What is Paraphrasing? 6 Effective Techniques for Paraphrasing in IELTS Writing

So why is Paraphrasing so important? In today's article, Mytour will help you understand more about the skill of Paraphrasing and 6 super effective techniques for Paraphrasing in IELTS Writing!

What is Paraphrasing?

If you're a Vietnamese learning English, you're likely familiar with the phrase 'Rewrite the sentence without changing its meaning,' which is very common in English exams. This is also the first step towards mastering the skill of Paraphrasing.

Paraphrasing can be understood as rewriting a sentence or a passage using different words (compared to the original sentence or passage) while maintaining the original meaning.

Ví dụ:

Fast food is not good for children’s health, so children should not eat fast food too much. (Đồ ăn nhanh không tốt cho sức khỏe trẻ em, nên trẻ em không nên ăn quá nhiều đồ ăn nhanh.)

-> Children should not consume fast food in large amounts because it is bad for their health. (Trẻ em không nên tiêu thụ quá nhiều đồ ăn nhanh vì nó không tốt cho sức khỏe.)

The two sentences above use different vocabulary and grammatical structures but convey exactly the same meaning. 

For example:

People eat more food produced in other regions than local food

-> The consumption of imported food has gained popularity in recent years.

In the first sentence, people are the subject, but when paraphrased, the consumption of imported or regionally produced food becomes the subject.

Why is Paraphrasing necessary in IELTS Writing?

Mastering the skill of Paraphrasing in IELTS Writing brings many benefits, especially in boosting your IELTS Writing score.

Firstly, Paraphrasing improves your lexical resources and grammar range and accuracy in IELTS Writing. For IELTS Writing Task 1 and Task 2, adept Paraphrasing helps you quickly complete the introduction and conclusion without spending too much time pondering.

Moreover, Paraphrasing skills can help you comprehend information faster when reading IELTS Writing samples, while also enhancing your brainstorming abilities for IELTS Writing.

So how do you effectively paraphrase? Let's explore the super effective Paraphrasing techniques in IELTS Writing with Mytour right below!

6 effective Paraphrasing techniques in IELTS Writing

Reverse the order of words in the sentence

This is the simplest form of paraphrasing because it does not require adding, removing, or changing the type of any word in the sentence.

For example:

People eat more food produced in other regions than local food

-> The consumption of imported food has gained popularity in recent years.

▶️ In the first sentence, people are the subject, but when paraphrased, the subject becomes the consumption of imported food or food produced in other regions.

Using synonyms/antonyms

Synonyms are words that have different forms but the same meaning. For example, humans are synonymous with people; or rich is synonymous with wealthy. Using this method, you can easily create a new sentence with the same meaning as the original while preparing for the IELTS exam.

For example:

My car needs petrol.

-> My vehicle requires fuel.

Alternatively, if the given sentence is negatively framed, you can use antonyms and change the sentence to an affirmative form.

For example:

When managers motivate employees to work together, they feel more obligated to stay with the company.

-> Staff are less likely to change jobs if cooperation is encouraged.

▶️ “Less likely to change jobs”: unlikely to switch employment

“stay with the company”: remain at work (affirmative form)

This is the simplest and most common way whenever paraphrasing is needed. However, it's important to note:

Avoid changing all words in the sentence. When you try to change every word in the sentence:

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Use synonyms accurately rather than just words with relatively similar meanings.

For example:

Violent crime is on the rise among teenagers.

-> Violent offenses are rising among young people.

▶️ In this case, teenager refers to individuals aged between 13-19, whereas young people encompass a broader age range, typically from 16-30. Therefore, paraphrasing teenager as young people is not suitable.

Change to passive voice and vice versa

Passive voice is often used extensively in academic writing. When paraphrasing in this form, only the verb needs to change its form.

Passive voice is commonly employed in writing when you do not want to express an opinion as your own, but rather as a general opinion.

Example:

People say that global warming is caused by the burning of fossil fuels.

-> Global warming is said to be caused by the burning of fossil fuels.

Using words from the same family

There are many types of words, such as verbs, adjectives, nouns, and adverbs. Changing the form of a word, or in other words, using words from the same family, can help ensure the meaning and context remain unchanged when paraphrasing. Moreover, once you have changed the word type, the grammatical aspect will be affected, so you should carefully check the paraphrased sentence for any grammar errors.

Example:

Education is obviously a much better measure for raising awareness of laws.

-> People who are properly educated have a stronger heightened awareness of laws.

▶️ “Education” (n, sự giáo dục) can be paraphrased by changing it to the verb “educate” (v, giáo dục).

Using the listing method

Instead of searching for synonyms, you can list categories of words or phrases you need to paraphrase.

Example:

Advertising is all around us.

-> Pop-ups, flyers and billboards are virtually everywhere.

▶️ Pop-up, flyers (tờ bướm) and billboards (biển quảng cáo) are forms of advertising (quảng cáo).

Using dummy subject (It)

Dummy-subject (chủ ngữ giả) is often added at the beginning of a sentence and typically takes the form

Example:

Children should obey the rules set by their parents and teachers.

-> It is claimed that offspring should follow all the rules their parents and teachers set.

▶️ It is asserted that children should follow the rules established by their parents and Mytour teachers.

These methods should be used separately or in combination. However, regardless of the paraphrasing method used, you must remember to preserve the original meaning of words and sentences, without grammatical errors.

Exercise

1. The position of women in society has changed greatly in the past 20 years.
2. The amount of fish consumed in the world has increased dramatically.
3. Some people believe that car emissions have a massive impact on the environment.
4. Technological advances have replaced people in the workforce.
5. Staff have a tendency to dislike their workplace.
6. The way the child plays may provide information about possible medical problems.
7. More attention should be paid to how much we eat.
8. The Internet could be seen as a great source of entertainment.
9. Governments should support local businesses.
10. Junk food may harm your health.
11. Programs with violence content should be limited.
12. Governments should spend money on measures to save languages that are used by few speakers.

Reference Answers

1. In the last 20 years, there has been a significant shift in the status of women in society.
2. The global consumption of fish has greatly expanded.
3. Some people think that the environment is significantly impacted by vehicle emissions.
4. People in the workforce have been supplanted by technological advancements.
5. Employees frequently loathe their workplace.
6. The child’s play style may reveal information regarding potential medical issues.
7. We should pay more attention to how much we eat.
8. The Internet could be regarded as a fantastic entertainment resource.
9. Local enterprises should be encouraged by governments.
10. Your health could be harmed by junk food.
11. The number of violent programs should be restricted.
12. Governments should invest funds in efforts to preserve minority languages.