B1 Lesson 3: Basic Paraphrasing of Simple Sentences
In the last lesson, we learned to summarize by stating the main idea in our own words. The skill of rewriting an idea using different words and sentence structure is called paraphrasing1.
Paraphrasing is one of the most important skills in academic and professional writing. It allows you to use information from a source while showing that you truly understand it, and it helps you avoid plagiarism2 (copying someone else's work).
Three Techniques for Effective Paraphrasing
A good paraphrase keeps the same meaning but changes the language. Here are three techniques you can use.
Technique 1: Use Synonyms
A synonym3 is a word that has a similar meaning to another word. Replace key words from the original sentence with synonyms.
Original: The journey to the islands was very enjoyable.
Paraphrase: The trip to the islands was very pleasant.
Technique 2: Change the Sentence Structure
Change the order of the words, phrases, or clauses in the sentence.
Original: Because the traffic was terrible, I was late for my appointment.
Paraphrase: I was late for my appointment because the traffic was terrible.
Technique 3: Change the Word Form
Change a word from one grammatical form to another (e.g., from a noun to a verb, or an adjective to an adverb).
Original: The growth of tourism in Siem Reap was rapid. (Noun, Adjective)
Paraphrase: Tourism in Siem Reap grew rapidly. (Verb, Adverb)
Putting It All Together
The best paraphrases often use two or more of these techniques at the same time.
Original Sentence:
The high cost of living in major cities is a significant problem for young people.
Excellent Paraphrase:
Young people often face the challenge of expensive city life.
(This paraphrase uses synonyms ["problem" → "challenge", "high cost" → "expensive"] and changes the sentence structure.)✍️ B1 Paraphrasing Checklist
- ✔️ Does my new sentence have the exact same meaning as the original?
- ✔️ Have I used synonyms for some of the key words?
- ✔️ Have I changed the sentence structure?
- ✔️ Is my new sentence grammatically correct?
🧠 Practice Quiz: Choose the Best Paraphrase
Read the original sentence and choose the best paraphrase.
Original: Learning a new language can be a challenging but rewarding experience.
- Learning a new language can be a difficult but satisfying experience.
- Learning a new language is hard.
- A challenging but rewarding experience is learning a new language.
Answer: A. This is the best paraphrase. It uses synonyms ("difficult," "satisfying") but keeps the original meaning. B is a summary, not a paraphrase, as it loses some meaning. C has the same words as the original, just in a different order.
📝 Homework: Practice Paraphrasing
Get your notebook and pen. Rewrite each of the sentences below in your own words. Try to use at least two of the paraphrasing techniques for each one.
- Because of the hot weather, the streets were very quiet during the day.
- The government's decision to build a new bridge was a surprise to many residents.
- The company's profits grew quickly after they launched the new advertising campaign.
Vocabulary Glossary
- To paraphrase: (Verb) - បកស្រាយ - To restate an idea using different words and sentence structure, while keeping the original meaning. ↩
- Plagiarism: (Noun) - ការលួចចម្លង - The act of copying someone else's work or ideas and pretending they are your own. ↩
- Synonym: (Noun) - សទិសសព្ទ - A word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word (e.g., big/large). ↩
- Word Form: (Noun Phrase) - ទម្រង់ពាក្យ - The grammatical form of a word (e.g., beauty (noun), beautiful (adjective), beautifully (adverb)).
- Sentence Structure: (Noun Phrase) - រចនាសម្ព័ន្ធប្រយោគ - The way words and clauses are arranged in a sentence.