Paraphrasing:
* Focus: Rephrasing a passage or statement in your own words, while maintaining the original meaning.
* Purpose: To express the same idea in a different way, often for clarity, conciseness, or to avoid plagiarism.
* Length: Usually similar in length to the original text.
Summarizing:
* Focus: Reducing the length of a text by including only the most important points and key ideas.
* Purpose: To condense a text while preserving its essence and main points.
* Length: Significantly shorter than the original text.
Here's an analogy:
Imagine you're telling a friend about a movie you watched.
* Paraphrasing: You describe the movie in your own words, making sure to convey all the important information without copying the exact dialogue or plot points.
* Summarizing: You tell your friend the main plot points and the overall message of the movie, leaving out details that aren't essential.
In short:
* Paraphrasing is like rewriting something in your own words.
* Summarizing is like taking the key points and condensing them into a shorter version.