For academic speaking skills: an overview of paraphrasing, retelling, and summarizing.

1. ACADEMIC SPEAKING SKILLS
PARAPHRASING, RETELLING, AND SUMMARIZING
What’s the difference?

2. BASIC DEFINITIONS
Paraphrasing
Summarizing
Retelling
Saying the same thing
as someone else, but
in different words.
Telling the main ideas
of a text.
Telling a story that you
previously heard or
read.

3. THOSE SOUND THE SAME!
HOW ARE THEY DIFFERENT?
Paraphrasing
Summarizing
Retelling
Saying the same
thing, but in different
words.
Telling the
important parts of a
text.
Telling a story that
you previously
heard or read.
How much to say:
You can choose how
much to paraphrase.
Summaries are
shorter than the
original, but must
include certain
ideas.
Retelling
preserves the
sequence and
important details
of a story.
How to say it:
Paraphrasing can be
spoken or written.
Summaries can be
spoken or written.
Retelling is
spoken.

4. PARAPHRASING
Writing
Speaking
• In writing, we paraphrase to report
information.
• In speaking, we paraphrase to
make sure we understand
someone’s idea.
• The best way to paraphrase is to
understand an idea, and then
describe it.
“So, what you’re saying is that you
can’t afford to go on a vacation.”
• If you understand the idea, and
describe it, you will naturally use
different words.
• We also paraphrase to relate
information from one person to
another.
(Copying the exact sentence and
changing a few words is not
paraphrasing!)
“She said we’d be in trouble if we
weren’t here on time every day.”

5. SUMMARIZING
• Summaries can be written or
spoken.
• The purpose of a summary is to tell
the most important parts of
something.
• The main ideas.
• The most important details.
• A summary is always shorter than
the original.

6. SUMMARIZING: EXAMPLES
ORIGINAL:
Tom and Bill were walking to school. They
passed over a bridge, as they did every
day. But on this day, the river was full, the
water was clear, and the sun was shining
in a cloudless sky.
Tom said, “Let’s go fishing!”
Bill wasn’t so sure. “We have a test
today. Shouldn’t we go to class?”
“Nonsense,” said Tom. “You only live
once. A day like this won’t come along
again.”
Bill wasn’t sure this was a good idea, but
suddenly a fish jumped from the
sparkling water. He decided Tom was
right; they should definitely skip class on
such a nice day!
SUMMARY 1:
Tom and Bill were walking to school on a
beautiful day. Tom thought they should
go fishing. Bill thought they should go to
school, because they had a test. Tom
thought it would be a shame to waste the
day. Bill finally agreed.
SUMMARY 2:
Walking to school on a nice day, Tom
couldn’t resist skipping school and going
fishing. Bill only agreed because of Tom’s
persuasion and the nice day.
SUMMARY 3:
Two friends decided to skip school and
go fishing.

7. RETELLING
• Retelling a story comes naturally to
some people.
• When we tell a joke we have heard,
we are retelling.
• Retelling stories and events serves
an important purpose in daily life.
Can you think of some reasons we
retell stories?

8. • The phrase “oral tradition” describes a
way to pass on culture and history
without writing it down.
ORAL TRADITION
• Ancient history was kept in this way.
• Many cultures still value this way of
keeping their stories and past alive.
Native Americans sitting in a circle, some playing drums Sept 29,
1903 Chicago Daily News negatives collection, DN-0001533.
Courtesy of Chicago History Museum.

9. Discussion
• What stories are important in your
culture? How are they retold now?
• Which of these stories do you know?

10. SOME VOCABULARY FOR STORYTELLING
Folk tale
Fairy tale
a traditional story
▪ West African folktales that continue
to be passed from generation to
generation through storytelling
1 : a simple children's story about
magical creatures
▪ the fairy tale about the sleeping
princess
2 : a false story that is meant to trick
people
▪ Everything he told us about his
happy marriage was just a fairy tale.

11. SOME VOCABULARY FOR STORYTELLING
Legend
Myth
plural leg·ends
1 : an idea or story that is believed by
many people but that is not true
1 : a story from the past that is
believed by many people but cannot
be proved to be true
“legend." Learnersdictionary.com. 2013.
http://www.learnersdictionary.com (21 May 2013).
2: a story that was told in an ancient
culture to explain a practice, belief,
or natural occurrence
“myth." Learnersdictionary.com. 2013.
http://www.learnersdictionary.com (21 May 2013).

12. VOCABULARY FOR STORYTELLING
trickster
underworld
a cunning or
deceptive
character
appearing in
various forms in
the folklore of
many cultures
the place where
dead people
go in Greek
myths
“trickster." Merriam-Webster.com. 2011.
http://www.merriam-webster.com (21 May 2013).
“underworld." Merriam-Webster.com. 2011.
http://www.merriam-webster.com (21 May 2013).
demigod
a person in
mythology who
has some of the
powers of a god
…[or] who is part
god and part
human
“demigod." Merriam-Webster.com. 2011.
http://www.merriam-webster.com (21 May 2013).

13. A TRICKSTER TALE: HOW WILDCAT
CAUGHT A TURKEY
http://www.npr.org/2010/06/06/127483926/native-american-folk-tales-takea-graphic-turn (four minutes)
• Watch this video, and then read a traditional myth
from another culture.
• Present your myth to the rest of the class.