CONTENTS

3-4
E X E R C I S E
O V E R V I E W

5-10
S I X S T E P
G U I D E

11-14
S U M M A R Y

CB ENGLISH TUITION | 02
EXERCISE OVERVIEW

This exercise has proved time and time again to be

a very powerful technique to increase not only
vocabulary but also coherency , fluency , grammar and
even pronunciation . Basically an excellent speaker of
the English language !

So what is the technique ?

Well before I tell you I want to say that you have

almost definitely heard of it before and maybe even
tried it BUT as noticed with 100 ' s of my 1 - 1 students it
is not done in the correct way .

So turn the page to discover the exercise , then take

the time to learn the 6 step process .

CB ENGLISH TUITION | 03
THE PARAPHRASE

What is paraphrasing ?
This is the rewording of something written or spoken
using different words . The aim is to explain it in an
even better way .

Why Paraphrasing ?
After tutoring a lot of non - native English students the
importance of active learning became obvious to me . I
soon decided to stop doing exercises that use
recognition skills and to only teach in ways that
make the student think actively with English . We need
to stimulate that brain of yours by creating the
language to get good at speaking English .

What am I talking about ? Well instead of memorising

lists , matching pictures with words or focusing on
grammar . Your brain needs to actually produce English
by speaking it , writing it or even internal dialogue
( thinking ) .

Paraphrasing gives your brain the opportunity it needs ,

to CREATE English .

Now this can be quite a difficult exercise so I ' m going

to show you a useful six - step strategy to paraphrase
effectively .

CB ENGLISH TUITION | 04
 SIX-STEP STRATEGY
We will start with the 6 steps and then go into an
example using the 6 steps .

1. SEPARATE THE
INFORMATION
Choose the relevant text you want to paraphrase

Read through it and ensure that you understand at least

70-80% of the language. If not then choose
an easier text.

Take the next steps 1 sentence at a time

2. HIGHLIGHT CONTENT
WORDS
You now need to understand which are the information-
carrying words. Content words are the ones that carry the
meaning of the sentence. These are nearly always the
nouns, main verbs, adjectives, adverbs, question words or
negatives. So read through the text and highlight the
content words. Do not worry about
being perfectly correct.

3. CREATE NEW CONTENT

WORDS
Now you want to replace the highlighted words with a
synonym (a similar word). The closer the match the better BUT
do not worry if it doesn't make PERFECT grammatical sense.
The aim for now, is to connect your English vocabulary
together which by the way is incredibly good for language
learning! I guarantee you will feel it when doing this. One of my
students even says "it feels like his brain is boiling up inside".
 SIX-STEP STRATEGY
continued

4. CONNECT IT UP
Now that you have new content words I want you to
connect them together with some new function words
(these are the non-content words, they tend to give

structure to the sentence). They are often auxiliary verbs,

prepositions, conjunctions, determiners or pronouns.

By the end of step 4 you should have a new sentence

that has been paraphrased!

5. REVIEW TIME
Now write this complete sentence out and read
it back to yourself. Does it make sense?
If not, ask yourself what you are not happy with and why.
This helps to increase your coherency skills MASSIVELY!

Next, compare the new with the old sentence and

confirm that it has all of the important information.
Is the new structure too different? Is it starting to lose the
original meaning? If so readjust it until you are happy.

6. RECORD YOURSELF
Once it is perfected, record yourself and listen back to it.
This is so important because you need to become your
own teacher.
Play it back, listening for pronunciation errors. Most
online dictionaries nowadays have pronunciation
practice. i recommend the online oxford dic.
Be aware that pronunciation errors can be broken down
into 4 areas: individual sound, word stress, intonation
and sentence stress. Locate and
destroy any unwanted errors!
 ADVANCED
CHALLENGE

WHEN READY DO THIS AS

YOU READ NEW TEXT FOR
THE FIRST TIME

CB ENGLISH TUITION | 07
 CON
-FUSED
don't worry I've got an example for
you

So now I am going to show you the six steps with an

example to give you a better understanding of how to
use the paraphrasing strategy .

Here is the example paragraph I have chosen to use

for the example :

"As we sailed through the placid channels off Chile ’ s

mid - Pacific coast , all was silent . Our wooden ship
— painted yellow and blue and built in the style of a

traditional fisherman ’ s boat — quietly cut through the

sapphire waters between the small , low - lying islands
of the Chiloé archipelago . On either side , grey ,
gravelly shores gave way to green hills beyond and
nearly cloudless skies above . Here and there , livestock
grazed around ramshackle , corrugated - tin
farmhouses . Occasionally , a tuxedoed Magellanic
penguin would softly swim by . ”

CB ENGLISH TUITION | 08
 SIX-STEP STRATEGY
Now for an example using the 6 steps .

1. SEPARATE THE
INFORMATION
Sentence One:

As we sailed through the placid channels off Chile’s

mid-Pacific coast, all was silent.

2. HIGHLIGHT CONTENT
WORDS
As we sailed through the placid channels off Chile’s mid-
Pacific coast, all was silent.

3. CREATE NEW CONTENT

WORDS
sailed = navigated / went on a sea voyage / cruised / rode the waves
channels = stretch of water / sea passage / waterway / strait
Chile’s = Chile’s (this is a proper noun, so no need to change it)
coast = coastline / seashore / waterside / water’s edge
silent = still / hushed / noiseless / peaceful / tranquil / soundless
SIX-STEP STRATEGY
example continued

4. CONNECT IT UP

As we navigated through Chile’s coastline it was very

peaceful.

5. REVIEW TIME

As we navigated through straits off Chile’s coastline all

was peaceful.

RECORD YOURSELF

I recorded myself and have included it in the audiobook

version of this ebook. Please listen to it for a greater
understanding on how to paraphrase effectively
regarding foreign language acquisition.
FULL EXAMPLE TEXT PARAPHRASED

As we navigated through straits off Chile’s coastline

all was peaceful. Our vessel - tinted lemon and
cobalt blue and constructed in a manner similar to
an anglers barge - soared effortlessly through the
waves between the group of unassuming small
islands that are known as Chiloe. A 360 degree
view of monotone, stoney seaside bordering rolling
hillside and open to the heavens. Scattered cattle
casually chomping away at grass nearby rustic old
ranch houses. From time to time a black and white
Magellanic Penguin would effortlessly paddle past.

ORIGINAL EXAMPLE TEXT

As we sailed through the placid channels off

“
Chile’s mid-Pacific coast, all was silent. Our
wooden ship—painted yellow and blue and built in
the style of a traditional fisherman’s boat—quietly
cut through the sapphire waters between the
small, low-lying islands of the Chiloé archipelago.
On either side, grey, gravelly shores gave way to
green hills beyond and nearly cloudless skies
above. Here and there, livestock grazed around
ramshackle, corrugated-tin farmhouses.
Occasionally, a tuxedoed Magellanic penguin
would softly swim by.”

CB ENGLISH TUITION | 11
CONCLUSION

So next time you read an interesting article ,

take the time to break the information down
into understandable chunks .

Highlight the content - rich words and phrases .

Create a synonym list and then string the
words together in a full sentence of your own .

Check the new sentence with the old one , ask

yourself “ Is it coherent and grammatically
correct ? ” , then tell a friend your newly learnt
piece of interesting information .

Finally , pat yourself on the back for firing and

wiring English neurons that have already
helped improve your speaking ability . Helping
your brain connect and increase new
vocabulary at a fast rate and truly challenge
your coherency skills .

This really is a powerful technique that

everyone wanting to take their language
learning to the next level should do regularly .
So do it regularly !

CB ENGLISH TUITION | 12
 WHAT HAVE
"

YOU LEARNT
FROM THIS
PARAPHRASING
EXERCISE?"
Charlie from CB English Tuition has 6 key points for you
 01
How to break up information
into bite size chunks

02
What to look for when searching for the key
elements e . g . content words

03
What words are easily replaceable
e . g . Function words

04
The best way to expand your vocabulary

05
How to rewrite a previous piece of work
into your own coherent passage .

06
How to turn a passive reading exercise
into an active writing exercise .