Paraphrasing exercise: ANSWERS

“Some young people who enrol in post-compulsory education and training are discouraged workers who would be in employment if jobs were available. However, the vanishing youth labour market is not the sole reason for the upward extension of education. This trend has been in process throughout the twentieth century. There has been a generation ratchet effect: every generation of parents wants its children to at least equal and preferably exceed its own educational attainments. Hence the progressively rising levels of educational aspiration which, in recent years, have interacted with the decline in job opportunities. (Roberts, 1997 pp.148-149)

1. Are any of these NOT acceptable as a paraphrase of the first sentence?

a) A percentage of young people in post-compulsory education and training would prefer to be working but are unable to find jobs.

b) Some young people who are in post-compulsory education and training are disappointed employees who would prefer to have jobs if employment was available.

“Some young people who enrol in post-compulsory education (and training) are discouraged workers who would rather be in employment if jobs were available.”

This one is too close to the original: it follows exactly the same sentence structure and changes only a few vocabulary items (and some of these changes are simply swapping around the position of certain words).

c) If there were sufficient jobs, some of the young people in post-compulsory education and training would rather be in work.

2. How could you paraphrase the second sentence?

“However, the vanishing youth labour market is not the sole reason for the upward extension of education.”

Possible paraphrase:

However, the fact that there are fewer jobs for young people is not the only reason why