Paraphrasing
What Is Paraphrasing?
Paraphrasing means taking someone else’s ideas and putting them into your own words and your own sentence style. It’s not just swapping a few words—it’s about fully understanding what the author is saying and then restating the meaning in a fresh way. A good paraphrase keeps all the important details but explains them in a way that makes sense to you and your reader.
Paraphrasing is not the same as summarizing. While both involve restating someone else’s ideas, they serve different purposes:
- A summary shortens the original text and focuses only on the main points.
- A paraphrase includes all the key ideas, but explains them in your own words, usually in a way that’s just a little shorter and easier to understand.
Paraphrasing is useful when you want to show understanding, explain something complex, or use a source in your writing without copying. It also helps you avoid plagiarism while still using information from articles, essays, or books.
Quick Tips!
Avoid Matching Phrasing: Rewrite ideas entirely in new words and sentence structures.
Practice with Short Passages: Start with short sentences or paragraphs to build confidence.
Use a Thesaurus Carefully: Avoid simply swapping out words; focus on capturing the original meaning in fresh language.
Paraphrasing vs. Summarizing: Example
Original Text: “Exercise improves mental health by reducing anxiety, depression, and negative mood and by improving self-esteem and cognitive function.”
Paraphrase:
Regular physical activity can boost mental health by lowering stress and sadness and helping people feel better about themselves and think more clearly.
Keeps all the key ideas but uses completely different wording and sentence structure..
Summary:
Exercise has a positive effect on mental health.
Very short—focuses only on the main point, not all the details.
Paraphrasing Follows a Step-by-Step Process
To paraphrase effectively:
Read the Passage: Read the text carefully until you fully understand it. For longer sections, consider breaking it down into smaller parts to improve focus.
Put the Passage Away: Set the original text aside to avoid the temptation to copy wording directly.
Jot Down Ideas: Write down the content you remember in your own words, which helps ensure the ideas are truly yours.
Re-read the Passage: Return to the original text to check for any missed information. For broken-down sections, re-read only the part you’re working on.
Organize and Write: Organize your notes into a coherent paragraph, refining your language for readability and clarity.