Paraphrasing keeps the meaning — Language, 11–13
Paraphrasing says an idea in your own words while keeping what the original actually means.
Idea
To paraphrase, you rebuild a sentence or passage in your own words, but keep its key information, strength and relationships. You do not simply swap a few words. You show that you understood the message and can explain it without pretending that your wording was the original.
Why it matters
You paraphrase when a source is useful but its wording is too dense, formal or tied to another situation. The problem is to make an idea clearer without quietly changing it. This skill helps you take notes, explain reading to someone else and use a source honestly instead of copying its sentence shape.
Worked example
Original: “Because the path was flooded, the walkers turned back before reaching the bridge.” First find the links: flooding caused the return, and the bridge was not reached. Paraphrase: “The walkers went back before the bridge because water covered the path.” The wording changes, but the cause, action and result remain.
Common trap
A reasonable mistake is to change words one by one while keeping the original sentence frame. That can produce awkward wording or leave the source’s grammar in place, and it may still count as copying. Another mistake is to make the claim stronger or weaker. Check the facts, time, cause and certainty before you finish.
Outside school
You use paraphrasing when explaining a rule to a friend, turning a news report into notes or telling someone what a message means. It is especially useful when the listener needs simpler wording, not fewer ideas. If the information came from another person or source, still name that source when the situation requires it.
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