How to Paraphrase (Without Plagiarizing a Thing)

A restatement (or paraphrasing) is a new expression or phrase that restates another piece of writing while maintaining its message, usually to simply avoid plagiarism or change the language. For example, the well-known phrase “To be or not to be” by William Shakespeare might be restated as “Is it better to exist or not at all?”

Paraphrasing is an important communication tool, mostly in research papers, since it eliminates the risk of directly copying from the source. Moreover, learning how to rephrase may take some time, so we’ll start with a simple definition to get you started.

What is a paraphrase? 

A paraphrase is a kind of translation in which the author’s original phrases or words are replaced with other words or phrases to convey the same message. In essence, a paraphrase merely rewrites the material source in its initial language.

Paraphrasing is always based on your own wording that isn’t found in the original source. Paraphrases are distinctive; therefore, they do not require quotation marks as direct quotations does.

What is the significance of paraphrasing?

Why bother making it any other way when you may just quote the source? There are several advantages to paraphrasing, which may be found in a number of situations. Here are some of the most frequent reasons for paraphrasing:

• Word choice improvement.

Occasionally, you just want to rewrite the first text in your own words— perhaps because you’d want to make changes to reflect your preferred writing style or simply utilize different terms. Paraphrasing implies selecting your own words while maintaining the core meaning of the message.

• Change the initial subject of your presentation.

If you like the language of the original passage but want to alter the topic, rewrite it rather than paraphrase it. For example, Will Rogers’ famous statement “I’ve never met a man I didn’t like,” is frequently restated and sometimes humorously as in Jim Gaffigan’s quip: “I’ve never met a cheeseburger I didn’t enjoy.”

• Evade plagiarizing

It’s not okay to just rewrite someone else’s words without changing them. Plagiarism occurs when you copy someone else’s work without attribution. You must at the very least express your own sentiments or reference another person’s study, but overusing quotations may be harmful, as we shall see in a moment.

• Avoid using quotes excessively.

Quotes are powerful when the writer said it best, but using too many quotations can make your work seem like an imitation. If you’re constantly plagiarizing other people’s work, it’s time to mix things up by using paraphrasing and direct quotations.

• Remove the words that are causing difficulties.

Occasionally, a direct quotation’s language won’t match what you’re writing. This might be caused by a mistake in the transaction, such as an incorrect subject-verb agreement or a mismatched gender pronoun.

In certain cases, it may be flippant or out-of-date language. The well-known (although antiquated) statement “it’s difficult to discover a decent guy” might be more succinctly paraphrased as “finding a decent partner is tough.”

• Reduce long quotations to a more manageable length.

Finally, summarizing is useful when you need to compress a long, wordy statement into something more consumable. Some folks are paid per word. So, f you’re writing in order to be concise, you may paraphrase the words more often.

What is the major difference between summarizing and paraphrasing?

Because they’re both essentially the same, and because they’re frequently conflated with each other, paraphrasing and summarizing are often confused.

Consider of them like this: Paraphrasing is inserting your own words into a certain passage, whereas summarizing is putting the most essential ideas, message, or tale of a text or passage in your own words.

Summarizing focuses on the overall picture, such as a complete body of work or a whole chapter, whereas paraphrasing is focused on particular sections ranging from a few phrases to several paragraphs long, but nothing too lengthy. Summaries are generally shorter than their source material, but paraphrases are often around the same length as or even shorter than their source.

Summaries tend to skim over the facts in favour of a more general statement, as we previously explained when discussing how to create a summary, whereas paraphrases can still include everything if reworded.

With examples, learn how to paraphrase.

Paraphrasing is one of the most efficient methods of avoiding plagiarism, but how can you express yourself without employing the same words? Here are some easy ways to get started with paraphrasing that we recommend in conjunction:

1. Make use of synonyms 

Change the key terms in an original text with synonyms such as “scientist” for “researcher,” or “seniors” for “elders.” This is a common approach to paraphrasing, but it isn’t sufficient on its own. To make your written material appear fresh, use this method alongside one of the others listed below.

Original text: 

Some plants exude odours to warn their neighbours that they’re being attacked.

Paraphrase:

Certain plants exude particular fragrances to warn other plants of potential harm.

2. Change the manner in which you express yourself.

Frequently, you may correct a sentence by switching the parts of speech, such as converting a gerund to the action verb or turning an adjective into an adverb. This method is based on the original passage’s language, so you may not always be able to do it; we also suggest using it in conjunction with other methods for more unique writing.

Original text: 

Because polar bears minimize heat so effectively, infrared cameras are unable to detect them.

Paraphrase: 

Due to their unusual heat conservation, polar bears are difficult to spot using infrared cameras.

3. Rearrange the structure

You may change the sequence of certain phrases and clauses—or combine and mix them from different sentences—to achieve your desired result by generating brand new sentences. If you’re considering using the passive voice to paraphrase, resist it unless there’s no alternative.

Original text: 

There are approximately 50 billion galaxies in the observable universe.

Paraphrase: 

The known universe contains fifty billion galaxies.

4. Add or omit components

If a piece of a quotation isn’t relevant to your subject, you may delete it and rephrase the rest in your own words. You may also personalize an old quotation to help contextualize or adapt it to your topic. In either scenario, make sure you rephrase everything that comes from the original source.

Original text: 

After an hour, human eyes become desensitized to the darkness. By then, they’ll be 100,000 times more sensitive to light.

Paraphrase: 

If one sits in a dark location for an extended period of time, one may become more sensitive to light, but be careful before turning on the lights!

FAQs on paraphrasing

Do you want to know more about paraphrasing, or how to paraphrase in a specific way? You’re not the only one who has questions about this! Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about paraphrasing answered by individuals just like you.

What is paraphrasing and how does it work?

Rephrasing is the act of restating someone else’s original text in your own words. Paraphrasing is the act of restating another author’s material in your own words. In other words, it’s a brand-new work with the same meaning as the previous one.

What is an example of paraphrasing? 

The phrase “All men are created equal,” which appears in the Declaration of Independence of the United States, can be restated more progressively as “All persons are created equally.”

How can one paraphrase a sentence?

Paraphrasing can be accomplished in a variety of ways, including through the use of synonyms, grammatical changes, sentence structure rearrangement, and the addition/removal of particular segments.

What are the distinguishing features of a great paraphrase?

A good paraphrase is one that preserves the meaning of the original source while adding new words or phrases. It’s perfect for conveying your own sentiments in a way that’s fitting for you.

Make sure your work is original.

You must submit papers that are entirely original and in your own words when doing essays, research papers, and other academic writing tasks. Unintentional plagiarism, on the other hand, is a problem many students confront. Plagiarism detectors, which scan your writing against 90 billion online sources for unoriginal language, are a good idea.

You may obtain assistance at Nursing Paper Help at any time of day or night. Our experts are all well-versed in the newest academic writing procedures and excel at paraphrasing papers to guarantee that your work is distinctive and error-free. If you need any assistance with paraphrasing or editing your work, contact us today!

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