrested and the problem will eventually be solved.

Please read my paragraph and advice. Thanks Meenakshi

Some people exceed the speed limit while driving in the town.To deter citizens from speeding, authorities ought to install more cameras on the motorways.By doing this, more people will be caught red handed which will eventually resolve this problem.

I will post my answer for all students at 5pm UK time. All the best Liz

A big number of drivers break the admitted legal speed when they are driving in urban areas. As a solution for this problem, the authorities should install surveillance cameras on main streets to deter drivers using exceed speed. By doing that, a large number of citizen would be caught red handed and this issue finally be resolved.

A large number of people, when driving their vehicles,exceed the speed limit in urban centers .As an answer of this ,the authorities ought to install more speed camers on motor ways to deter citizens from speeding.By doing this ,more citizens who speed will arrested and this problem will be resolved directly

Many citizens in urban areas exceed their speed limit when driving their vehicles.The authorities ought to install more speed cameras on motorway to deter from speeding.By doing this, humans who caught red will be directly handed to authorities to resolve this problem.

Many citizens in exceed their speed limit when driving their vehicles.The authorities ought to install more speed cameras on motorway to deter from speeding.By doing this,humans who caught red will be directly handed to authorities to resolve this problem.

In town, when people driving their cars, exceed the speed limit in city centers. Inorder to solve this,authorities should install more speed cameras on major roads to put people off speeding. By doing this, more people who speed will be caugth and the problem will eventually be solved.

Large number of citizens in urban areas exceed their speed limits when driving. As a way of prevention the authorities ought to install more speed cameras on motorways to reduce citizens from speeding.By doing this, citizens who speed will be put away and situation solved .

Owing,this problem many citizens while riding a vehicals in the urban aerea they exceeds the speed,There are number of solution to handle this situation.motor way officials should install some extra speed catching camera in street,by taking this step many people would go off the speed either,panalies or punished in the large number city.finally,this way could be overcome the problem/situation.

Hope for comments.

You must use the words given in the box. Don’t change the paragraph in any other way. Liz

In urban areas, many citizens exceed the speed limit when riding their cars. To deter from this problem, the authorities are ought to put more speed cameras on major motorways to put humans off speeding. By doing this, more people , who drive speedly will be caught red handed and finally this problem will be resolved.

Hi…. am from india. When i write the phase 2 in writing. .. it takes lot of time to complete the essay… And my vocabulary is ok i think. ..

The large number of citizens exceed their speed while driving their vehicles in the urban areas. To this problem be resolved,the authorities ought to install more speed cameras on main routes and motorways to make them reduce their speed.By doing this,more people, who drive speedly, will be caught red handed and finally this issue will be tackled.

Many citizens, when driving their vehicles, exceed the speed limit in urban areas. As a way of solving this, the authorities ought to install more speed cameras on major streets to deter citizens from speeding. By doing this, more citizens who speed will be caught and this problem will eventually be resolved.

Hello Teacher, In essay i write one introduction and thesis statement two body paraghraph and conclusion.is it ok?

The thesis statement is part of the introduction – it is not separate. Please watch my video about writing an introduction. The rest of the paragraph structure is fine. Liz

Yes,teacher it is. After introduction i could write only two paragraph and conclusion,in my test.

Thanks teacher forbreply. Regards.

That’s right. Although it is possible to have three body paragraphs. It depends on the number of main points you have. Liz

Many citizens, when driving their vehicles, exceed the speed limit in urban areas. As a way of speed prevention, the authorities ought to install more speed cameras on main motorways to deter people from speeding. By doing this, more citizens who speed will be caught red handed and this problem will eventually be resolved.

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