Paraphrasing

Section 1What paraphrasing means

Paraphrasing is rewriting someone else's idea in your own words. The meaning stays the same, but the wording and structure change. Here's the trick: a paraphrase is not a new opinion; it is the same idea expressed differently.

Section 2Why paraphrasing matters

Paraphrasing helps you show understanding in comprehension, summary, and report-writing tasks. It also helps you avoid copying too much from a passage. In exams, it shows that you can process the idea instead of just lifting lines.

Section 3How to paraphrase

First, read the sentence and ask what it really means. Then cover the original and explain the idea simply. Finally, check that your version keeps the same facts and does not add extra information.

Section 4Change more than words

A weak paraphrase swaps one synonym and keeps the rest of the sentence almost the same. A stronger paraphrase changes sentence structure too. Watch out: changing every word is not the goal if the meaning becomes wrong.

Section 5Keep tone and accuracy

If the original says a problem is serious, your paraphrase should not make it sound small. If a passage says 'many vendors were affected by flooding in Montego Bay', do not paraphrase it as 'all vendors lost everything'. That changes the meaning.