Shadowing Practice: How to write a good essay: Paraphrasing the question - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Hi, there. My name is Emma, and in today's video I'm going to teach you something very important for if you're taking any type of test that has a writing component. So, if you are taking the IELTS, the TOEFL, the CELPIP, even just a university test, it can be any type of test, but if you're asked to write something like an essay or a paragraph, this video is for you. Okay? So I'm going to teach you a very important skill that will help improve your marks when it comes to writing on tests. So, let's get started.
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So, I have here an essay question. This question is actually... I've seen it on the IELTS.
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You know, you have similar types of questions on the TOEFL, sometimes in university. The question is this: "Education is the single most important factor in the development of a country. Do you agree or disagree?" Or maybe: "To what extent do you agree or disagree?" So, this is an example of a question you might be asked.
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Now, a problem a lot of students have is in their answer to this question. They see this, and they think: "Okay, education is the most important factor in the development of a country, yes, I agree." So then they... Or: "I disagree", and they start writing. And what do they write?
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Usually the very first thing students will write is this: "I agree that education is the single most important factor in the development of a country because..." So, what is the problem with this? Is there any problem to start off your essay with something like this, or to start off your answer? There's a big problem. So I want you to take a moment and think: "What could be the problem with starting your essay off with this sentence?" Okay, well, if you noticed, you have here the word: "education, education, is, is, the single most important, most important factor". If you notice, these are the same. They're the exact same, except for: "I agree that" and "because". The student, here, has used the exact same wording that is in the question. So, if you do this on the IELTS-and many students do this, same with on the TOEFL-you actually will lose marks, and same with in university, because you're not showing your abilities; you're just copying what somebody else has said or what the essay question is.
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So, in this video, I'm going to show you first off... First off, I'm going to tell you: Don't do this, don't copy. And I'm going to teach you ways in order to improve yourself and your answer by changing this wording. How can you change your introduction so it's different than what the question is? Okay? So, let's look at how to make these changes.
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Okay, so what we are going to do in order to change the question into a proper answer that doesn't just copy the question, is we are going to paraphrase. So, the word here is: "paraphrase". This might be a new word for you. What does it mean to paraphrase something?
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Well, when we paraphrase, it means we take a sentence that, you know... We take somebody else's sentence and we change it into our own words. Okay? So, we change the words of a sentence, we also change maybe the sentence structure, but we keep all the same meaning.
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Okay? So, the meaning from the sentence you copy, it stays the same, same meaning, but different words and different sentence structure. Okay? So it's in your words, but this other person's meaning.
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So, we are going to paraphrase this example of a question into our own words. So, first we're going to look at how to do that using vocabulary and synonyms. So, we have here the same question: "Education is the single most important factor in the development of a country." How can we put this into new words or our own words that keep the same meaning?
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Well, we can use synonyms. So, this might be a new word for you, too. A "synonym". "Synonyms" are words that have the same meaning, but are different words. So, for example: "big" and "large", they have the same meaning, just like: "huge", "enormous", these are synonyms of each other; same meaning, but they're different words. So, you need to use different synonyms so you don't just copy these words. You use synonyms to have words that have the same meaning, but are different words.
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So, let's look at an example. Our first word, here, is: "education".
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What's another word we can use instead of...? Instead of "education"? Well, there's different words we can use.
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Maybe one could be: "schooling". Okay? So, we could change this word to "schooling".
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"Schooling is the single most important factor in the development of a country." What's another word we can change? Well, maybe "most important". Instead of using the word "most important", maybe we could use: "most significant" or "most essential". Okay? So: "essential", "significant".
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There are many words you can use. But the point here is: Find a word that has the same meaning, but is a different word.
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Okay, here's another word: "factor". Can you think of another word for "factor"? Well, sometimes "factor", it can be an "aspect" or an "element". Okay? You can even say sometimes: "a significant role". Okay? Or: "a part". So, there's different words we can use that have similar meanings. In terms of the word "development", we can change the word "development" to "advancement", "progression", "evolution". Okay? And in terms of the word "country", another word for "country" is "nation". Okay?
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So, these are all synonyms, and this is what you want to do. When you look at the question, think about some new words you can use that have the same meaning. This is also important throughout your essay, because one problem a lot of students have is they keep using the same word again, and again, and again in every sentence. This does not help you with your marks. It's better to use different words that have the same meaning. At the same time, you have to be careful, here, because some students, they find a new word, they think it's a great word, but there is a little bit of a difference in meaning. So, you need to be really comfortable with the word you choose, and you need to know what it actually means so it doesn't sound strange.
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Okay, so if we wanted to change this now, instead of saying: "Education is the single most important factor in the development of a country", our paraphrase... Our first step in our paraphrase could be changing these words to: "Schooling is the single most significant element in the advancement of a nation." Okay? So that's just one example. So, now, let's look at another thing you can do in order to paraphrase the question on a test or exam.
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Okay, another way we can paraphrase is by changing the structure of the sentence. So, for example, you might have a verb and, you know, which is an action, and you might change that into its noun form. So, for example, if your verb is "developing", you might change that into "development". You might change, similarly, a noun into a verb. Okay? So, for example, we just said "development" is the noun, it can turn into: "develop" or "developing".
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You can also change things into adjectives. So, if, for example, you're talking about "technology", which is a noun, you can change this into the adjective form which is "technological".
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So, changing the form of the word can help you with paraphrasing.
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Also changing placement of the words can help you out. So, for example, in our original sentence or the question was: "Education is the single most important factor in the development of a country." So, I've now changed some of the wording, as well as the order. Okay? So, here: "Education" is at the beginning. In my sentence: "The most essential element of a nation's development is education." I've changed the order of the sentence, so now "education" is at the end, instead of at the beginning. I've also started out with: "The most essential", as my beginning; whereas here, it was in the middle. You'll also notice we have, here: "in the development of a country", I've changed this to: "nation's development".
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I could also change this to: "country's development", instead of "the development of a country".
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So, changing the order of the sentence and changing some of the structures can really help you in terms of paraphrasing. Now let's learn one other way in which we can improve our marks by paraphrasing.
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Okay, so the last tip I have about paraphrasing a question is using concessions. So, what is a concession? Well, I want you to look at what the question actually says and my new answer to it. The question, again, same question as before: "Education is the single most important factor in the development of a country." My answer... Okay, so I've changed some words and I've also changed the structure a bit, but there's one other thing I've added.
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"Although many would argue that the economy is the most important factor in nation-building, I think education has a far greater impact." So, what I've done here is I've added a concession.
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A concession is where you say what the opposite opinion is, and then you say what your opinion is. So, you're giving two opinions; you're giving your opinion and also what other people might think. This is a great thing to do, especially in essays, and this is something you can do at the beginning of your answer.
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So, we use here the key word: "Although". Okay? And you'll notice that this has two clauses. I don't want to get too technical with grammar on you today, but what I mean is: If you see, we have the red part: "Although many would argue that the economy is the most important factor in nation-building," and then we have a second part. So, we have two parts to this sentence. "...I think education has a far greater impact." So, the first part of the sentence is in red and it's the "Although" part, and the second part of the sentence is in purple-okay?-and that's: "I think education has a far greater impact." And they're separated by a comma. So, a concession has two parts to it. You say what the other people think first, in this case: "Although many", "many" meaning people, we could also say: "many people".
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"Although many would argue that the economy is the most important factor in nation-building," okay? So, this is what some people would say. Now I'm going to say what I think.
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"I think education has a far greater impact." So, why is this a good idea? Well, one reason is because when you write a concession, when you're showing what the opposite opinion of yours is, you're showing that you've thought about the issue. Okay? You're looking at both sides. You're not just looking at your opinion.
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You're looking at both sides, and then you're making a judgment. So this shows that you're thinking about the question, and you're really giving it some thought. And by representing both sides, you're really showing critical thinking. So this is a very good idea to do.
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Okay, so the three things we've talked about today in terms of paraphrasing the question is: Changing the words using synonyms, we've talked about changing the sentence structure, and we've also talked about adding the other perspective using concessions. Okay? So, these are three things you can do in order to change the question so you're not just copying what is on your test paper. Again, great thing to do if you're writing a high school essay, university essay, TOEFL, IELTS, CELPIP, all of these things - this skill will really come in handy for you.
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Now, you might be wondering: "Okay, this is great, but I don't know any synonyms. Or I...
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You know, I don't know much about this." Well, what you can do is you can come check out our website at www.engvid.com. There, you can find a lot of other resources, including improving your vocabulary, we even have a video on how to make concessions, you know, we have videos on sentence structure, too. So, there's a lot of videos you can check out and a lot of resources. You can also come visit our website where you will find a quiz, and by taking that quiz, you can actually practice your paraphrasing skills so you can see, you know: "Am I doing this right? Is this...? You know, is this the right way to do this?" and get more practice.
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So, I hope you've enjoyed this video.
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And until next time, take care.
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Context & Background
In today's competitive educational environment, writing skills are paramount, especially for those preparing for standardized tests like the IELTS, TOEFL, or CELPIP, as well as academic assessments in universities. Emma, an experienced educator, emphasizes a crucial skill in her video: paraphrasing the essay question. Many students fall into the trap of directly copying phrases from the prompt, which can lead to lower scores. Emma guides viewers on how to effectively transform these questions into their own words, ensuring clarity and originality in their writing. This skill will not only aid in essay writing but also significantly enhance your overall English speaking practice.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- “Education is the single most important factor in the development of a country.” - A common phrase illustrating the significance of education.
- “I agree that...” - A phrase that can lead to a well-structured argument but should be varied.
- “Many would argue that...” - A useful expression introducing an opposing viewpoint.
- “In my opinion...” - A way to convey personal beliefs without echoing the question.
- “To what extent do you agree or disagree?” - An important inquiry that requires critical thinking and a nuanced response.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
To improve your English speaking practice through shadowing, follow these structured steps based on Emma’s video:
- Watch the Video: Begin by watching the video attentively, noting the main points Emma makes about paraphrasing.
- Practice Paraphrasing: Take a sentence from the video and try to restate it in your own words. For example, instead of repeating, “Education is the most important factor...,” you could say, “In my view, schooling plays a crucial role in a nation's progress.”
- Shadow Speech: Replay the video and speak along with Emma. Mimic her tone and pace to enhance your pronunciation and fluency.
- Engage with Synonyms: Write down synonyms for key vocabulary discussed in the video. This will expand your vocabulary, making your shadow speak more versatile.
- Concessions Practice: Incorporate concession phrases in your shadowing. For instance, challenge the idea presented in a sentence to illustrate your capacity for critical thinking.
Using this technique consistently on a shadowing site will solidify your understanding and improve your conversational skills. By enhancing your paraphrasing and engaging in active shadow speech, you position yourself to excel in both writing and speaking tasks.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.