IELTS Tips: Paraphrasing, Part 2
Welcome back to the IELTS Success Blog by MOSAIC engage! Today we will be continuing our discussion about Paraphrasing. If you haven’t seen my first post about paraphrasing yet, you can check it out by clicking here.
Last week we talked about what paraphrasing is, and why it is important for all sections of the IELTS test.
This week we’ll get some practice. First, I’ll show you a few of my favourite strategies for paraphrasing, then at the bottom of the page you will find a few sentences to try paraphrasing for yourself.
Paraphrasing Strategy #1: Synonyms
The first thing most people think of when they hear ‘paraphrasing’ is synonyms. Synonyms are words that have the same or a very similar meaning to another word. For example: huge, humongous, enormous, and massive all mean “very big.” The meaning of these words is essentially the same.
Some synonyms aren’t as simple, however. For example: moist, damp, soaked, and drenched all mean “wet.” But moist and damp are just “a little bit wet” while soaked and drenched mean “very wet.” This means you should be careful when using synonyms; make sure you understand the word completely.
When it comes to the IELTS test, paraphrasing is a great way to show your range of vocabulary in speaking and writing. Let’s look at a scenario:
Imagine the examiner asks you: “What is more important to you: family or friends?”
It would be a bad idea to start your answer with: “Family is more important to me because…”
This is because you would only be repeating the same words the examiner used, and this does not show any of your ability to use interesting English vocabulary.
Instead, try choosing a word from the question and replacing it with a synonym: “Of course my friends are valuable to me, but I think family are the most essential people in our lives.”
In this answer, we’ve taken the word important from the question and paraphrased it using the synonyms valuable and essential. This shows a much greater flexibility in your vocabulary than simply repeating the words from the question.
Paraphrasing Strategy #2: Change the word form
Synonyms are not the only way to paraphrase! Another valuable strategy for paraphrasing that is often overlooked is changing the form of the words you encounter. This means changing adjectives into adverbs, or verbs into nouns, etc.
For example, if the examiner asked you: “Do you find studying English difficult?”
You might say: “It’s not the difficulty that troubles me, it’s trying to stay focussed.”
Here you have changed the adjective (difficult) into a noun (difficulty), showing the flexibility of your English vocabulary.
In the writing section, you might find yourself discussing the topic that you could describe as significant. One way to show variety in your vocabulary would be to use other forms of the word in your essay as well. You might say:
The increasing use of social media is significant among young people. (adjective)
The average number of hours a person spends online has risen significantly over the years. (adverb)
The significance of this trend cannot be overlooked. (noun)
Of course, these sentences should be spaced out so that your essay doesn’t become repetitive.
Paraphrasing Strategy #3: Change the Grammar
Most people think of paraphrasing as a purely vocabulary-related challenge. But it’s important to remember that vocabulary and grammar often go hand-in-hand. Our final strategy for paraphrasing today is about changing the grammar.
Whenever you encounter a sentence that you need to paraphrase (whether that’s an essay topic for your writing test, a prompt in your speaking test, a passage in the reading test, or a question on the listening test, you can change the grammar to paraphrase) you can paraphrase it by changing one grammatical structure into another.
For example, sentences can be changed from active to passive by switching the places of the subject and object and changing the verb accordingly.
“Doctors now use innovative medical technology every day.” (active)
“Innovative medical technology is used every day.” (passive)
Another example might be changing a sentence from positive to negative.
“Progress towards finding a cure has been slow.”
“Progress towards finding a cure has not been as fast as expected.”
Try paraphrasing some of these sentences yourself
Now that you have three strategies for paraphrasing, copy the IELTS essay topics below and try paraphrasing them. Use synonyms, change the word forms, and use different grammar.
Good luck on your test and thanks for reading!
———
It is becoming increasingly popular to have a year off between finishing school and going to university.
With the rise of e-books comes the decline in paper books. Some people see this as a good step forward while others do not.
The proliferation of convenience foods has helped people keep up with the speed of the modern lifestyle.
Space exploration costs taxpayers an exorbitant amount of money each year.
Many elderly people are no longer looked after by their families but are put in care homes or nursing homes.
Do you need help preparing for IELTS? Join our test prep program at MOSAIC engage. We currently have evening classes three nights a week to help you get the highest score you can. Click here for more info!
We are also an IELTS test centre operator with locations across Vancouver. Check out our convenient locations on our IELTS test page.