Paraphrasing: Saying It in Your Own Words

Paraphrasing means restating an idea in new words while keeping the meaning.

When you summarize or retell, you shouldn't copy the author's sentences. Instead, paraphrase: restate the idea using your own words and sentence structure, while keeping the meaning exactly the same. A good method is to read the passage, cover it, say it in your own words, and then check that you didn't change the meaning.

Original: 'The exhausted travelers finally reached the village just as the sun disappeared behind the mountains. ' Weak paraphrase: 'The exhausted travelers reached the village as the sun disappeared behind mountains. ' That only removes a few words. Strong paraphrase: 'After a long, tiring trip, the group arrived in the village at sunset. ' The meaning is the same, but the words are new.

Be careful not to add ideas that weren't there, like saying the travelers were lost.

• 1Paraphrasing uses your own words and sentence shape.
• 2The meaning must stay the same.
• 3Read, cover, restate, and check.