There’s no quick fix when it comes to improving your paraphrasing skills; the better your reading skills, the more vocabulary you have in your bank and the more flexibility you have in playing with English sentence structure, the easier it becomes. So, in other words, anything that develops your vocabulary and grammatical range is time very well spent. Nonetheless, there are materials with a specific focus on paraphrasing, some of which are included here.
Be inspired by your tutors! Actively learn the words and expressions academics use to express core concepts such as cause and effect, problem and solution, comparison and contrast etc.
Apps can be useful! Avoid over reliance on apps- use them responsibly and they can be a useful learning tool, rather than just a short cut.
Immerse yourself in English! It’s all around you, if you choose, find ways to connect.
Use everything available! Take advantage of as many of the language development opportunities the university offers as possible.
Academic Writing by Paraphrasing in an Essay
For a practical guide with a good range of examples and techniques you can usefully try yourself. Click here to watch.
What not to do
Newcastle University’s guide points out some useful ‘don’ts’: Click here to read.
Academic English
For an all round resource with many links to specific English for Academic Purposes topics, have a look at this: EAP resource bank.
Sign up for Languages for All and get free extra English practice with the language learning application, Rosetta Stone. 