Guide How to Paraphrase for Students

Paraphrasing is a technique enabling a writer to render the quote or famous saying using other words. Any essay must be enhanced with some famous phrases strengthening the general sense. That is why it is of the utmost importance to master the art of paraphrasing. It may help you to express your ideas more precisely. To paraphrase means to express one’s thoughts applying other formulations. The ability to paraphrase serves as an indispensable tool in the arsenal of any writer aiming to produce the composition of the highest quality.

Exists a variety of methods helping to enhance the sense loading and emotional loading of the compositions. Among those methods, the highlighted one is paraphrasing. It is something that helps to make the assignment engaging, relevant and related to the very topic. As is often the case, one needs to be able not only paraphrase. Inserting the phrase in the most relevant place is essential. While paraphrasing, a writer needs to be able to render the inner sense of the phrase or quotation using other formulations.

Paraphrase definition

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What does paraphrase mean? Paraphrasing can be defined as a writing trick, enabling to render and enhance the main idea of the composition applying another wording. To determine paraphrase technique, there is no need to consult the dictionary or a writing manual. It is necessary to understand the process hidden under the concept of paraphrasing. The meaning can be formulated in the following way: paraphrasing means changing the formulation of the same sense.

The technique is regularly applied by the authors dealing with the delivery of assignment demanding implementation of numerous quotes. Moreover, paraphrasing may become a mean of rising the uniqueness of the composition. In case, the originality of the essay is too low; one can make use of the paraphrasing. By this technique, it is possible to replace the unoriginal material by rendering it using other words.

As is often the case, writers tend to mix three basic notions that you come across while dealing with writing. These are summarizing, quoting and rephrase. To avoid mixing everything up, you have to understand each of these terms precisely. Summarizing is technique enabling an author to render the main idea in a few words. It is usually far from the source text, however easy for the understanding of the target reader. It is the most straightforward technique, as there are no standards established and a writer can merely render his thoughts.

Quoting is the method that is more complicated. It presupposes usage of the narrow segment of the source text. It has to correspond to the original exactly. Moreover, an author needs to put the quotation marks and mention the source of the quote in the reference list.

Finally, rephrasing demand from a writer application of the creativity and a rich vocabulary stock. An author has to render the main idea and use the approximately same number of synonymic words. A paraphrased passage is as a rule shorter than the original.

What is paraphrasing?

Rewording is a handy and simple way to render the sense of a favorite quote or saying by using other words. The main point here is to preserve the original sense of the source phrase. A paraphrase enables the writer to color and enhances the text applying the thoughts of other famous people. Rewording can serve as a proof that the writer understands the context of a phrase or famous proverb. He renders the sense of it or explains it deeper applying paraphrasing.

The paraphrase should be relatively close to the original. However, it is crucial to the feeling which words can change the phrase, save the coloring and render the sense. It is significant to preserve the original charm of the quote, however, avoid plagiarizing it. Of course, it is possible merely to copy the original phrase without making any corrections. However, it can badly influence the overall quality of the paper.

Writers are endeavoring to enforce the primary idea they aim to render use rephrasing. What is more, it gives an ability to enhance the assignment with the plenty of relevant examples. In cases, when authors feel the lack of inspiration or are unable to formulate their thoughts correctly, paraphrasing may serve as a lifesaving boat. Paraphrasing assists in reducing the plagiarism rate of the writing and enables the writer to raise the quality of the paper. It also helps to expand the depth of the assignment. The sense, author, endeavored to render becomes deeper and more powerful.

Paraphrasing examples

The best way to illustrate the points mentioned above is, undoubtedly, providing paraphrasing examples.

Original: “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.” ― Bernard M. Baruch.

Paraphrase: Be yourself and tell about your emotions, as people, who do not care, will not be bothered and those, who do care will accept you anyway.

Original: “If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.” ― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Paraphrase: If you have a desire to measure the dignity of men, look on how he behaves with people who have a lower status that he does, not with those, who are better than he is.

Original: “Do not mind anything that anyone tells you about anyone else. Judge everyone and everything for yourself.”

Paraphrase: You do not have to care about what ones tell about other people. You have to formulate your thoughts about people and things by yourself.

Original: “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”

Paraphrase: A ruler is a person knows the direction, follows it and shows it to others.

Original: “Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.”

Paraphrase: Intelligent person speaks, as there is a thought to render, an ignorant person talks for the sake of the act only.

Original: “In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.” ― Robert Frost

Paraphrase: Using three words I can summarize the lesson I have learned about life - it passes by.

MLA paraphrase

Paraphrasing assists in writer enhancing the credibility of the thoughts that author is trying to render. This method helps to strengthen the main idea. Paraphrasing may become a tricky issue. It presupposes a total change of the original passage with the intention to avoid plagiarism. If a writer did not manage to master the paraphrasing technique, he takes a risk to implement plagiarized material in his work. To prevent unpleasant issues that may negatively influence the quality of the work, one needs to be aware of the main principles.

To avoid usage of unoriginal material one needs to follow several rules. Rephrasing means rendering the source text using another wording. It may seem difficult; however, an author not only needs to change several parts of the passage. He has to rephrase it entirely. According to the MLA formatting standards, if the author decides to use an exact sequence of words as it was in the original, he is obliged to put the quotation marks. What is more, you have to mention all the sources used in the reference list.

How to paraphrase a quote

Paraphrasing quotes or famous saying, one needs to be aware of the basic rules and principles of paraphrasing. Start with the reading of the passage you are going to paraphrase. Try to grasp the main idea. You are not going to render the phrase. That is why, it is essential to be selective and choose the main sense blocks, which you are going to render. Think over, how it is possible to express the meaning of the given passage, using the other words.

Basic handy techniques are helping to paraphrase successfully. The first method presupposes the following steps. You need to read the quote once or twice and try to get the sense. Then, you need to put the original aside, and a render the meaning by your words. Another technique presupposes usage of the dictionary. Try to take notes and then paraphrase using the synonymic expressions.

As is often the case, text, which is supposed to undergo paraphrasing is not so easy. The difficulty may lie in their volume as well as in the complexity of terminology applied. Here are some hints enabling even the inexperienced writers to master the art of paraphrasing. Primarily, change the structure of the source text. You may change the order of sentences and their size. Focus on the sense and try to replace the words from the original work by your phrases. A good strategy is to break up the complicated sentences and rewrite them using shorter ones. Be careful to preserve the focus of the original.

Applying the dictionary, the art of paraphrase will seem as easy as pie. Due to the variety of dictionaries existing in a printed version and on the web, it is easy to find the number of synonyms necessary to rewrite even full abstracts. Do not forget to re-read and revise your version several times. To polish it maximally and deliver the most successful result.

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