Paraphrasing is a way in which you rephrase the content in your own words while conserving its original meaning. It helps in lessening the chances of plagiarism. Paraphrasing is a valuable skill because it helps you to grasp the whole real meaning and to switch the temptation to estimate too much.

Definition of Paraphrasing

As people have multiple thoughts related to paraphrasing, we are going to mention some of them;

According to Literaryterms, Paraphrasing is:

“A paraphrase is a restatement or rewording of a paragraph or a text, in order to clarify or expand on information without plagiarizing.”

According to Merriam-Webster, Paraphrasing/Paraphrase is:

“A restatement of a text, passage, or work giving the meaning in another form.“

As per the above definitions, it is good to say that paraphrasing is simply rephrasing another person’s text in your own words without affecting its actual intent. It is best to paraphrase the text by using your ideas and words in a well-presented form rather than repeating the data from an ordinary paragraph.

In academics, it is used as an alternate method to quoting to integrate the sources by paraphrasing instead of repeating.  While paraphrasing text, you use ideas and words similar to the original document. This technique helps you to better understand the full meaning of the original document in a summarized way.

In this post, we are going to discuss how to paraphrase text correctly. But, before starting, you must know:

Paraphrasing vs Quoting

Paraphrasing is the procedure of rephrasing another person’s content in your own words while retaining its actual meaning. It is a re-statement of a passage expressing the meaning of the original in any form, for the sake of its clearer and fuller exposition.

What is aimed in a paraphrase is a free rendering of the sense of the passage to secure a greater clear message. To paraphrase a passage is to express its meaning in a language different from that of the original. That paraphrase must contain the very thoughts and ideas of the original-no new thoughts can be introduced nor omitted, only the language and construction must be entirely altered.

In a word, paraphrasing must restate the thought of the author of the passage, but the language and structure must be our own.

Paraphrasing aims to give a passage to express the meaning of the passage in other words. A paraphrase does not mean an elaborate explanation or summary: what the original passage contains in a certain form has to be conveyed by us in our own words.

Whereas, Quoting, on the other hand, is the way of writing the source material whether it is spoken or written in the exact wording as it is given. Quoting is similar to the original and matches word to word with the source text.

It is good to quote to give an accurate definition of the writer’s method or style in the literary analysis. It analyzes the exact entitlement and gives evidence to support the argument.

Paraphrasing vs Summarizing

Paraphrasing is not the mere substitution of one word for another but it means interpretation. It is mainly attributed to the original text and makes the material shorter than the original by conveying the whole original meaning.

It is a valuable exercise in as much as it trains the student to cleared and more systematic understanding and appreciation of literary language and devices. It enriches the vocabulary and leads him to simple, exact, and idiomatic expressions.

Paraphrasing is an excellent method of training the mind to concentrate on what one reads, and so to read intelligently.

For it was impossible to paraphrase any passage without a firm grasp of its meaning. Another use of paraphrasing is that it forms a valuable method of explanation.

Whereas, Summarizing allows you to put the main ideas in your own words by just taking the main ideas or points of the passage. It is the shortened version of the document or text with the identified key points and concepts.

The summarized text helps you to easily identify the key points, and relevant information and grasp the essence of the text to understand the topic quickly. You approximate the needed information and create an outline to form the information in a logical order in summarizing the text.

How to paraphrase correctly?

1. Read the original again and again until the sense and implication of the passage are clearly understood because paraphrasing takes time; it cannot be done hastily
2. Make an outline summary of the passage marking off the leading thoughts and subordinate ones
3. Express freely in your own words the thoughts outlined, using as few phrases and sentences of the original as possible. The language should give an impression of freshness and should not be an echo of the original
4. Do not leave out any thought, or implication of the original
5. Do not introduce any thought not expressed or implied in the original
6. Condense the actual text, the thought may be presented in such a manner as to make the ideas clear
7. Carefully examine the work done to see if any idea or figure has been misunderstood or omitted, and make sure that the language used is your own
8. Avoid making any reference of any kind to the author of the passage, even if you happen to know who it is
9. Paraphrased the content as a whole as it is often fatal to attempt to paraphrase word by word, or line by line. Avoid making your paraphrase a mere literal translation.
10. Avoid all comments or criticism of the original because your views may be most interesting, but they have not been asked for, and are not wanted.
11. Use online paraphrasing tools to rephrase content automatically as it saves both time and effort on rephrasing content.

Wrapping Up

In conclusion, remember that your paraphrase should be a readable piece of text and intelligible even to those who have not seen the original. A paraphrase is a good test of your capacity to understand clearly the meaning of a passage and to express that meaning in another form in your own words.

To insert ideas and illustrations of your own is not allowed because the paraphrased paragraph must contain the tone of the original whether it is elevated or not.

A good paraphrase is well constructed and to make a good paraphrase you have to keep in mind the above points. If you forget these points then the mere changing of the words will not make a real paraphrase.