Responsible paraphrasing and citation | Learn German in English

About This Lesson

Use Responsible paraphrasing and citation to practice German conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Ich mache mir Sorgen, dass meine Paraphrasen den Quellen zu nahe bleiben.

ikh MAKH-uh meer ZOR-ghen, dass MY-nuh pah-rah-FRAH-zuhn dayn KVEL-len tsoo NAH-uh BYE-bun. I worry that my paraphrases stay too close to the sources.

Ein nützlicher Test ist, ob sich die Satzstruktur verändert hat.

ayn NOOTS-likh-er test ist, op zikh dee ZATS-shtrook-TOOR fair-EN-dert hat. A useful test is whether the sentence structure has changed.

Manchmal ändere ich den Wortschatz, behalte aber die ursprüngliche Logik bei.

MAHNKH-mahl AIRN-duh ikh dayn VORT-shats, beh-HAHL-tuh AH-ber dee OOR-shproong-likh-uh loh-GEEK bye. Sometimes I change vocabulary but keep the original logic.

Dann hängt die Paraphrase möglicherweise immer noch zu stark von der Quelle ab.

dahn hengt dee pah-rah-FRAH-zuh moh-GLIKH-er-VY-zuh IM-mer nokh tsoo shtark fon dayr KVEL-luh ahp. Then the paraphrase may still depend too heavily on the source.

Ich sollte den Artikel wahrscheinlich schließen, bevor ich einen Entwurf schreibe.

ikh ZOL-tuh den ar-TEE-kul vah-SHYNE-likh SHLEE-sun, beh-FOHR ikh EYE-nen ent-VOORF SHRY-buh. I should probably close the article before drafting.

Das kann dich dazu zwingen, den Gedanken mit deinen eigenen Worten neu zu formulieren.

dahs kahn dikh dah-TSOO TSVING-en, dayn guh-DAHNK-en mit DYE-nen EYE-gen-en VOR-ten noy for-moo-LEE-run. That can force you to reconstruct the idea in your own terms.

Ich sollte auch dann Quellen für Aussagen angeben, wenn die Formulierung anders ist.

ikh ZOL-tuh owkh dahn KVEL-len fyr OWS-zah-gen AHN-gay-ben, ven dee for-moo-LEE-roong AHN-ders ist. I should also cite claims even when the wording differs.

Das ist unerlässlich, weil auch Ideen einer Quelle zugeschrieben werden müssen.

dahs ist oon-er-LESS-likh, vyle owkh ee-DAY-en EYE-ner KVEL-luh TSOO-guh-SHREE-ben VAYR-den MUESS-un. That is essential, because ideas require attribution too.

Word by Word

Ich Ich means I and is the subject referring to the speaker in this dialogue. Use it before a finite verb when describing your own thoughts, actions, or situation.

mache In Ich mache mir Sorgen, mache means make as part of the expression for being worried. This is the first-person form used with a reflexive dative pronoun in sich Sorgen machen; use the pattern to express concern.

mir Mir means to me and refers back to the speaker in Ich mache mir Sorgen. It is used here with machen and Sorgen to show whose concern it is; a common reuse pattern is sich etwas machen with the appropriate pronoun.

Sorgen Sorgen means worries in the expression Ich mache mir Sorgen, which means I am worried. The singular citation form is Sorge; sich Sorgen machen is a common way to express concern about something.

dass Dass means that and introduces the subordinate clause explaining what the speaker is worried about. In a clause introduced by dass, the finite verb normally comes at the end, as in ... zu nahe bleiben.

meine Meine means my and identifies the paraphrases as belonging to or being produced by the speaker. It agrees with the plural noun Paraphrasen; possessive words such as meine commonly come directly before the noun they specify.

Paraphrasen Paraphrasen means paraphrases, the rewritten versions being discussed. It is the plural of Paraphrase and functions here as the subject of bleiben; use it for multiple rewritten passages or statements.

den In den Quellen, den means the and marks the plural dative form after nahe bleiben. The phrase den Quellen zu nahe bleiben describes paraphrases as remaining too close to sources.

Quellen Quellen means sources, specifically the academic sources that the paraphrases may remain too close to. It is the plural of Quelle and is used here after nahe bleiben in the dative; it can refer to written materials used for information.

zu In zu nahe, zu means too and marks an excessive degree of closeness. The reusable pattern zu plus an adjective expresses that something exceeds an appropriate level.

nahe Nahe means close in the phrase den Quellen zu nahe bleiben. With bleiben, it describes the degree of similarity or closeness to the sources; nahe can be used with a dative object in this kind of relation.

bleiben Bleiben means remain or stay, describing the paraphrases as continuing to be too close to the sources. It is the infinitive form used here as the finite verb in a subordinate clause; use bleiben with a description of an ongoing state.

Ein Ein means a and introduces Test as one non-specific test. Here it is the article for the singular masculine subject Ein nützlicher Test; indefinite articles commonly introduce a new item.

nützlicher Nützlicher means useful and describes the test as helpful for checking a paraphrase. Its ending agrees with the masculine noun Test after Ein; use the adjective before a noun when evaluating how helpful something is.

Test Test means test or check, here a method for evaluating whether the sentence structure has changed. It is the subject of Ein nützlicher Test ist ...; use it for a procedure or question used to assess something.

ist Ist means is and links Ein nützlicher Test with the explanation that follows. It is the third-person singular present form of sein; use ist to identify or describe a singular subject.

ob Ob means whether and introduces the indirect yes-or-no question about the sentence structure. It begins a subordinate clause, so the finite verb appears at the end in sich ... verändert hat.

sich Sich refers to the sentence structure itself in sich verändert hat and helps express that it has changed. It is used with verändern in a reflexive construction; use sich verändern for a thing becoming different.

die Die means the and identifies Satzstruktur as a specific feminine singular noun. It is the feminine article in die Satzstruktur; articles normally appear directly before the noun phrase they determine.

Satzstruktur Satzstruktur means sentence structure, the arrangement of a sentence that the tutor suggests checking. It is a compound noun made from Satz and Struktur; use it when discussing how a sentence is organized.

verändert Verändert means changed in sich verändert hat, referring to a change in the sentence structure. It is the past participle of verändern used with hat to form a completed past action; use it with haben in comparable perfect constructions.

hat Hat is the auxiliary has in sich verändert hat and helps form the perfect construction meaning has changed. It is the third-person singular present form of haben; in this subordinate clause it appears before the participle verändert at the end.

Manchmal Manchmal means sometimes and limits the statement to occasions that occur occasionally. It commonly appears at the beginning of a sentence to indicate frequency, as in Manchmal ändere ich ...

ändere Ändere means change in Manchmal ändere ich den Wortschatz. It is the first-person form of ändern used for the speaker’s action; use it with the thing being changed.

Wortschatz Wortschatz means vocabulary, the set of words the speaker changes. It is the object of ändere; use it when discussing the vocabulary of a language, text, or learner.

behalte Behalte means keep or retain in the construction beibehalten, with the separable particle bei appearing later in the sentence. Here the speaker changes the vocabulary but retains the original logic; use beibehalten for something that remains unchanged while other parts change.

aber Aber means but and contrasts changing the vocabulary with retaining the original logic. It connects two related statements when the second one limits or differs from the first.

ursprüngliche Ursprüngliche means original and describes the logic as belonging to the source or earlier version. Its ending agrees with the feminine noun Logik in the phrase die ursprüngliche Logik; use it for something that existed first.

Logik Logik means logic, the underlying reasoning that the speaker keeps unchanged. It is the object of the separable verb beibehalten; use it when discussing the reasoning or organization behind an argument.

bei Bei is the separable particle of beibehalten and completes the meaning retain in the sentence. It appears at the end of the main clause while be- and the verb form carry the rest of the construction; use beibehalten when saying that something is kept.

Dann Dann means then and presents the tutor’s conclusion from the previous statement. It can introduce a consequence or next step in an explanation.

hängt Hängt means depends in hängt ... von der Quelle ab, describing the paraphrase as relying on the source. It is the third-person singular form of abhängen; the reusable pattern is von etwas abhängen.

Paraphrase Paraphrase means paraphrase and is the singular subject of the tutor’s assessment. It refers to the rewritten text being evaluated; use it for one reformulation of another text or idea.

möglicherweise Möglicherweise means possibly and signals that the tutor is making a cautious assessment. It commonly modifies a complete statement when the speaker is not presenting the result as certain.

immer In immer noch, immer contributes to the meaning still, showing that the dependence continues. The expression immer noch is used with a verb or description to indicate an ongoing state.

noch In immer noch, noch helps express still or yet in the continuing situation. The complete expression immer noch indicates that the condition remains true at this point.

stark Stark means strongly or heavily in zu stark von der Quelle abhängen. It describes the degree of dependence; zu stark is a reusable pattern for saying that an intensity is excessive.

von Von means from or on in the dependence pattern von der Quelle abhängen. It introduces the source on which something depends and is followed here by the dative phrase der Quelle.

der In von der Quelle, der means the and is the feminine dative article required after von. It identifies the specific source that the paraphrase depends on.

Quelle Quelle means source, here the source on which the paraphrase still depends. It is the singular form of Quellen and appears in the dative after von; use it for a source of information or evidence.

ab Ab is the separable particle of abhängen and completes the meaning depend in the sentence. It appears at the end of the main clause, while hängt appears earlier; the full reusable pattern is von etwas abhängen.

sollte Sollte means should and presents the speaker’s proposed or advisable action. It is a form of sollen used for advice, commonly followed by an infinitive such as schließen or angeben.

Artikel Artikel means article, here the academic article that the speaker plans to close. It is the object of schließen; use it for a written article or publication.

wahrscheinlich Wahrscheinlich means probably and makes the proposed action sound likely rather than completely definite. It commonly modifies a statement or appears with sollte when giving a tentative plan.

schließen Schließen means close, referring here to closing the article before drafting. It is the infinitive after sollte; use sollte plus an infinitive to describe a recommended action.

bevor Bevor means before and introduces the action that should happen before drafting. It begins a subordinate clause with the finite verb at the end, as in bevor ich einen Entwurf schreibe.

einen Einen means a and introduces the non-specific draft in einen Entwurf. It is the masculine accusative form of the indefinite article because Entwurf is the object of schreibe.

Entwurf Entwurf means draft, the preliminary version the speaker plans to write. It is the object in einen Entwurf schreibe; use it for an unfinished version of a text or document.

schreibe Schreibe means write in einen Entwurf schreibe and refers to the speaker creating a draft. It is the first-person form of schreiben and appears at the end of the bevor clause; use it with the thing being written.

Das Das means that and refers back to the suggested action of closing the article. It is a demonstrative pronoun serving as the subject of Das kann dich dazu zwingen ...; use it to point back to a previously mentioned idea or action.

kann Kann means can and expresses the possibility that the suggested method will force the learner to reconstruct the idea. It is the third-person singular form of können and is followed by the infinitive zwingen.

dich Dich means you and refers to the person who may be forced to reconstruct the idea. It is the accusative object of zwingen and is the informal singular form; use it when addressing one familiar person directly.

dazu Dazu means to that in the construction jemanden dazu zwingen, etwas zu tun. Here it connects the person being forced with the action neu zu formulieren; the construction expresses causing someone to carry out an action.

zwingen Zwingen means force and is the infinitive after kann. In this sentence it takes the person being forced as an accusative object and connects the required action with dazu and a zu-infinitive.

Gedanken Gedanken means idea or thought in den Gedanken ... neu zu formulieren. Here it is the singular accusative form of der Gedanke, not a plural form, and it is the thing being reformulated.

mit Mit means with and introduces the means used to reformulate the idea: mit deinen eigenen Worten. It is followed by the dative; use mit to describe the tool, means, or words used for an action.

deinen Deinen means your and identifies the words as belonging to the person being addressed. It is the possessive form used with the dative plural Worten after mit; use it to refer to one familiar person’s things or actions.

eigenen Eigenen means own and emphasizes that the words belong to or are chosen by the person doing the reformulation. It modifies Worten in mit deinen eigenen Worten; this is a common way to stress personal wording.

Worten Worten means words in mit deinen eigenen Worten, describing the learner’s own wording. It is the dative plural of Wort after mit; the phrase is commonly used when explaining or expressing something in one’s own wording.

neu Neu means anew or in a new form in neu zu formulieren. It modifies formulieren and shows that the idea should be expressed again rather than copied; use neu with an action that is done in a changed form.

formulieren Formulieren means formulate or phrase, referring to expressing the idea again in the learner’s own words. It appears in the zu-infinitive zu formulieren after zwingen; use neu formulieren for rewriting an idea or statement.

auch Auch means also or too and adds claims to the things that should be cited. Here it later also adds ideas as requiring attribution; use auch to include an additional person, thing, or point.

für Für means for and links the sources with the claims they support in Quellen für Aussagen. It takes the accusative; use für to identify the intended purpose or the thing a source or action relates to.

Aussagen Aussagen means claims or statements, the content for which sources should be provided. It is the plural of Aussage and follows für in Quellen für Aussagen; use it for expressed propositions or claims.

angeben Angeben means provide or cite in Quellen für Aussagen angeben, specifically to give the sources for claims. It is an infinitive after sollte; Quellen angeben is a reusable academic pattern for citing sources.

wenn Wenn means when or even when and introduces the condition that the wording is different. It begins a subordinate clause, so the finite verb ist appears at the end.

Formulierung Formulierung means wording or phrasing, referring to how the claim is expressed. It is the subject of die Formulierung anders ist; use it when discussing the chosen wording of a statement or text.

anders Anders means differently or different in die Formulierung anders ist. It describes the wording as not the same as before; use anders with sein to state that something is different.

unerlässlich Unerlässlich means essential or indispensable, emphasizing that giving attribution cannot be omitted. It is used as a predicate after ist; use it to describe something required for a responsible process.

weil Weil means because and introduces the reason why attribution is essential. It begins a subordinate clause, with the verb sequence zugeschrieben werden müssen placed at the end.

Ideen Ideen means ideas, which the tutor says also require attribution to a source. It is the plural subject of the passive construction zugeschrieben werden müssen; use it for concepts or thoughts expressed in academic work.

einer Einer means a and identifies one non-specific source in einer Quelle. It is the feminine dative form of the indefinite article because the idea is attributed to a source.

zugeschrieben Zugeschrieben means attributed or credited to, describing the required relationship between ideas and a source. It is the past participle of zuschreiben in the passive construction zugeschrieben werden müssen; use it when assigning an idea or statement to its source.

werden Werden is the auxiliary used with zugeschrieben to form the present passive: ideas must be attributed to a source. In the subordinate clause it appears before müssen at the end of the verb sequence; use werden with a past participle when focusing on what is done to something.

müssen Müssen means must and expresses the obligation that ideas be attributed to a source. Here it is the infinitive placed at the end because it follows the passive verb sequence in a weil clause; use müssen to state a requirement.

Grammar Points

abhängen von + Dativ

Die Logik hängt von der ursprünglichen Quelle ab.

dee loh-GEEK hengt fon dayr OOR-shproong-likh-en KVEL-luh ahp.

The logic depends on the original source.

Bei abhängen steht von mit dem Dativ. Als trennbares Verb steht ab am Satzende.

sich Sorgen machen

Ich mache mir Sorgen.

ikh MAKH-uh meer ZOR-ghen.

I worry.

Die feste Wendung verwendet ein Reflexivpronomen: mir bei ich, nicht das englische Muster direkt.

German Vocabulary

bleiben verb

BYE-bun to remain; to stay

Ich mache mir Sorgen, dass meine Paraphrasen den Quellen zu nahe bleiben.

Logik noun

loh-GEEK logic

Manchmal ändere ich den Wortschatz, behalte aber die ursprüngliche Logik bei.

nahe adj

NAH-uh close

Ich mache mir Sorgen, dass meine Paraphrasen den Quellen zu nahe bleiben.

nützlich adj

NOOTS-likh useful nützlicher

Ein nützlicher Test ist, ob sich die Satzstruktur verändert hat.

Paraphrase noun

pah-rah-FRAH-zuh paraphrase Paraphrasen

Ich mache mir Sorgen, dass meine Paraphrasen den Quellen zu nahe bleiben.

Quelle noun

KVEL-luh source Quellen

Ich mache mir Sorgen, dass meine Paraphrasen den Quellen zu nahe bleiben.

Satzstruktur noun

ZATS-shtrook-TOOR sentence structure

Ein nützlicher Test ist, ob sich die Satzstruktur verändert hat.

sich Sorgen machen phrase

zikh ZOR-ghen MAKH-en to worry mache mir Sorgen

Ich mache mir Sorgen, dass meine Paraphrasen den Quellen zu nahe bleiben.

Test noun

test test

Ein nützlicher Test ist, ob sich die Satzstruktur verändert hat.

ursprünglich adj

OOR-shproong-likh original ursprüngliche

Manchmal ändere ich den Wortschatz, behalte aber die ursprüngliche Logik bei.

verändern verb

fair-EN-dern to change verändert

Ein nützlicher Test ist, ob sich die Satzstruktur verändert hat.

Wortschatz noun

VORT-shats vocabulary

Manchmal ändere ich den Wortschatz, behalte aber die ursprüngliche Logik bei.

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

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nahe

to change

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verändert

paraphrase

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Paraphrasen

test

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Test