How to Paraphrase for SPM English: Summary Writing and Beyond

Why Paraphrasing Matters in SPM

Paraphrasing — expressing someone else’s ideas in your own words — is essential for two SPM tasks:

1. Reading & Use of English (Paper 1): When you summarise or answer comprehension questions, you must identify key points and rewrite them in your own words within a word limit
2. Extended Writing (Paper 2): Rephrasing ideas in your own words keeps your essays concise and original instead of repetitive

Students who simply copy sentences from the passage with one or two words changed lose marks. Examiners reward genuine paraphrasing that shows understanding.

What Good Paraphrasing Looks Like

Original: “The rapid increase in plastic waste has caused severe damage to marine ecosystems.”

Poor paraphrase (too close): “The fast increase in plastic waste has caused bad damage to sea ecosystems.” (Only changed a few adjectives — this is not real paraphrasing)

Good paraphrase: “Marine environments have been seriously harmed by the growing amount of plastic pollution.” (Changed structure, vocabulary, and word order while keeping the same meaning)

5 Paraphrasing Techniques

Technique 1: Change the Vocabulary (Synonyms)

Replace key words with synonyms:

Original: “Exercise helps reduce stress levels.” Paraphrased: “Physical activity assists in lowering anxiety.”

Technique 2: Change the Sentence Structure

Rearrange the order of information:

Original: “Students who read regularly perform better in exams.” Paraphrased: “Better exam performance is linked to regular reading habits among students.”

Original: “Because of heavy rain, the event was cancelled.” Paraphrased: “The event was called off due to the heavy downpour.”

Technique 3: Change Active to Passive (or Vice Versa)

Original (active): “The government has implemented new environmental policies.” Paraphrased (passive): “New environmental policies have been introduced by the government.”

Original (passive): “The forest was destroyed by illegal logging.” Paraphrased (active): “Illegal logging destroyed the forest.”

Technique 4: Change the Word Class

Convert nouns to verbs, adjectives to nouns, etc:

Original: “The pollution of rivers is a serious problem.” Paraphrased: “Rivers that are polluted pose a serious concern.” (noun → verb)

Original: “There has been a significant improvement in test scores.” Paraphrased: “Test scores have improved significantly.” (noun → verb, adjective → adverb)

Original: “She was successful in the competition.” Paraphrased: “She succeeded in the competition.” (adjective → verb)

Technique 5: Combine or Split Sentences

Original (two sentences): “Air pollution is increasing in cities. This is mainly caused by vehicle emissions.” Paraphrased (one sentence): “The rising levels of urban air pollution are primarily due to exhaust fumes from vehicles.”

Original (one long sentence): “The government introduced a new recycling programme that aims to reduce plastic waste by 50% over the next five years through community participation.” Paraphrased (two sentences): “A new recycling initiative has been launched by the government. It targets a 50% reduction in plastic waste within five years by involving local communities.”

Paraphrasing for Summary Writing

Step 1: Read and Understand

Read the relevant paragraph(s) two or three times. Don’t start writing until you truly understand the content.

Step 2: Identify Key Points

Underline the main ideas. Ignore examples, repetitions, and minor details.

Step 3: Close the Text

Put the passage aside. Try to recall the key points from memory.

Step 4: Write in Your Own Words

Without looking at the original, write the ideas using your own vocabulary and sentence structure.

Step 5: Check Against Original

Compare your version with the original to ensure:

• The meaning is accurate
• You haven’t accidentally copied phrases
• You’re within the word limit

Common Paraphrasing Mistakes

Mistake 1: Only Changing a Few Words

Original: “Technology has greatly impacted education.” Bad paraphrase: “Technology has really impacted education.”

This is not paraphrasing — it’s word substitution. Change the structure too.

Mistake 2: Changing the Meaning

Original: “Most students prefer online learning.” Bad paraphrase: “All students prefer online learning.”

“Most” and “all” mean different things. Preserve the exact meaning.

Mistake 3: Making It Longer

Paraphrasing for summaries should be shorter than the original, not longer. Remove unnecessary words and combine ideas.

Mistake 4: Using Complex Words You Don’t Understand

Don’t replace a simple word with a complex synonym you’re not sure about. It’s better to be clear than to sound impressive but wrong.

Practice Exercise

Paraphrase these sentences:

1. “The number of tourists visiting Malaysia has increased significantly over the past decade.”

2. “Students who spend too much time on social media often perform poorly in their examinations.”

3. “Regular exercise is important for maintaining good physical and mental health.”

4. “The government should take immediate action to address the problem of air pollution in cities.”

Sample paraphrases:

1. “Over the last ten years, Malaysia has seen a substantial rise in tourist arrivals.”

2. “Excessive use of social media tends to negatively affect students’ academic results.”

3. “Staying physically active plays a vital role in keeping both the body and mind healthy.”

4. “Urban air pollution requires urgent government intervention.”

Strengthen Your Paraphrasing Skills

Paraphrasing is a skill that improves with guided practice. At SPMEnglish.com.my, our reading and comprehension programme includes targeted summary writing practice where you learn to paraphrase effectively under exam conditions. WhatsApp us to master the paraphrasing skills that score marks.

Related Resources

• Summary Writing Guide — Complete summary writing strategy
• Reading Comprehension Strategies — Understand passages deeply
• Word Formation Guide — Change word classes for paraphrasing
• Vocabulary Building — Build synonym knowledge