Paraphrasing takes your knowledge, understanding, and insight to the next level. You are able to share other people’s ideas in your own words. Paraphrasing is a great way to show that you understood what someone said and that you agree with them.
It shows that you have an active interest in their opinion and are listening carefully so you can reference it later without having to look it up again. Paraphrasing is a great way for students to demonstrate their understanding of a text without risking plagiarism or being accused of copying the author’s ideas.
There are many ways you can paraphrase a sentence so that it sounds like your own words and phrases. In this article, we’ll give you some great tips on how to paraphrase effectively so people know exactly what you mean.
Related Post: IMPROVE YOUR PARAPHRASING SKILLS
3 Effective ways to Paraphrase
1. Manually paraphrase yourself
The first way to paraphrase sentences is to manually rewrite them in your own words.
For example, one of your classmates says:
“ I believe that studying abroad is the best way to grow as a student “
You can manually rewrite that sentence in your own words as:
“ Studying abroad is the best learning experience for a student “
Manual paraphrasing is a great way to practice rephrasing sentences so you can get better at it.
However, be careful not to do this all the time. If you just paraphrase other people’s ideas manually, you’re missing out on an opportunity to think creatively, use your own style, and show your own knowledge and perspective.
2. Rephrase using the Online Paraphrasing Tool
Paraphrasing sentences using the online paraphrasing tool is an effective way to share other people’s ideas with your own twist. Many of these rephrasing tools allow you to copy/paste original text or upload a document.
Some let you type your own text in the document box. Once you find a rewording tool, select the option to rephrase sentences. You will see a preview of the rewritten sentence. If you like the sound of it, you can click “continue” to continue using the paraphrasing tool.
Quote at paraphrase
If you want to use a sentence that has already been written, you can quote and paraphrase at the same time. To do this, put quotation marks around the original sentence.
Then, write your own sentence that expands on the original idea. For example, let’s say you find a great sentence online that you want to use in your essay but you want to make it your own.
You can quote and paraphrase the sentence like this:
“ Studying abroad is the best way to grow as a student because it gives you the opportunity to experience new cultures, live in a new environment, and meet new people. “
Quote and paraphrase whenever you find a sentence that perfectly expresses what you want to say. This is a great way to build on an idea that someone else has thought of and to show that you’ve done your research.
3. Rearranging Sentence Structure
Another way to paraphrase sentences is to rotate the order of certain words. Let’s say you want to paraphrase this sentence:
“ Students who study abroad have a greater chance of getting a job after graduation “
You can rearrange the sentence like this:
“ Students who have a better chance of getting a job after graduation have a better chance of studying abroad “
Rearranging the words in a sentence gives you a new perspective on the information and helps you avoid using the same old words and phrases. This is a great way to paraphrase without having to manually rewrite the entire sentence.
