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Improving paraphrase technique at advanced level

The summary task at A-level is a good challenge for students and needs practice. I think there are specific exercises you can do to help students do their best. Below is a sheet I recently uploaded to frenchteacher.net

I picked out some specific tricks students can apply to the process of paraphrasing sentences. Following this are examples to try out, with model answers given at the end. 

The subject matter is largely based on a report about how children of immigrants are succeeding in France.

This is what the students get:

When you have to put a text or sentences into different words, you can ask these questions:


1. Are there synonyms or near-synonyms I could use? 

Example: Le chômage a été provoqué par la situation économique.


➢ La perte d’emplois a été engendrée par  la conjoncture économique.

 

2. Could I change a sentence in active voice to passive voice?

Example: Les forces de l’ordre ont interpellé un suspect connu.


➢ Un suspect connu a été interpellé par les forces de l’ordre

 

3. Could I combine both of the above techniques and add more linguistic interest?

Example: Le chômage a été provoqué par la situation économique.


➢ C’est la conjoncture économique qui a engendré cette perte d’emplois.

 

4. Could I paraphrase whole chunks of language to get across the same idea?

Example: Plus l'immigré est installé en France de longue date, meilleurs sont ses      enfants scolairement.


➢ Les enfants d’immigrés réussissent mieux à l’école si leurs parents vivent depuis plus longtemps en France.

(This example shows close comprehension and sophisticated ability to manipulate language.)


5. Could I paraphrase by making morphological changes to the text, e.g. changing a verb to a noun or an adverb to an adjective?

Examples: Cela a transformé totalement la situation.


➢ La conséquence en a été une transformation de la situation.

​          ​La situation a changé considérablement.


➢ La situation a changé de manière considérable.

 

6. Could I make the meaning clearer by turning one complex sentence into two shorter ones?

Example: Si la tendance générale est positive, les auteurs de l'étude notent cependant «une difficulté spécifique aux enfants d'Algériens et aux descendants d'Africains» qui quittent plus souvent le système scolaire.


➢ Malgré une tendance globale positive, les chercheurs constatent un problème spécifique. Les enfants d’Algériens, par exemple, ne finissent pas leurs étudesrelativement plus fréquemment.

 

Practice examples


1. Des économistes ont publié en 2022 les résultats d'une vaste enquête conduite auprès d'un échantillon représentatif de 6 000 immigrés.


2. Selon l’enquête, les plus pauvres bénéficient le plus de la migration.


3. L'enquête confirme certaines idées reçues : les Asiatiques ont les meilleurs résultats scolaires, bien au-dessus des autres.


4. L’enquête confirme que les premiers venus, les pionniers, arrivent dans l'espoir d'une vie meilleure.


5. Certains prétendent que l’immigration provoque une baisse des salaires chez les moins favorisés.

6. Il est certain que les pays occidentaux ont besoin d’une forte immigration pour maintenir un niveau de vie élevé.

7. Les auteurs de l'étude notent cependant une difficulté spécifique aux enfants d'Algériens et aux descendants d'Africains.


8. Ayant quitté plus souvent le système scolaire, ils connaissent des parcours délinquants plus fréquents.

9. Les filles de personnes issues de l’immigration tendent à mieux travailler à l'école et décrochent plus souvent le bac.


10. Les chercheurs ont réfléchi longuement sur les résultats de leur enquête.

 

 

Possible answers – there are many other solutions possible of course.


1. Une importante étude a été publiée par des économistes en 2022. Ils ont sondé 6000 personnesissues de l’immigration.


2. L’étude indique que les plus démunis tirent plus de bénéfices de l’immigration.


3. L’étude montre qu’on a raison de croire que les Asiatiques réussissent mieux dans leurs études queles autres enfants d’immigrés.

 

4. Selon l’étude, ceux qui arrivent les premiers espèrent mener une vie meilleure.


5. Selon certains, une baisse des salaires chez les plus pauvres est causée par l’immigration.


6. Indéniablement une forte immigration est nécessaire si l’Ouest veut garder son niveau de vie élevé.


7. Un problème particulier chez les enfants d’Algériens est constaté par les chercheurs.


8. Après avoir quitté l’école ils ont davantage tendance à recourir au délinquance.


9. Les filles d’immigrés ont plus tendance à bien faire leurs études et réussissent mieux au bac.


10. Les auteurs de l’enquête ont fait une longue réflexion sur leurs résultats.



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