Skip to main content

Exercise : Basic-level Paraphrase and Summary Writing

OWL logo

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.



Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.


Paraphrase

Paraphrase the following sentences.

  1. The student requested that the professor excuses her absence, but the professor refused.
  2. There will be a music concert next to Vienna coffee shop. Would you like to go?
  3. International Center is hosting English Conversation classes. They help non-native speakers of English practice their English speaking skills.
  4. The office of International Students and Scholars at Purdue University is located in Schleman Hall.
  5. The car that was pulled over by the police officer yesterday just had an accident. That driver is not careful.

Summary

Summarize the following text from the Voice of America website:

“Many thousands of Chinese are studying at schools in the United States. And writer Liel Leibovitz says the students are following an example that began in the eighteen seventies.

  1. Mr. Leibovitz and writer Matthew Miller joined forces to tell the story of the students in their book, “Fortunate Sons.” The book says China sent one hundred twenty boys to America to learn about developments that could help modernize their country.” (American Documents the Country’s First Exchange Students from China, Voice of America, learningenglish.voanews.com)
  2. “Illiteracy is a problem in many of the world’s poorest countries. Even in wealthier nations like the United States, many children struggle with reading and writing. But in 19 cities across the country [United States], the volunteers of Experience Corps are helping youngsters learn to read. The volunteers, all over 50, work with students in low-income areas.” (Older Volunteers Help Children Learn to Read, Voice of America, voanews.com)
  3. “Women entrepreneurs in the developing world often face challenges that limit their chances for success and growth. They often have less access to education than men and have difficulty getting financing on their own. But with an understanding of the essential aspects of doing business – such as planning, financing, networking and marketing – they can overcome those obstacles. That's where the 10,000 Women Initiative comes in. As Faiza Elmasry tells us, it's an investment in education with dividends that benefit the businesswomen, their local communities and their national economies.” (Goldman Sachs invests in Educating Women in Business, Voice of America, voanews.com)
Go to Answers