words to use when paraphrasing

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Words that introduce Quotes or Paraphrases

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Remember that you are required to cite your sources for paraphrases and direct quotes. For more information on MLA Style, APA style, Chicago Style, ASA Style, CSE Style, and I-Search Format, refer to our Gallaudet TIP Citations and References  link.

Words that introduce Quotes or Paraphrases are basically three keys verbs:

• Neutral Verbs( here )
• Stronger Verbs( here )
• Inference Verbs( here )

Neutral Verbs: When used to introduce a quote, the following verbs basically mean “says”

Examples of Neutral Verbs

The author  says. The author  notes. The author  believes. The author  observes. The author  comments. The author  relates. The author  declares. The author  remarks. The author  discusses. The author  reports. The author  explains. The author  reveals. The author  expresses. The author  states. The author  mentions. The author  acknowledges. The author  suggests. The author  thinks. The author  points out. The author  responds. The author  shows. The author  confirms.

Sample Sentences

• Dr. Billow  says  that being exposed to television violence at a young age desensitizes children to violence in real life (author’s last name p.##).
• As the author  notes , “In an ideal classroom, both gifted children and learning disabled children should feel challenged” (p.##).
• Burdow  believes  that being able to write using proper English grammar is an important skill (author’s last name p.##).
• Dr. Patel  observes  that “most people tend to respond well to hypnotherapy” (p. ##).
• We see this self doubt again in the second scene, when Agatha comments , “Oh, times like this I just don’t know whether I am right or wrong, good or bad” (p. ##).
• Goeff then relates  that his childhood was “the time he learned to live on less than bread alone” (p. ##).
• The author declares , “All people, rich or poor, should pay the same taxes to the government” (p. ##).
• Godfried remarks , “Ignorance is a skill learned by many of the greatest fools” (author’s last name p.##).
• The article discusses the qualities of a good American housewife in the 1950s (author’s last name p.##).
• After the war is over, the General reports that “It seemed a useless battle to fight even from the start” (p.##).
• Danelli explains , “All mammals have hair” (p.##).
• The author reveals his true feelings with his ironic remark that we should “just resort to cannibalism to defeat world hunger” (p. ##).
• Forton expresses disapproval of the American welfare system (author’s last name, year, p. ##).
• The author states that “More than fifty percent of all marriages end in divorce” (p. ##).
• He also mentions , “Many children grow up feeling responsible for their parents’ mistakes” (p. ##).
• Jones acknowledges that although the divorce rate is increasing, most young children still dream of getting married (author’s last name, year, p. ##).
• The author suggests that we hone our English skills before venturing into the work force (author’s last name, year, p. ##).
• The author thinks that the recent weather has been too hot (author’s last name, year, p. ##).
• Folsh points out that there were hundreds of people from varying backgrounds at the convention (author’s last name, year, p. ##).
• Julia Hertz responded to allegations that her company was aware of the faulty tires on their cars (author’s last name, year, p. ##).
• His research shows that 7% of Americans suffer from Social Anxiety Disorder (author’s last name, year, p. ##).
• Jostin’s research confirmed his earlier hypothesis: mice really are smarter than rats (author’s last, year, name p. ##).

Stronger Verbs: These verbs indicate that there is some kind of argument, and that the quote shows either support of or disagreement with one side of the argument.

Examples of Stronger Verbs The author agrees . . .The author rejects . The author argues . The author compares . (the two studies) The author asserts . The author admits . The author cautions . The author disputes . The author emphasizes . The author contends . The author insists . The author denies . The author maintains . The author refutes . The author claims . The author endorses .

Sample Sentences MLA Style

• Despite criticism, Johnston agrees that smoking should be banned in all public places (author’s last name p.##).
• The author argues that “subjecting non-smokers to toxic second-hand smoke is not only unfair, but a violation of their right to a safe environment” (p.##).
• Vick asserts that “cigarette smoke is unpleasant, and dangerous” (p.##).
• The author cautions that “people who subject themselves to smoky bars night after night could develop illnesses such as emphysema or lung cancer” (p.##).
• Rosentrhaw emphasizes that “second-hand smoke can kill” (p.##).
• Still, tobacco company executives insist that they “were not fully aware of the long term damages caused by smoking” when they launched their nationwide advertising campaign (author’s last name p.##).
• Though bar owners disagree, Johnston maintains that banning smoking in all public places will not negatively affect bar business (author’s last name p.##).
• Jefferson claims that banning smoking in public places will hurt America’s economy (author’s last name p.##).
• Johnson refutes allegations that his personal finances have been in trouble for the past five years (author’s last name, year, p. ##).
• Whiley rejects the idea that the earth could have been formed by a massive explosion in space (author’s last name, year, p. ##).
• Lucci compares the house prices in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia (author’s last name, year, p. ##).
• Although they have stopped short of admitting that smoking causes cancer in humans, tobacco companies have admitted that “smoking causes cancer in laboratory rats” (p. ##).
• For years, local residents have been disputing the plans to build a new highway right through the center of town (author’s last name, year, p. ##).
• Residents contend that the new highway will lower property values (author’s last name, year, p. ##).
• The Department of Transportation denies claims that the new bridge will damage the fragile ecosystem of the Potomac River (author’s last name, year, p. ##).
• Joley endorses the bridge, saying “our goal is to make this city more accessible to those who live outside of it” (p. ##).

Inference Verbs: These verbs indicate that there is some kind of argument, and that the quote shows either support of or disagreement with one side of the argument. Examples of Inference Verbs The author implies . The author suggests . The author thinks . Sample Sentences MLA Style

• By calling them ignorant, the author implies that they were unschooled and narrow minded (author’s last name p.##).
• Her preoccupation with her looks suggests that she is too superficial to make her a believable character (author’s last name p.##).
• Based on his research, we can assume Hatfield thinks that our treatment of our environment has been careless (author’s last name p.##).

One phrase that is often used to introduce a quotation is: According to the author, . . .

• According to the author, children with ADD have a shorter attention span than children without ADD (author’s last name, year, p. ##).

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How to Paraphrase: Dos, Don'ts, and Strategies for Success

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Written by  Scribendi

Is It Considered Plagiarism If You Paraphrase?

How do i paraphrase a source without running the risk of plagiarizing, paraphrasing vs. quoting: what's the difference, paraphrasing vs. summarizing, how to paraphrase a sentence, direct quotation, omissions and editorial changes,  paraphrasing, all you need to know about paraphrasing, when should you paraphrase information, what is the purpose of paraphrasing, understand the text you are paraphrasing, do paraphrases need to be cited, example of paraphrasing, how to cite a paraphrase,  don't start paraphrasing by picking up a thesaurus , don't copy without quotation marks, paraphrase with a direct quote example, don't paraphrase too closely, example of paraphrases being too similar to their sources.

How to Paraphrase and Tips for Paraphrasing Correctly

Write Down Paraphrases of a Source on Notecards

Paraphrase from your own point-form notes on a source, how to paraphrase using plotnick's method,  practice two-step paraphrasing: sentence structure and word choice, understand basic sentence structures, vary the use of active and passive voice, vary sentence length, vary word choice, citing a paraphrase in apa, mla, and chicago styles, how to paraphrase in apa, apa paraphrasing examples, how to paraphrase in mla, mla paraphrasing examples, how to cite a paraphrase in chicago style, chicago style paraphrasing examples, what is the meaning of paraphrase, how do you put things in your own words, what does it mean to paraphrase something.

As if the research process isn't hard enough already—finding relevant and reliable sources, reading and interpreting material, and selecting key quotations/information to support your findings/arguments are all essential when writing a research essay.

Academic writers and students face the additional stress of ensuring that they have properly documented their sources. Failure to do so, whether intentionally or unintentionally, could result in plagiarism, which is a serious academic offense.

That's why we've written this article: to provide tips for proper paraphrasing. We'll start with an overview of the difference between paraphrasing and quoting, and then we'll provide a list of paraphrasing dos and don'ts, followed by strategies for proper paraphrasing. 

We will include paraphrasing examples throughout to illustrate best practices for paraphrasing and citing paraphrased material .

As mentioned in our previous article on plagiarism , "simply taking another writer's ideas and rephrasing them as one's own can be considered plagiarism as well." 

Paraphrasing words is acceptable if you interpret and synthesize the information from your sources, rephrase the ideas in your own words, and add citations at the sentence level. It is NOT acceptable if you simply copy and paste large chunks of an original source and modify them slightly, hoping that your teacher, editor, or reviewer won't notice. 

Passing off another's work as one's own is a form of intellectual theft, so researchers and students must learn how to paraphrase quotes and be scrupulous when reporting others' work.

You might be familiar with all this. Still, you might be concerned and find yourself asking, "How do I paraphrase a source correctly without running the risk of unintentional plagiarism?" 

For many writers, especially those who are unfamiliar with the concepts of a particular field, learning how to paraphrase a source or sentence is daunting.

To avoid charges of plagiarism, you must not only document your sources correctly using an appropriate style guide (e.g., APA, Harvard, or Vancouver) for your reference list or bibliography but also handle direct quotations and paraphrasing correctly.

Quoting uses the exact words and punctuation from your source, whereas paraphrasing involves synthesizing material from the source and putting things in your own words. Citing paraphrases is just as necessary as citing quotations.

Even if you understand quoting versus paraphrasing, you might still need some additional paraphrasing help or guidance on how to paraphrase a quote. 

Summarizing is when you're discussing the main point or overview of a piece, while paraphrasing is when you're translating a direct quote into language that will be easy for your readers to understand .

It's easy to see how the two are similar, given that the steps to paraphrasing and summarizing both include putting ideas into your own words. 

But summarizing and paraphrasing are distinctly different. Paraphrasing highlights a certain perspective from a source, and summarizing offers more of an overview of an entire subject, theme, or book.

You can usually tell the difference between paraphrasing and summarizing by the length of what you're writing abore writing about. If you’re writing about a quote, that would be a smaller theme inside a larger work, so you'd paraphrase. 

If you're writing about the themes or plot of an entire book, you'd summarize. Summaries are usually shorter than the original work.

Learn How to Format Quotation Marks here.

When learning how to paraphrase a quote, you first need to consider whether you should be paraphrasing a text or quoting it directly.

If you find the perfect quote from a reliable source that fits your main topic, supports your argument, and lends authority to your paper but is too long (40+ words) or complex, it should be paraphrased. Long/complex quotes can also be shortened with omissions and editorial changes (as discussed below).

Introduce the quote with a signal phrase (e.g., "According to Ahmad [2017] . . .") and insert the entire quotation, indicating the text with quotation marks or indentation (i.e., a block quote).

If you only need to use parts of a long quotation, you can insert an ellipsis (. . .) to indicate omissions. You can also make editorial changes in square brackets [like this]. 

Keep in mind that you need to reflect the author's intent accurately when using this strategy. Don't change important words in a quotation so that it better fits your argument, as this is a form of intellectual fraud.

Changes in square brackets should only be used to clarify the text without altering meaning in the context of the paper (e.g., clarifying antecedents and matching verb tense). They signal to the reader that these changes were made by the author of the essay and not by the author of the original text.

Paraphrasing

Demonstrate that you clearly understand the text by expressing the main ideas in your own unique style and language. Now, you might be asking yourself, "Do paraphrases need to be cited like quotes?" The answer is a resounding "yes."

When deciding whether to paraphrase or use a direct quote, it is essential to ask what is more important: the exact words of the source or the ideas.

If the former is important, consider quoting directly. If the latter is important, consider paraphrasing or summarizing.

Direct quotation is best for well-worded material that you cannot express any more clearly or succinctly in your own style. It's actually the preferred way of reporting sources in the arts, particularly in literary studies.

Shortening a long quote is a great way to retain the original phrasing while ensuring that the quote reads well in your paper. However, direct quotations are often discouraged in the sciences and social sciences, so keep that in mind when deciding whether to paraphrase or quote.

Paraphrasing is best used for long portions of text that you can synthesize into your own words. Think of paraphrasing as a form of translation; you are translating an idea in another "language" into your own language. The idea should be the same, but the words and sentence structure should be totally different.

The purpose of paraphrasing is to draw together ideas from multiple sources to convey information to your reader clearly and succinctly. 

As a student or researcher, your job is to demonstrate that you understand the material you've read by expressing ideas from other sources in your own style, adding citations to the paraphrased material as appropriate. 

If you think the purpose of paraphrasing is to help you avoid thinking for yourself, you are mistaken.

When you paraphrase, be sure that you understand the text clearly . The purpose of paraphrasing is to interpret the information you researched for your reader, explaining it as though you were speaking to a colleague or teacher. In short, paraphrasing is a skill that demonstrates one's comprehension of a text.

Yes, paraphrases always need to be cited. Citing paraphrased material helps you avoid plagiarism by giving explicit credit to the authors of the material you are discussing. 

Citing your paraphrases ensures academic integrity. When you sit down to write your paper, however, you might find yourself asking these questions: "Do paraphrases need to be cited? How do I paraphrase?"

Here is a quick paraphrase example that demonstrates how to cite paraphrased ideas. The opening lines to one of Juliet's most famous speeches are "O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? / Deny thy father and refuse thy name; / Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, / And I'll no longer be a Capulet" (Romeo and Juliet, 2.2.880–884). 

If you needed to paraphrase these lines in an essay, you could do so as follows:

Juliet muses about why Romeo's family name is Montague and concludes that if either gave up their name (and thereby their family affiliations) for the other, they could be together (Romeo and Juliet, 2.2.880–884).

Generally speaking, you must include an in-text citation at the end of a paraphrased sentence. 

However, if your paraphrased material is several sentences long, then you should check with your preferred style guide. Some style guides (such as APA) call for a paraphrase citation after the first paraphrased sentence. Other style guides (such as MLA) call for a paraphrase citation after the last paraphrased sentence. 

Remember, no matter what style guide you use, it is not necessary to cite every single sentence of paraphrased material in a multi-sentence paraphrase.

Don't Start Paraphrasing by Picking Up a Thesaurus

This might shock you, but a thesaurus is NOT the answer to the problem of paraphrasing. Why? Using a thesaurus to swap out a few words here and there from an original source is a form of patchwriting, which is a type of plagiarism.

You shouldn't have to resort to a thesaurus unless you are completely unsure about what a word means—although, in that case, a dictionary might be a better tool. Ideally, you should be able to use clear, simple language that is familiar to you when reporting findings (or other information) from a study.

The problem with using a thesaurus is that you aren't really using your own words to paraphrase a text; you're using words from a book. Plus, if you're unfamiliar with a concept or if you have difficulty with English, you might choose the wrong synonym and end up with a paraphrase like this: "You may perhaps usage an erroneous word."

This is a common mistake among writers who are writing about a field with which they are unfamiliar or who do not have a thorough grasp of the English language or the purpose of paraphrasing.

If you choose to keep a few phrases from the original source but paraphrase the rest (i.e., combining quoting and paraphrasing), that's okay, but keep in mind that phrasing from the source text must be reproduced in an exact manner within quotation marks.

Direct quotations are more than three consecutive words copied from another source, and they should always be enclosed in quotation marks or offset as a block quotation.

A sentence that combines a direct quote with paraphrased material would look like this: 

In "The Laugh of the Medusa," Cixous highlights women's writing as a specific feat and speaks "about what it will do" when it has the same formal recognition as men's writing (Cixous 875).

The paraphrased paragraph of Cixous' essay includes a direct quote and a paraphrase citation.

Did you know that copying portions of a quote without quotation marks (i.e., patchwriting) is a form of plagiarism—even if you provide an in-text citation? If you've reworded sections of a quote in your own style, simply enclose any direct quotations (three or more words) in quotation marks to indicate that the writing is not your own.

When learning how to paraphrase, you need to distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate forms of paraphrasing. The Office of Research and Integrity , a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, puts it this way:

Taking portions of text from one or more sources, crediting the author/s, but only making 'cosmetic' changes to the borrowed material, such as changing one or two words, simply rearranging the order, voice (i.e., active vs. passive) and/or tense of the sentences is NOT paraphrasing.

What does paraphrasing too closely look like? Here is an overly close paraphrase example of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' description of plagiarizing:

Using sections of a source, citing it, but only making surface-level changes to the language (such as changing a few words, the verb tense, the voice, or word order) fails as a paraphrase. True paraphrasing involves changing the words and syntactical structure of the original source. Keep reading for strategies for paraphrasing properly.

Get Help with Proper Paraphrasing

Hire an expert academic editor , or get a free sample.

In an article on how to paraphrase , the Purdue University Online Writing Lab suggests that you read the source text carefully and write paraphrases on notecards. You can then compare your version with the original, ensuring that you've covered all the key information and noting any words or phrases that are too closely paraphrased.

Your notecards should be labeled with the author(s) and citation information of the source text so that you don't lose track of which source you used. You should also note how you plan to use the paraphrase in your essay.

If you are a visual learner, the benefit of this strategy is that you can visualize the content you intend to paraphrase. 

Because a notecard is a tangible object, you can physically arrange it in an essay outline, moving the right information to the appropriate paragraph so that your essay flows well. (If you're not sure how to write an outline , check out our article.)

Plus, having a physical copy of paraphrased information makes it harder for you to accidentally plagiarize by copying and pasting text from an original source and forgetting to paraphrase or quote it properly. Writing out your paraphrase allows you to distance yourself from the source text and express the idea in your own unique style.

For more paraphrasing help, Jerry Plotnick from the University College Writing Centre at the University of Toronto provides a similar strategy for paraphrasing.

Plotnick advises that you take point-form notes of text that you want to use in your paper. Don't use full sentences, but instead "capture the original idea" in a few words and record the name of the source.

This strategy is similar to the notecard idea, but it adds another step. Instead of just reading the source carefully and writing your complete paraphrase on a notecard, Plotnick recommends using point-form notes while researching your sources. These notes can then be used to paraphrase the source text when you are writing your paper.

Like handwriting your paraphrases on notecards, taking notes and coming back to them later will help you distance yourself from the source, allowing you to forget the original wording and use your own style.

The Plotnick method above describes how to use point-form notes while researching a paper to keep your paraphrasing original. To paraphrase in your paper using Plotnick's method above, look at your sources and try the following:

Write down the basic point(s) you want to discuss on a notecard (in your own words).

Take your notecard points and turn them into sentences when you write your essay.

Add the reference for the source.

Compare your paraphrase to the original source to make sure your words are your own.

Practice Two-Step Paraphrasing: Sentence Structure and Word Choice

In an article on how to paraphrase by the Writing Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the first two strategies are acknowledged—taking notes and looking away from the source before you write your paraphrase. 

The authors then suggest another two-step strategy for paraphrasing: change the structure first and then change the words. Let's break down this process a bit further.

Sentences in English have two main components: a subject and a predicate . The subject is who or what is performing an action (i.e., a noun or pronoun), and the predicate is what the subject is doing (i.e., a verb). Sentences can be simple, compound, complex, or compound-complex. 

Here are some paraphrase examples using different sentence structures:

Simple: It was difficult.

Compound: It was difficult, but she knew there was no going back.

Complex: Although it was difficult, she knew there was no going back.

Compound-complex: Although it was difficult, she knew there was no going back, so she kept calm and carried on.

Once you have identified the structure of the original sentence, you can reconstruct it using one of the different types of sentences illustrated above.

You can also change passive voice to active voice, or vice versa.

The active voice is structured like this: Subject + Verb + Object (e.g., She learned how to paraphrase.)

The passive voice is structured like this: Object + "To Be" Verb + Past Participle (e.g., How to paraphrase was learned by the girl.)

See how awkward the passive sentence example is? It's best not to force a sentence into an unnatural sentence structure. 

Otherwise, you'll end up with Yoda-speak: "Forced to learn how to paraphrase a sentence, the girl was." (Did you like the unintentional "force" pun?)

Another way to distinguish your paraphrase from the original source is to use different sentence lengths. Often, scholarly articles are written using long, compound, complex, or compound-complex sentences. Use short sentences instead. 

Break down complex ideas into easy-to-understand material. Alternatively, you can combine several ideas from the source text into one long sentence, synthesizing the material. Try to stick with your own style of writing so that the paraphrased text matches that of the rest of your document.

Once the paraphrased sentence structure is sufficiently different from the original sentence structure, you can replace the wording of the original text with words you understand and are comfortable with.

Paraphrasing isn't meant to hide the fact that you are copying someone else's idea using clever word-swapping techniques. Rather, it is meant to demonstrate that you are capable of explaining the text in your own language.

One handy article on word choice by the Writing Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill lists some strategies for successful word choice, such as eliminating jargon and simplifying unnecessary wordiness. While this applies to academic writing in general, the "questions to ask yourself" are also useful as great paraphrasing help.

Once you have completed a sentence-long paraphrase, you include an in-text citation at the end of that sentence. However, if your paraphrased material is several sentences long, then you should check with your preferred style guide. 

Some style guides (such as APA) call for a paraphrase citation after the first paraphrased sentence. Other style guides (such as MLA) call for a paraphrase citation after the last paraphrased sentence. 

To paraphrase properly, you need to explain a text in your own words without using a direct quote . Keep in mind, however, that different styles require different formats when it comes to documenting paraphrased sources. Some styles require a citation after the first paraphrased sentence, while others require a citation after the last.

For this reason, we've outlined examples of how to paraphrase in the APA, MLA, and Chicago styles below. Be sure to check with your professor to see which style your essay requires.

APA guidelines for paraphrasing include citing your source on the first mention in either the narrative or parenthetical format. Here's a refresher of both formats:

Narrative format: Koehler (2016) noted the dangers of false news.

Parenthetical format: The news can distort our perception of an issue (Koehler, 2016).

Here's an example of how to paraphrase from a primary source in APA:

Dudley (1999) states that "direct quote" or paraphrase (Page #).

Note: It's not always necessary to include the page number, but it's recommended if it'll help readers quickly find a passage in a book.

Below are a couple of examples of how to paraphrase in APA. Keep in mind that for longer paraphrases, you don't have to add the citation again if it's clear that the same work is being paraphrased.

Short paraphrase:

Stephenson (1992) outlined a case study of a young man who showed increasing signs of insecurity without his father (pp. 23–27).

Long paraphrase:

Johnson et al. (2013) discovered that for small-breed dogs of a certain age, possession aggression was associated with unstable living environments in earlier years, including fenced-in yards with multiple dogs all together for long periods of time. However, these effects were mediated over time. Additionally, with careful training, the dogs showed less possession aggression over time. These findings illustrate the importance of positive reinforcement over the length of a dog's life.

When paraphrasing in MLA, include an in-text citation at the end of the last paraphrased sentence. 

Your in-text citation can be done either parenthetically or in prose, and it requires the last name of the cited author and the page number of the source you're paraphrasing from. Here are MLA citation examples :

Parenthetical:

Paraphrase (Author's Last Name Page #)

Author's Last Name states that paraphrase (Page #)

In addition to adding a short in-text citation to the end of your last paraphrased sentence, MLA requires that this source be included in your Works Cited page, so don't forget to add it there as well.

Here are two examples of how to paraphrase in MLA:

In an attempt to communicate his love for Elizabeth, all Mr. Darcy did was communicate the ways in which he fought to hide his true feelings (Austen 390).

Rowling explains how happy Harry was after being reunited with his friends when he thought all was lost (17).

Paraphrasing correctly in Chicago style depends on whether you're using the notes and bibliography system or the author-date system.

The notes and bibliography system includes footnotes or endnotes, whereas the author-date system includes in-text citations.

Below, you'll find the correct way to format citations when paraphrasing in both the notes and bibliography and author-date systems.

Notes and Bibliography

For the notes and bibliography system, add a superscript at the end of your paraphrase that corresponds to your footnote or endnote.

Johnson explains that there was no proof in the pudding. 1

Author-Date

For the author-date style, include the page number of the text you're referencing at the end of your paraphrase. If you mention the author, include the year the source was published.

Johnson (1995) explains that there was no proof in the pudding (21).

In summary, the purpose of paraphrasing is not to simply swap a few words; rather, it is to take ideas and explain them using an entirely different sentence structure and choice of words. It has a greater objective; it shows that you've understood the literature on your subject and are able to express it clearly to your reader.

In other words, proper paraphrasing shows that you are familiar with the ideas in your field, and it enables you to support your own research with in-text citations. 

Knowing when to paraphrase or quote strengthens your research presentation and arguments. Asking for paraphrasing help before you accidentally plagiarize shows that you understand the value of academic integrity.

If you need help, you might consider an editing and proofreading service, such as Scribendi. While our editors cannot paraphrase your sources for you, they can check whether you've cited your sources correctly according to your target style guide via our Academic Editing service.

Even if you need more than just paraphrase citation checks, our editors can help you decide whether a direct quote is stronger as a paraphrase, and vice versa. Editors cannot paraphrase quotes for you, but they can help you learn how to paraphrase a quote correctly.

What Is the Meaning of "Paraphrase"?

Paraphrasing is when you write text from another source in your own words. It's a way of conveying to your reader or professor that you understand a specific source material well enough to describe it in your own style or language without quoting it directly. 

Paraphrasing (and citing your paraphrases) allows you to explain and share ideas you've learned from other sources without plagiarizing them.

You can write things in your own words by taking original notes on the sources you're reading and using those notes to write your paraphrase while keeping the source material out of sight. 

You can also practice putting things in your own words by changing sentences from passive to active, or vice versa, or by varying word choice and sentence length. You can also try Jeremy Plotnick's idea of paraphrasing from your own point-form notes.

When you're paraphrasing something, it means you are putting someone else's writing in your own words. You're not copying or quoting content directly. Instead, you are reading someone else's work and explaining their ideas in your own way. 

Paraphrasing demonstrates that you understand the material you're writing about and gives your reader the opportunity to understand the material in a simplified way that is different from how the original author explained it.

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Introducing Quotations and Paraphrases

The work you produce at university usually involves the important ideas, writings and discoveries of experts in your field of study. These contributions are always acknowledged by referencing, and there will be times when you introduce other people's views into your work and want to name them in the text. Naming other authors when you're introducing their views into your work can be done with quotations or paraphrases.

When to introduce quotes or paraphrases

• when you want to use an author as an authoritative voice
• to introduce an author's position you may wish to discuss
• to provide evidence for your own writing
• to make a clear distinction between the views of different authors
• to make a clear distinction between an author's views and your own

Introductory phrases

Use introductory phrases to tell the reader what the author thinks or does in their text. Consider using the following after you have given the author's name (and the year or notation):

• X states that . . .
• X claims that . . .
• X asserts that . . .
• X agrees that . . .
• X strongly argues . . .
• X comments that . . .
• X suggests that . . .
• X says that . . .
• X observes that . . .
• X takes the view that . . .
• X contends that . . .
• X believes that . . .
• X proposes that . . .
• X concludes that . . .
• X maintains that . . .
• X concedes that . . .
• X notes that . . .
• According to X . . .
• As X states . . .

With Different Referencing Styles

Quotation with Harvard referencing:

Braitman (2012, p. 167) argues Freud was very fond of dogs and was "a believer in interspecies friendship".

Quotation with  Footnote referencing:

Braitman asserts that Freud was very fond of dogs and was "a believer in interspecies friendship". 1

Paraphrase with Harvard referencing:

Braitman (2012, p. 167) states that it was Freud's relationship with Jofi and Lun, his pet Chow, that convinced him that relationships between different species could exist.

Paraphrase with Footnote referencing:

As Braitman points out, it was Freud's relationship with Jofi and Lun, his pet Chow, that convinced him that relationships between different species could exist. 1

Agreeing and disagreeing

You can indicate your agreement or disagreement with a statement by the introductory phrase you choose.

When you want to disagree with a statement

Harrison (1992, p. 566) mistakenly argues that Freud disliked animals.

When you want to show agreement with a statement

Greenleaf (2002, p. 146) correctly argues that it was his own pet dogs that stimulated Freud's interest in the human-animal bond.

As Greenleaf (2002, p. 146) points out, Freud developed an interest in "interspecies relationships" through experiences with his family pets.

A Neutral Approach

Harrison (1992) and Greenleaf (2002) both examine the relationship between Freud and his dogs.

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How to Paraphrase in 5 Simple Steps (Without Plagiarizing)

Krystal N. Craiker

Paraphrasing is a tricky balance between using your own words and still getting the original message across.

Understanding what paraphrasing is, and how to do it well, takes the challenge out of paraphrasing and makes it a more user-friendly skill.

What Is Paraphrasing?

How to paraphrase in 5 easy steps, paraphrasing different types of content, paraphrasing examples, want to improve your essay writing skills.

The word paraphrase can be used as a noun or a verb .

A paraphrase (noun) is a restatement of someone else’s words into other words . If you’re reading a paraphrase, you’re reading someone else’s rephrasing of the original.

To paraphrase (verb) is the act of rephrasing a statement into your own words . When you paraphrase, you are essentially borrowing someone else’s ideas and putting them into your own words. Since you’re borrowing and not creating those ideas, be certain to give credit to the original source.

Paraphrasing vs. Plagiarism

Plagiarism is when you steal someone’s words or ideas. Some people think that it’s only plagiarizing when you use the exact words.

Paraphrasing isn’t a way to steal someone’s ideas by putting it in your own words. If you’re paraphrasing someone else’s ideas, you must give them credit.

If you don’t acknowledge that source, you’ve plagiarized, which has serious ethical, and even legal, implications.

ProWritingAid can help you keep your work plagiarism-free with its plagiarism checker , and will never store or resell your work as some other plagiarism checking services sometimes do.

How to Paraphrase Properly

Why paraphrase when you could just use direct quotations? Direct quotes in academic writing and research papers do not demonstrate that you understand the original material.

Proper paraphrasing doesn’t mean rewriting the original passage word for word. It’s more than just pulling out a thesaurus. You are rewriting the ideas in your own words.

Just as you would provide the source of a direct quote, provide the source of paraphrased information according to whatever style guide you’re following (e.g. APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.) or by including the source within the paraphrase itself.

Typically, you’ll use an in-text citation alongside your paraphrased text, but sometimes you may use footnotes or endnotes.

When you use a direct quotation, it’s important to put the original passage or statement in quotation marks. But paraphrased text does not require quotation marks.

Paraphrasing is translating someone else’s words into your words. If you were to translate a sentence from one language into another going word-by-word, you’d end up with nonsense.

The same thing happens when you paraphrase. You’re performing a translation of sorts.

If you try to translate each word, you’ll end up with a paraphrase that reads more like a “word salad” than an intelligent rephrasing.

Why? When you isolate words, you take them out of their context.

The meaning of a word can change based on its context, so respect that context. Keep ideas whole to keep the original meanings intact.

Here’s what it looks like when you translate word for word.

Original Text: “Life expectancy isn’t set in stone: Both public policy and personal responsibility can tip the scales, experts said.” (Craig Schneider, Newsday)

If I paraphrase that text word-by-word, I could end up with something like this:

Word-by-Word Paraphrase: Human existences are not put in rocks. The pair of non-private systems and individual duty can point the measures, professionals uttered.

That makes no sense. Here’s a more effective paraphrase:

Proper Paraphrase: According to experts, public policy and individual choices can affect life expectancy.

This makes much more sense. Keep the entire context in mind when you paraphrase.

There are some practical steps you can follow to ensure skillful paraphrasing. It might take some practice at first.

As you become more experienced with paraphrasing, you’ll notice that you follow these steps naturally.

Step 1: Read, Reread, Then Read It Again

You can’t properly paraphrase if you don’t fully understand the original passage. For effective paraphrasing, reread the original text multiple times.

Pay attention to word choice and tone, as those contribute to the overarching message. Be sure that you know exactly what the original author was trying to get across before you move on.

Step 2: Determine the Big Idea

There’s a difference between paraphrasing and summarizing, but a quick summary is a great starting point for a paraphrase.

A summary is the main idea. What is the big idea of the original passage?

Try to sum up the big idea in one sentence using your own words.

If you’re only paraphrasing a short chunk of text, this might be the extent of your work and you can skip to step five. For longer quotes, start with the gist.

Step 3: Break It Down

Once you have the big idea, you can start looking at the individual ideas. A good paraphrase includes all the essential information. This is the step where you determine which pieces are essential.

You can start breaking it down sentence by sentence, but keep in mind that you’re really trying to understand it idea by idea.

There might be one idea in two or three sentences or two ideas in one long sentence!

Step 4: Rewrite, Idea by Idea

Once you know all the essential information, it’s time to rewrite. Use your own words and phrasing as much as possible.

Of course, sometimes you will have to use some of the same words. For example, if you’re paraphrasing a quote about the economy, you don’t need to find a new word for “economy.”

Plagiarism isn’t just the words you use, but also the order those words are in.

If you do use more than two of the same words as the original in a row, place them in quotation marks . Avoid this as much as possible for a good paraphrase.

Once you’ve rewritten each idea with the important information, it’s time to make sure your paraphrased version accurately expresses the intent of the original passage.

That leads us to the final step.

Step 5: Check and Cite

Have you ever heard the phrase “lost in translation?” It’s true for paraphrasing, too. Sometimes, when we rewrite something in our own words, we lose the intent and meaning of the original.

Reread what you’ve written and ask yourself the following questions:

• Does this portray the same big idea?
• Have I included all relevant information and ideas?
• Does my paraphrase maintain the integrity of the original’s intent?
• Are all sentences written in my own voice and my own words?

If you can answer yes to all four questions, you’ve successfully paraphrased! If not, return to the quoted material and go through each step again.

Finally, add your citation. Always credit the original source so you don’t plagiarize.

While the same basic steps apply no matter what you’re paraphrasing, it will look a little different depending on the type of text and why you’re paraphrasing.

Let’s take a look at three common situations that require paraphrasing.

How to Paraphrase in an Essay

Essays require paraphrases of many different quotes and sources.

While the occasional quote is fine, frequent direct quotes suggest that you don’t fully understand the material.

Your professor wants to know that you comprehend the subject and have thoughts of your own about it.

To paraphrase in an essay, start with a reasonable sized quote.

If the entire quotation is too long, your essay will become one giant paraphrase. You can always paraphrase another piece of the original text later in your paper.

Make sure the quote you are paraphrasing fits your thesis statement and is in the correct section of your essay.

Then, follow the five steps above to write a paraphrase. Don’t forget to cite your source material!

After you’ve paraphrased and cited the original text, offer your own commentary or thoughts.

How does that paraphrase answer the prompt of your research paper or support your argument? Original thoughts are crucial so your whole essay isn’t a paraphrase. That would be a form of plagiarism!

How to Paraphrase a Quote

Paraphrasing a quote requires you to pay special attention to the tone. Quoted material for academic writing often has a dry, informative tone. Spoken quotes usually don’t.

When you’re determining the big idea (step two), also determine the tone. You can note the tone in your paraphrase by saying the speaker was impassioned, angry, nostalgic, optimistic, etc.

When you move to step three and break down the ideas, pay attention to where the speaker placed emphasis. That’s a clue that you’ve found essential information to include in your paraphrase.

How to Paraphrase Complex Text

Complex and highly technical text can be difficult to paraphrase. All the same steps apply, but pay special attention to your words and sentence structure when you rewrite.

Whenever possible, simplify the complex text in your paraphrase.

Paraphrases are useful because they can make something easier to understand. Imagine that you are explaining the complex text to a middle school student.

Use simplified terms and explain any jargon in layman’s terms. Avoid clichés or idioms and focus only on the most essential pieces of information.

You can also use ProWritingAid’s editing tool to run a Jargon Report and a Cliché Report, as well as readability.

We use the Flesch-Kincaid Scale for readability , which is based on U.S. grade levels. You can see how old someone needs to be to understand your paraphrasing.

Your level of readability might change depending on the purpose of the paraphrase.

If you are paraphrasing complex text for a college-level essay, your readability score can be higher. If you are paraphrasing for a technical audience, some jargon is appropriate.

Let’s take a look at a couple of examples of properly paraphrased material.

Original Text : “Life expectancy isn’t set in stone: Both public policy and personal responsibility can tip the scales, experts said. Everyone can make choices that increase the odds of a longer life, said Cantor, of the Center for Socio-Economic Policy. Eating well, exercising, not smoking, getting enough sleep and staying in school are decisions made by each and every one of us, he said.” (Craig Schneider, Newsday )

Paraphrase: People do have some control over their life expectancy. While public policies matter, experts say personal choices can also affect how long you live and that making healthy lifestyle choices about food, sleep, education, and smoking is up to each individual.

Here’s another example from a speech.

Original Text: “We’ve got to accelerate the transition away from dirty energy. Rather than subsidize the past, we should invest in the future—especially in communities that rely on fossil fuels. That’s why I’m going to push to change the way we manage our oil and coal resources, so that they better reflect the costs they impose on taxpayers and our planet.” (President Barack Obama, State of the Union Address, January 12, 2016)

Paraphrase: President Obama emphasized the importance of investing in clean energy. He supports a shift in the way the country manages non-renewable resources to match the impact they have on both American citizens and the planet.

Remember, when you paraphrase, focus on the ideas, not rewriting word for word. Always cite your original source material even though you are using your own words.

(This article is an update to a previous version by Allison Bressmer.)

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Krystal N. Craiker is the Writing Pirate, an indie romance author and blog manager at ProWritingAid. She sails the seven internet seas, breaking tropes and bending genres. She has a background in anthropology and education, which brings fresh perspectives to her romance novels. When she’s not daydreaming about her next book or article, you can find her cooking gourmet gluten-free cuisine, laughing at memes, and playing board games. Krystal lives in Dallas, Texas with her husband, child, and basset hound.

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– 7 min read

How to paraphrase (including examples)

Jessica Malnik

Paraphrasing has gotten a bad reputation due to its association with plagiarism . However, when used correctly, paraphrasing has the potential to elevate your writing and give you a better understanding of the research.

In this post, we’ll discuss what paraphrasing is, why we do it, and 6 steps to walk you through the process. We’ll also share what not to do with paraphrasing, along with some examples.

Paraphrasing definition and rules

Paraphrasing is simply a way of summarizing someone else’s content in your own words. When you paraphrase, you keep the meaning or intent of the original work without copying it word for word. However, paraphrasing can quickly become a form of plagiarism if done incorrectly. This is why it’s crucial to follow the rules of paraphrasing.

When borrowing the ideas from someone else’s content, there’s one important rule to follow: you must correctly cite your source. This can be done in a number of ways depending on the style guide you use. 

Source citing is different for MLA and APA formatting and style guides. You’ll need to familiarize yourself with the citation formats for whichever one you follow. However, in some cases, simply hyperlinking the source will be sufficient.

Why do we paraphrase?

There are a number of reasons that professional writers and students alike choose to paraphrase content. Here are just a few of the common reasons that a writer would choose to paraphrase instead of including a quote or summarization.

Process information better 

One benefit of paraphrasing is that it helps you process the author’s ideas. When you have to rewrite the material in your own words, it makes you really think about the context and how it fits into your piece. If you want to really understand the material you’re citing, try rewriting it. If you were to quote the same information, you would miss out on the benefit of analyzing the source material.

For example, if you are writing a research paper all about Shakespeare’s influence on modern-day literature, you don’t want to just use a ton of direct quotes, instead by paraphrasing original passages, it can help you comprehend and analyze the material better.  

Improve your credibility with readers

You can also improve your credibility by association with the sources you decide to paraphrase. 

When you rewrite the material, you create a connection between your content and the knowledge from the source. 

Your audience will have a better understanding of the direction of your piece if you’re paraphrasing a reputable source with established authority on the subject.

Present data in an interesting way

If you’re referencing a data-heavy webpage or study, then paraphrasing is an engaging way to present the information in your own writing style. 

This allows you to tell a story with the source material instead of simply citing numbers or graphs.

Show that you understand the source

Another reason for paraphrasing that’s particularly important in academic writing is to demonstrate that you’ve read and comprehended the source material. 

For example, if all of you are doing is copying and pasting the original words of a textbook, you aren’t really learning anything new. When you summarize the material in your own words, it helps you to understand the material faster.  

How to paraphrase in 6 steps

Paraphrasing is simple when you break it down into a series of steps. 

Here are the 6 steps you can use to paraphrase your sources:

1. Choose a reputable source

First, you need to pick a credible source to paraphrase. A credible source will likely have ideas and concepts that are worth repeating. Be sure to research the author’s name and publisher’s credentials and endorsements (if applicable).

You’ll also want to check the date of the publication as well to make sure it’s current enough to include in your writing.

2. Read and re-read the source material

You want to be sure that you understand the context and information in the original source before you can begin to rework it into your own words. Read through it as many times as you need so you’re sure that you grasp the meaning.

3. Take some notes 

Once you have an understanding of the passage, you’ll want to jot down your initial thoughts. 

What are the key concepts in the source material? 

What are the most interesting parts? 

For this part, it helps to break up the content into different sections. This step will give you a sort of mini-outline before you proceed with rephrasing the material.

4. Write a rough draft

Write your version of the content without looking at the original source material. This part is important. 

With the source hidden, you’ll be less likely to pull phrasing and structure from the original. You are welcome to reference your notes, though. This will help you write the content in your own words without leaning on the source but still hit the key points you want to cover.

5. Compare and revise

Once you have your initial draft written, you should look at it side by side with the original source. Adjust as needed to ensure your version is written in a way that’s unique to your voice. 

This is a good time to break out a thesaurus if you notice you have used too many of the same words as the original source.

6. Cite your source

Whether you use MLA, APA, Chicago, or another style guide, now is the time to give proper credit to the original author or source. When posting content online, you may only need to hyperlink to the original source.

Keep in mind that the paraphrased text will not change depending on the citation style that you follow. It will just change how it’s cited.

What you shouldn’t do when paraphrasing

Now that you understand the process of paraphrasing and can follow the steps, it’s important that you know what to avoid. When paraphrasing, here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Do NOT write while you’re still researching

You might be tempted to start writing during the research phase. However, this sets you up to miss information or restate the copy too closely to the source material. Be sure to do your research first, take notes, and then start writing the piece.

2. Do NOT skip the citations

When you pull a small amount of information from a paraphrased source, you may think you don’t need to cite it. However, any idea or copy that’s taken from another source is considered plagiarism if you don’t give it credit, even if it is only a little bit of information.

Paraphrasing examples

Here are some examples to help you understand what paraphrasing looks like when done correctly and incorrectly

Excerpt from LinkedIn’s Official Blog:

“When reaching out to connect with someone, share a personalized message telling the person why you would like to connect. If it’s someone you haven’t been in touch with in a while, mention a detail to jog that person’s memory for how you met, reinforce a mutual interest and kickstart a conversation.”

Here’s another example. This one is from the U.S. Department of Education:

“ The U.S. Department of Education does not accredit educational institutions and/or programs. However, the Department provides oversight over the postsecondary accreditation system through its review of all federally-recognized accrediting agencies. The Department holds accrediting agencies accountable by ensuring that they enforce their accreditation standards effectively. ”

Here’s one more example to show you how to paraphrase using a quote from Mark Twain as the source material:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover.”

Paraphrasing can be a beneficial tool for any writer. It can give you credibility and a deeper understanding of the topic. However, to successfully use paraphrasing, you must be careful to properly cite your sources and effectively put the material into your own words each time.

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• Literary Terms
• Definition & Examples
• When & How to Use Paraphrase

I. What is a Paraphrase?

A paraphrase (pronounced par – uh -freyz) is a restatement or rewording of a paragraph  or text,  in order to borrow, clarify, or expand on information without plagiarizing. Paraphrasing is an important tool to use when writing research papers, essays , and pieces of journalism.

II. Examples of Paraphrasing

For examples of paraphrasing, consider these possible re-wordings of the same statement:

She angered me with her inappropriate comments, rumor-spreading, and disrespectfulness at the formal dinner table.

She made me angry when she was rude at dinner.

This paraphrase is an example of a rewording which shortens and simplifies while maintaining the same meaning.

Her impoliteness, gossiping, and general lack of respect at dinner infuriated me.

This rephrasing maintains the same meaning but is rearranged in a creative way.

I was mad when she started spreading rumors, making inappropriate comments, and disrespecting other guests at our dinner.

Another paraphrase, this rewording properly and interestingly rearranges the information provided in the original sentence.

III. Types of Paraphrasing

A. change of parts of speech.

Parts of speech ranging from verbs and nouns to adjectives and adverbs are replaced with new parts of speech in this type of paraphrasing. Here is an example:

Original Sentence:

The boy quickly ran across the finish line, seizing yet another victory.

Paraphrase:

The quick boy seized yet another victory when he ran across the finish line.

In this example, many parts of speech are changed: the adverb quickly becomes the adjective quick, and the verb phrase with the gerund seizing becomes the verb seized.

B.  Change of Structure

This type of paraphrasing involves changing the sentence’s structure, sometimes creating a passive voice from an active voice and vice versa. The change in structure can be used to reflect the writer’s interpretation of the original quote. Here is an example of change of structure paraphrasing:

Puppies were adopted by numerous kind souls at the puppy drive.

Many kind souls adopted puppies during the puppy drive.

In this example, the object of the sentence (kind souls) becomes the subject with an active voice (adopted) rather than a passive voice (were adopted).

C. Reduction of Clauses

Reduction of clauses paraphrases reduce the number of clauses in a sentence, which can be interruptive or confusing, by incorporating the phrases into the sentence. Here is an example of reduction of clauses paraphrasing:

While I understand where you’re coming from, and truly respect your opinion, I wish you would express yourself more clearly, like Clara does.

I understand where you’re coming from and respect your opinion, but I wish you would be more like Clara and express yourself more clearly.

D. Synonym Replacement

Synonym replacement paraphrasing is one of the simplest forms of paraphrasing: replacing words with similar words, or synonyms. Here is an example:

The older citizens were honored with a parade for those once in the military.

Senior citizens were honored with a march for veterans.

In this example, many synonyms are used: older citizens are senior citizens, a parade becomes a march, and those once in the military refers to veterans.

IV. The Importance of Using Paraphrase

Paraphrasing is a way of referencing a source without directly quoting it or of further explaining a selected quote. Correct paraphrasing is important in that poor paraphrasing can result in accusations of plagiarism, or copying from a source without correctly citing it. Paraphrasing allows writers to examine the meaning of others’ work, creatively rephrase their statements, and craft information to suit an essay or composition’s goal or focus.

V. Paraphrase in Literature

Paraphrasing can be found in a variety of journalistic sources from newspapers to film documentaries to literary journals. Here are a few examples of paraphrasing in literature:

Someone once wrote that musicians are touched on the shoulder by God, and I think it’s true. You can make other people happy with music, but you can make yourself happy too.

In John Berendt’s nonfiction novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil , a character references what someone has once written by paraphrasing their message.

I’m going to paraphrase Thoreau here… rather than love, than money, than faith, than fame, than fairness… give me truth.

In this example from the nonfiction novel Into the Wild , Jon Krakauer paraphrases Thoreau’s larger message of transcendence.

So far, Laurance’s critiques of new road-building schemes have been well received, but he expects that to change.

In Michelle Nijhuis’ article “What Roads Have Wrought,” William Laurance is paraphrased rather than quoted to express his general viewpoint.

VI. Paraphrase in Pop Culture

Paraphrasing is often found in pop culture when attempting to translate the language of older plays, poems, and stories, such as Shakespeare’s works. Here are a few examples of paraphrasing in pop culture:

10 Things I Hate About You (1999):

Just a minor encounter with the shrew… the mewling, rampalian wretch herself.

In the modern-day adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew , many characters ’ lines paraphrase Shakespeare’s originals. Here is Shakespeare’s version:

A meacock wretch can make the curstest shrew.

A Different World: Romeo, Oh Romeo

First, the student reads Shakespeare’s original words:

Oh gentle Romeo. If thou dost love, pronounce it faithfully. Or if thou thinkest I’m too quickly won, I’ll frown and be perverse and say thee nay, so thou wilt woo.

Then, she paraphrases to translate its meaning for modern ears:

It’s all about translation. Oh, sweet thang Romeo. If you think I’m all that, then step to me correctly. But if you think I’m a skeeze, I’ll be dissin’ and dismissin’, then you’ll be workin’ overtime getting’ me back.

VII. Related Terms

Like paraphrases, summaries are rewordings of original statements. Whereas paraphrases are precise and specific, summaries are brief and selective. Summaries report main points in a shortened version of the original, whereas paraphrases simply restate the original statement in a new way. Here is an example of summary versus paraphrase:

Original Statement:

At the party we had delicious red punch, a bunch of different appetizers, and a cookout. Since it was at the park, we played volleyball, went swimming, and sunbathed for fun.

At the party we enjoyed food and drink and various outdoor activities.

Here, the summary purposefully shortens the original statement while covering its major points.

At the party we drank some punch, ate a handful of appetizers, and had a cookout. The park allowed us to enjoy a number of enjoyable activities from volleyball to swimming to sunbathing.

As this example shows, the paraphrase rephrases the original statement and keeps more of its original content than the summary.

Translation

Although paraphrase sometimes translates difficult phrasing into more understandable phrasing, it is not literally considered translation. For something to be a translation, it must change writing in one language to another language. Here is an example of translation versus paraphrasing:

Original Phrase:

That’s life.

Translation into French:

C’est la vie.

That’s just how life goes sometimes.

Although we loosely may refer to paraphrase as translating ideas, technically it is not a tool of translation.

VIII. In Closing

Paraphrasing is an important tool for nonfiction writers, journalists, and essayists alike. It is a common proponent of news and reporting. Correct paraphrasing protects writers from plagiarism and allows them to creatively rephrase original works, incorporating them into their own compositions.

List of Terms

• Alliteration
• Amplification
• Anachronism
• Anthropomorphism
• Antonomasia
• APA Citation
• Aposiopesis
• Autobiography
• Bildungsroman
• Characterization
• Circumlocution
• Cliffhanger
• Comic Relief
• Connotation
• Deus ex machina
• Deuteragonist
• Doppelganger
• Double Entendre
• Dramatic irony
• Equivocation
• Extended Metaphor
• Figures of Speech
• Flash-forward
• Foreshadowing
• Intertextuality
• Juxtaposition
• Literary Device
• Malapropism
• Onomatopoeia
• Parallelism
• Pathetic Fallacy
• Personification
• Point of View
• Polysyndeton
• Protagonist
• Red Herring
• Rhetorical Device
• Rhetorical Question
• Science Fiction
• Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
• Synesthesia
• Turning Point
• Understatement
• Urban Legend
• Verisimilitude
• Essay Guide
• Cite This Website

Paraphrasing: Helpful Tips

• Writing Studio
• DC Citation Guide
• To quote or to paraphrase - Tip Sheet
• OWL - Purdue's Paraphrasing Exercises
• SUNY's overview of writing Summaries & Paraphrases
• MIT's Avoiding Plagiarism - Paraphrasing

How to Construct a Paraphrase

STEP ONE:  Read and reread the source material until you understand it completely.

STEP TWO:  Put the source material aside and on a piece of paper or a note card, write your paraphrase in your own words and sentence structure.

STEP THREE:  Compare your version to the original source, making sure your paraphrase is original, accurate, complete, and objective.

STEP FOUR:  If you find you needed to use a unique term or phrase from the source, make sure you use quotes to identify that you borrowed it for the source. 

STEP FIVE:  Record the source information (even the page number) with the paraphrase, so you have it ready when you are writing your paper and wish to integrate this source’s ideas.

Four Features of An Effective Paraphrase:

An effective paraphrase is…

4. Complete —paraphrases need to include all the important ideas in your source.

Beware of these paraphrasing hazards…

• Changing only some of the words—if you change only a few words or include various phrases from the original source in your paraphrase, you are committing plagiarism!
• Changing words but keeping the same sentence structure and order of presentation—paraphrasing must be more than substituting synonyms for every word in the original. Rewrite the source.  If you do not change the sentence structure and order of presentation, you are committing plagiarism!
• Adding ideas or explanation—the paraphrase should reflect  the source accurately. Explanation of the paraphrase should come in your own subsequent discussion, not in the paraphrase itself.
• Adding interpretation or assessment—the paraphrase should not include your evaluation or judgment of the ideas. Evaluate afterwards. The paraphrase must be objective and not include any emotive or sarcastic words in the paraphrase.
• Creating a straw man fallacy—writers who exaggerate or misrepresent the source in a way that makes it an easier target for rebuttal commit the straw man fallacy. Take care that your paraphrase is fair, especially if you are hostile towards the source.  

Using Your Sources: to Quote, Summarize, or Paraphrase?

Essentially, there are three ways in which a source can be incorporated into your writing:

• All writers need to carefully consider which method (summary, paraphrase, or direct 

• All summaries, paraphrases, and quotations must have source citations both in-text in parentheses and on a works cited page.  Often writers will not correctly cite their source if they summarize or paraphrase because they mistakenly think that since they are using their own words it doesn’t need to be cited. Anytime a writer uses another author’s words or ideas , they must cite that author.  A summary or paraphrase without a source citation is plagiarism!

​What is the difference between Summary & Paraphrase:

• The main idea of an entire source is briefly and clearly communicated in a summary; however, a paraphrase gives a detailed restatement of a source’s idea in its completeness. 
• Since a paraphrase includes all of the writer’s main ideas, it is often as long as, and sometimes longer than, the original source. Whereas, summaries are always shorter. 
• Paraphrases are most useful when you want to present or examine an author’s ideas but you do not think the original words merit direct quotation.  Paraphrasing is good because it can help you to control the temptation to quote too much from a source.

​Example of a Successful Paraphrase:

Original Material:

Paraphrase:

Effectively Integrating your Paraphrase

• Last Updated: May 16, 2023 10:43 AM
• URL: https://library.defiance.edu/paraphrasing

Pilgrim Library :   

   419-783-2481      ,    library@ defiance.edu       ,   click the purple "ask us" side tab above.

Table of Contents

Ai, ethics & human agency, collaboration, information literacy, writing process, when to paraphrase.

• CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 by Brianna Jerman

Academic writing requires authors to connect information from outside sources to their own ideas in order to establish credibility and produce an effective argument.

Sometimes, the rules surrounding source integration and plagiarism may seem confusing, so many new writers err on the side of caution by using the simplest form of integration: direct quotation. However, using direct quotes is not always the best way to use a source. Paraphrasing or summarizing a text is sometimes a more effective means of supporting a writer’s argument than directly quoting. Taking into consideration the purpose of their own writing and the purpose of utilizing the outside source, authors should seek to vary the ways in which they work sources into their own writing.

Paraphrasing and quoting are two of the three ways an author can integrate sources. The two methods are closely related, and therefore, can sometimes be confused with one another. Quoting borrows the exact wording used in a source and is indicated by placing quotes around the borrowed material. Paraphrasing, on the other hand, borrows an idea found in a shorter passage but communicates this idea using different words and word order. While it is acceptable to loosely follow a similar structure, paraphrasing requires more than simply changing a few of the original words to synonyms. Both paraphrasing and directly quoting have their merit, but they should be used at different times for different purposes. An author chooses to use one of these strategies depending on why the source is being used and what information the source provides.

Paraphrasing provides an author the opportunity to tailor the passage for the purpose of his or her own essay, which cannot always be done when using a direct quote. Paraphrasing should be used to

• Further explain or simplify a passage that may be difficult to understand. It could be that the topic, such as the process of extracting stem cells, is particularly difficult to follow, or that the author has used language that further complicates the topic. In such situations, paraphrasing allows an author to clarify or simplify a passage so the audience can better understand the idea.
• Establish the credibility of the author. In connection to the above point, paraphrasing a complicated passage can help the author establish trust with his or her audience. If an author directly quotes a difficult passage without analysis or further explanation, it may appear that he or she does not understand the idea. Paraphrasing not only clarifies the idea in the passage but also illustrates that the writer, since he or she can articulate this difficult message to the reader, is knowledgeable about the topic and should be trusted.
• Maintain the flow of the writing. Each author has a unique voice, and using direct quotes can interrupt this voice. Too many quotes can make an essay sound choppy and difficult to follow. Paraphrasing can help communicate an important idea in a passage or source without interrupting the flow of the essay.
• Eliminate less relevant information. Since paraphrasing is written using the author’s own words, he or she can be more selective in what information from a passage should be included or omitted. While an author should not manipulate a passage unnecessarily, paraphrasing allows an author to leave out unrelated details that would have been part of a direct quote.
• Communicate relevant statistics and numerical data. A lot of times, sources offer statistical information about a topic that an author may find necessary to developing his or her own argument. For example, statistics about the percentage of mothers who work more than one job may be useful to explaining how the economy has affected children rearing practices. Directly quoting statistics such as this should be avoided.

Brevity – Say More with Less

Clarity (in Speech and Writing)

Coherence – How to Achieve Coherence in Writing

Flow – How to Create Flow in Writing

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• How to Paraphrase | Step-by-Step Guide & Examples

How to Paraphrase | Step-by-Step Guide & Examples

Published on 8 April 2022 by Courtney Gahan and Jack Caulfield. Revised on 15 May 2023.

Paraphrasing means putting someone else’s ideas into your own words. Paraphrasing a source involves changing the wording while preserving the original meaning.

Paraphrasing is an alternative to  quoting (copying someone’s exact words and putting them in quotation marks ). In academic writing, it’s usually better to paraphrase instead of quoting. It shows that you have understood the source, reads more smoothly, and keeps your own voice front and center.

Every time you paraphrase, it’s important to cite the source . Also take care not to use wording that is too similar to the original. Otherwise, you could be at risk of committing plagiarism .

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Table of contents

How to paraphrase in five easy steps, how to paraphrase correctly, examples of paraphrasing, how to cite a paraphrase, paraphrasing vs quoting, paraphrasing vs summarising, avoiding plagiarism when you paraphrase, frequently asked questions about paraphrasing.

If you’re struggling to get to grips with the process of paraphrasing, check out our easy step-by-step guide in the video below.

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Putting an idea into your own words can be easier said than done. Let’s say you want to paraphrase the text below, about population decline in a particular species of sea snails.

Incorrect paraphrasing

You might make a first attempt to paraphrase it by swapping out a few words for  synonyms .

Like other sea creatures inhabiting the vicinity of highly populated coasts, horse conchs have lost substantial territory to advancement and contamination , including preferred breeding grounds along mud flats and seagrass beds. Their Gulf home is also heating up due to global warming , which scientists think further puts pressure on the creatures , predicated upon the harmful effects extra warmth has on other large mollusks (Barnett, 2022).

This attempt at paraphrasing doesn’t change the sentence structure or order of information, only some of the word choices. And the synonyms chosen are poor:

• ‘Advancement and contamination’ doesn’t really convey the same meaning as ‘development and pollution’.
• Sometimes the changes make the tone less academic: ‘home’ for ‘habitat’ and ‘sea creatures’ for ‘marine animals’.
• Adding phrases like ‘inhabiting the vicinity of’ and ‘puts pressure on’ makes the text needlessly long-winded.
• Global warming is related to climate change, but they don’t mean exactly the same thing.

Because of this, the text reads awkwardly, is longer than it needs to be, and remains too close to the original phrasing. This means you risk being accused of plagiarism .

Correct paraphrasing

Let’s look at a more effective way of paraphrasing the same text.

Here, we’ve:

• Only included the information that’s relevant to our argument (note that the paraphrase is shorter than the original)
• Retained key terms like ‘development and pollution’, since changing them could alter the meaning
• Structured sentences in our own way instead of copying the structure of the original
• Started from a different point, presenting information in a different order

Because of this, we’re able to clearly convey the relevant information from the source without sticking too close to the original phrasing.

Explore the tabs below to see examples of paraphrasing in action.

• Journal article
• Newspaper article
• Magazine article

Once you have your perfectly paraphrased text, you need to ensure you credit the original author. You’ll always paraphrase sources in the same way, but you’ll have to use a different type of in-text citation depending on what citation style you follow.

Generate accurate citations with Scribbr

It’s a good idea to paraphrase instead of quoting in most cases because:

• Paraphrasing shows that you fully understand the meaning of a text
• Your own voice remains dominant throughout your paper
• Quotes reduce the readability of your text

But that doesn’t mean you should never quote. Quotes are appropriate when:

• Giving a precise definition
• Saying something about the author’s language or style (e.g., in a literary analysis paper)
• Providing evidence in support of an argument
• Critiquing or analysing a specific claim

A paraphrase puts a specific passage into your own words. It’s typically a similar length to the original text, or slightly shorter.

When you boil a longer piece of writing down to the key points, so that the result is a lot shorter than the original, this is called summarising .

Paraphrasing and quoting are important tools for presenting specific information from sources. But if the information you want to include is more general (e.g., the overarching argument of a whole article), summarising is more appropriate.

When paraphrasing, you have to be careful to avoid accidental plagiarism .

Students frequently use paraphrasing tools , which can be especially helpful for non-native speakers who might have trouble with academic writing. While these can be useful for a little extra inspiration, use them sparingly while maintaining academic integrity.

This can happen if the paraphrase is too similar to the original quote, with phrases or whole sentences that are identical (and should therefore be in quotation marks). It can also happen if you fail to properly cite the source.

To make sure you’ve properly paraphrased and cited all your sources, you could elect to run a plagiarism check before submitting your paper.

To paraphrase effectively, don’t just take the original sentence and swap out some of the words for synonyms. Instead, try:

• Reformulating the sentence (e.g., change active to passive , or start from a different point)
• Combining information from multiple sentences into one
• Leaving out information from the original that isn’t relevant to your point
• Using synonyms where they don’t distort the meaning

The main point is to ensure you don’t just copy the structure of the original text, but instead reformulate the idea in your own words.

Paraphrasing without crediting the original author is a form of plagiarism , because you’re presenting someone else’s ideas as if they were your own.

However, paraphrasing is not plagiarism if you correctly reference the source . This means including an in-text referencing and a full reference , formatted according to your required citation style (e.g., Harvard , Vancouver ).

As well as referencing your source, make sure that any paraphrased text is completely rewritten in your own words.

Plagiarism means using someone else’s words or ideas and passing them off as your own. Paraphrasing means putting someone else’s ideas into your own words.

So when does paraphrasing count as plagiarism?

• Paraphrasing is plagiarism if you don’t properly credit the original author.
• Paraphrasing is plagiarism if your text is too close to the original wording (even if you cite the source). If you directly copy a sentence or phrase, you should quote it instead.
• Paraphrasing  is not plagiarism if you put the author’s ideas completely into your own words and properly reference the source .

To present information from other sources in academic writing , it’s best to paraphrase in most cases. This shows that you’ve understood the ideas you’re discussing and incorporates them into your text smoothly.

It’s appropriate to quote when:

• Changing the phrasing would distort the meaning of the original text
• You want to discuss the author’s language choices (e.g., in literary analysis )
• You’re presenting a precise definition
• You’re looking in depth at a specific claim

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.

Gahan, C. & Caulfield, J. (2023, May 15). How to Paraphrase | Step-by-Step Guide & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved 31 May 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/working-sources/paraphrasing/

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Paraphrasing Guide

Paraphrase Vs Summary

8+ Paraphrasing and Summarizing Examples For Students

Published on: Feb 24, 2024

Last updated on: May 28, 2024

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Paraphrasing and summarizing are essential tools for effective communication. These techniques allow writers to convey information accurately and concisely in their own words, while maintaining the original meaning. 

Understanding the difference between paraphrasing and summarizing is key to becoming a proficient communicator. This blog aims to provide practical examples of both techniques, helping writers sharpen their skills and enhance the clarity of their writing.

Paraphrasing Examples 

Let's look at some real examples of paraphrasing . We'll show you how to rewrite text in your own words while keeping it clear and still conveying the same meaning. All of the examples below have been generated by the AI paraphrasing tool from MyEssayWriter.ai .

Example 1: Technological Advancement -  Paraphrased Perspectives 

Original text: 

“The rapid advancement of technology has revolutionized the way we communicate with each other. From traditional forms of communication such as letters and telegrams to modern digital platforms like social media and email, technology has greatly enhanced our ability to connect and interact with people around the world.”

Paraphrased version:  

“The fast progression of technology has transformed the methods through which we interact with one another. While we once relied on conventional means like written letters and telegrams, contemporary digital channels such as social networking sites and email have significantly amplified our capacity to engage with individuals globally.” 

Explanation of The Paraphrasing Process 

Here is how we paraphrased the original text:

• The original passage main ideas about technology and communication are preserved
• Language and sentence structure are changed to express the message differently
• “Rapid advancement” is rephrased as “fast progression”
• “Revolutionized” is replaced with “transformed”
• The essence of the original statement is maintained, providing a new viewpoint

Example 2: Simplified Insights on Artificial Intelligence 

Original text:

“The concept of artificial intelligence (AI) has become increasingly prevalent in various industries. Through machine learning algorithms and data analysis, AI systems have the capability to automate tasks, optimize processes, and improve decision-making.”

Paraphrased text:  

“Artificial intelligence (AI) has gained prominence across diverse sectors due to its capacity for automation, process enhancement, and data-driven decision-making facilitated by machine learning algorithms and analytical tools.”

The following key points explain the paraphrasing process of Example 2:

• The essence of the original text about the growing importance of artificial intelligence and its capabilities remains unaltered
• The wording and structure have been adjusted to convey the same meaning using varied phrasing
• Terms like “increasingly prevalent” have been paraphrased as “gained prominence”
• “Optimize processes” has been simplified to “process enhancement” while preserving the core message

If you’re interested in exploring more paraphrasing examples, we encourage you to check out the following resources available on our website:

• The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Technology
• Artificial Intelligence: Unveiling Its Power and Potential

Summarizing Examples 

Summarizing is the act of condensing the main ideas of a text or communication to convey the key information concisely. You only include the most important parts and leave out the rest. 

Here are some examples to help you understand summarization better. These examples have been generated by the AI content summarizer from MyEssayWrtier.ai . 

Example 1: Harry Potter's Journey - A Summarized Adventure 

Original text:  “The novel follows the journey of a young orphan named Harry Potter who discovers he is a wizard on his eleventh birthday. He attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he learns about the magical world and battles the dark wizard Voldemort, ultimately defeating him and saving the wizarding world from evil.”

Summarized version:   “Harry Potter, an orphaned wizard, attends Hogwarts School, learns about magic, and confronts Voldemort, ultimately triumphing over evil.”

Summarizing Process 

• In the above summary of the example, we: Simplified the story to include only the most important parts
• Left out small details and extra storylines to keep it short
• Kept the main focus on Harry Potter's story: finding out he's a wizard, going to Hogwarts, and fighting Voldemort

Example 2: The Industrial Revolution - A Condensed Overview 

Original text:  

“The Industrial Revolution, which began in the late 18th century, marked a significant shift in human history. It brought about mechanization, urbanization, and social transformation. The invention of steam engines and the rise of factories revolutionized manufacturing processes, leading to economic growth and societal changes.”

Summarized version:  

“The Industrial Revolution, starting in the late 18th century, transformed society through mechanization, urbanization, and economic growth driven by steam engines and factories.”

In the above summary of the example, we:

• Highlighted key historical period and its impact.
• Condensed the description of mechanization, urbanization, and economic changes.
• Focused on major technological advancements like steam engines and factories as driving forces behind societal transformation.

If you’re interested in exploring more summarizing examples, check out the following resources available on our website:

Technological Landscape with AI Applications of Artificial Intelligence

Here are some short examples to show how brief sentences can be said in different ways. Each original sentence is rephrased and then summarized to make it shorter.

In summary , this blog has helped you understand the difference between paraphrasing and summarizing with some great examples. Both techniques help simplify complex ideas. With the practical examples included, we have shown how language can be reshaped while keeping the meaning intact. 

If you require a quick and easy solution for your academic writing worries, we have the perfect solution for you. MyEssayWriter.ai has a suite of features designed to enhance your productivity. Enhance your writing easily and clearly with the best AI Essay Writer available today!

Frequently Asked Questions

How are quotations, paraphrases, and summaries different.

Quoting means copying the exact words. Paraphrasing means saying the same thing in your own words. Summarizing means shortening the main points.

What could be some paraphrase quote examples?

For example, instead of saying, “The sky is blue,” you can say, “The sky looks blue today.”

What are some examples of paraphrasing and summarizing in counseling?

In counseling, paraphrasing means repeating what someone said using different words, like saying “You seem worried” instead of “You look anxious.” Summarizing means summing up what was talked about in the session.

What do summarizing and paraphrasing have in common?

Summarizing and paraphrasing both mean simplifying ideas. They help people understand better by putting things in simpler words

Caleb S. (Masters, Mass Literature and Linguistics)

Caleb S. is an accomplished author with over five years of experience and a Master's degree from Oxford University. He excels in various writing forms, including articles, press releases, blog posts, and whitepapers. As a valued author at MyEssayWriter.ai, Caleb assists students and professionals by providing practical tips on research, citation, sentence structure, and style enhancement.

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What's new at Surfer? May 2024  Quick summary of features released in May and upcoming products

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Free Paraphrasing Tool To Rephrase Content

Use Surfer's Paraphrasing tool to improve your writing for better readablity and fluency. Perfect for writers, professionals, and anyone seeking to enhance their communication.

Just paste your content into the text editor below and let Surfer's Paraphraser reword your text to make it more readable, engaging, and polished without changing the meaning of your original text.

Trusted by 150,000+ Content Creators, SEOs, Agencies, and Teams

Reword Written Content

Easily reword your content to diversify your vocabulary and improve the overall tone of your writing, avoid repetitive words and ensuring its originality.

By rewording research papers, quotes, and other crucial information in its own words, our paraphrasing tool ensures that your content is reliable while avoiding plagiarism.

Sentence Rewriter

Surfer allows you to rewrite sentences into new, unique versions without changing their meaning.

Use it as a sentence rewriting tool to rephrase sentences and make your copy more engaging. Improve clarity and impact with correct sentence construction.

AI Paragraph Rewriter

Instantly rework your paragraphs to create completely fresh content and replace your old paragraphs.

Surfer can act as an AI paragraph rewriting tool that makes it quick and easy to rephrase entire paragraphs using artificial intelligence, whether you’re rewording an essay, article, blog post, or social media content.

Essay and Article Rewriter

Elevate your essays and articles into polished, high-quality pieces with Surfer while maintaining your unique voice and ideas.

Perfect for students and professionals aiming to rewrite essays while maintaining a professional tone. Produce distinctive, plagiarism-free content for any format.

Who can use the free paraphrasing tool?

Anyone looking to improve their writing can use Surfer’s free paraphrasing tool.

This includes content professionals looking to improve their articles, students looking to elevate their writings, marketers looking to adapt their brand messaging, and even copywriters looking for more clarity and fluency.

Surfer’s free paraphraser is to help anyone who needs to rephrase material for better readability and impact.

How Surfer’s paraphrasing tool helps

Surfer's paraphrasing tool can help you simplify difficult language into simple, concise content, which improves clarity and engagement of your content.

The free tool helps you come up with unique content, prevents plagiarism, and refreshes your current material while ensuring your content uses the right grammar and uses an appropriate tone.

It also offers alternative ideas and sentence phrasing to help with writer's block, while maintaining the original intent of your content.

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The Best Paraphrasing Tools, Software and Apps

Paraphrasing is an essential skill in the digital age.  Whether you are a professional, student, or content creator, paraphrasing can help you prevent plagiarism in writing , enhance your ability to write, and offer original content in just a few steps. Moreover, these tools can help you save your time and improve the calibre of your work.

In this post, we’ll walk you through the importance of paraphrasing and its benefits for Windows, iOS and Mac users. Furthermore, we will talk about the best available online tools, software-based resources, and apps to make paraphrasing simple.

What’s Paraphrasing?

Paraphrasing is the act of using your own words to restate or rephrase a passage of text while maintaining the same meaning. It can be beneficial for a number of reasons, let’s discuss one-by-one:

• Avoid Plagiarism: Plagiarism can have serious consequences and knowing what it is, is the best way to avoid it. It may harm to a person’s reputation in the workplace. Consequently, we must prevent ourselves from plagiarizing intentionally or unintentionally. With a proper attribution to the original writer, paraphrasing let users include information from several sources.
• Producing Unique Content: Using different words and phrases to convey the same thought is known as paraphrasing. It is a useful method to recreate previously published content in a different way that will appeal to a variety of audiences.
• Improving Comprehension : A thorough knowledge of the original text is quite needed for effective paraphrasing. As a result, this improves comprehension since it requires users to interact with the content, consider it, and present it in a rational and unique way.
• Developing Writing Techniques: Writing techniques can be significantly enhanced by regular practicing paraphrasing. It improves users’ capacity to express complicated ideas clearly and helps them advance their vocabulary.
• Upholding Copyright Regulations: Copyright rules must be taken into consideration by creators. Anyone who produces content for blogs, websites, and social media can enhance it without violating copyright regulations by paraphrasing.

Now that we know how important paraphrasing is, let’s move on to the available best tools, apps for macOS, Windows and iOS users to make the work quicker and more effective.

Top Paraphrasing Tools Online

Content creators who need to quickly and easily rewrite ideas might use online paraphrasing tools. Let’s have a look at the top online paraphrase tools:

1. Rewritetool.net

The rewording tool by rewritetool.net excels at effectively rewriting your text and improving its quality. Its user-friendly interface simplifies the process, while its cutting-edge AI system ensures that the rephrased text maintains its originality while achieving complete uniqueness. Thanks to the AI-powered algorithms, which offers various paraphrasing modes that streamline the entire process, the platform consistently delivers high-quality content rewrite with remarkable efficiency.

Now, let’s delve into the features that set Rewritetool.net apart:

Smart Paraphrasing Technology: Rewritetool.net harnesses the power of advanced AI algorithms to create paraphrased content that not only matches the context but also maintains originality. This cutting-edge tool ensures that the rephrased material stands out as distinctive and free from any traces of plagiarism.

Grammar and Style Enhancement: Beyond just paraphrasing, The rewording tool goes the extra mile by offering suggestions to enhance grammar and style. Creators and users receive immediate feedback to elevate the readability and overall quality of their writing.

Synonym Suggestion: With an extensive library of synonyms at its disposal, Rewritetool.net empowers users to select the most fitting words for their specific context. In doing so, the tool delivers paraphrased content that is both diverse and seamlessly coherent.

Flexible Paraphrasing Modes: Rewritetool.net provides users with a range of writing modes tailored to various purposes. Choose from four distinct modes:

• Reworder : for straightforward rewording.
• Formal : To add a touch of formality.
• Expand : For explaining intricate ideas.
• Shorten : To simplify your text for easier comprehension.

Rewritetool.net’s features can be a game-changer when it comes to optimizing your content and taking it to new heights. The tool is completely free of cost, with no hidden charges or fees involved.

Pricing: (Free)

WordAi is an advanced paraphrasing software that has unmatched rewriting capabilities to boost written content. It offers customers a simple way to reword text, articles, or any document while keeping context and uniqueness. WordAi is a useful tool for international because it supports many languages.

• Readability and Grammar: The software not only targets paraphrasing but also offers recommendations to enhance the content’s general readability and grammar. Users can improve their quality of work by using WordAi’s constructive feedback.
• Multi-language Capabilities: WordAi’s multi-language support makes it worthy software for content writers, who have to work in different languages.

In order to meet a wide variety of user requirements, WordAi offers several pricing plans:

Monthly: WordAi offers a starter plan of $17/monthly for regular users who want unrestricted access to its paraphrase features. And, power plan with $57/month.

Yearly: Writers who want to get a yearly subscription can do so at $9/month (Starter) and $27/month (Power). Anyone, who buys a yearly plan receives continuous access to WordAi’s paraphrase services for a whole year.

3. Duplichecker

Duplichecker is comprehensive paraphrasing software goes beyond simple synonym replacements. It is one of the widely recognized tools for content writers that offer a dependable means of avoiding plagiarism and creating unique written work.

• Bulk Content Paraphrasing: Duplichecker lets users rapidly paraphrase several bits of information at once. It is a perfect software for writers working on large writing tasks because it processes numerous papers or articles at once to save time and effort.
• Plagiarism Checker: Duplichecker is known to have a powerful plagiarism checker in addition to paraphrasing. Writers can cross-check the content they have paraphrased with the help of huge databases to make sure it doesn’t include any copied or duplicated text. Read more about top free plagiarism checkers online.

Pricing: Duplichecker provides various pricing structure that meets a range of user needs:

Free Plan: Duplichecker’s core paraphrasing and plagiarism-checking functions are available for free. Since there are no upfront costs for users, it is a fantastic choice for newbies.

Premium Plan: Available for $10/month, the Premium

Top Software-Based Paraphrasing for Windows

Software-based resources are best for those content writers or creators who prefer offline solutions with advanced paraphrase features. Let’s have a look at the top Windows software resources for paraphrasing.

1. Grammarly’s software

Grammarly stands as a respected writing assistant software for users, renowned for its robust writing capabilities and comprehensive language support. Within the windows environment, it provides an array of paraphrasing options, empowering users to enhance their writing while preserving the authenticity of their content. Operating as a cloud-based writing assistant, Grammarly ensures error-free composition across platforms like Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, and various other applications and software.

• Advanced Paraphrasing Suggestions: Grammarly’s powerful AI-driven software, offers advanced paraphrase suggestions that are fitting for the context. It assesses the context of your text and suggests different words and phrases to increase the clarity of your content.
• Real-Time Writing Assistant: Grammarly does more than just paraphrase your content, it constantly keeps an eye on your writing and provides immediate feedback on your grammar, spelling, and punctuation-related error.

There are two different Grammarly subscription plans:

• For Grammarly Premium for Individuals: $12/month
• For Grammarly Premium Business for Teams: $15/month per user

Plan provides advanced paraphrase features but with no more than 25000 words at a time.

2. Chimp Rewriter

Chimp Rewriter is a powerful tool made exclusively for windows users. It uses machine learning algorithms to analyze the context and produce precise paraphrased results. To assure the content’s uniqueness, the software also includes a built-in plagiarism detector.

• Bulk Rewriting: With the software’s support, users can manage numerous sentences or paragraphs at once. Anyone working on a lengthy writing project will find this function to be amazing, since it boosts the speed of the rewriting process and save time.
• Thesaurus Integration and Synonym Suggestion: Chimp Rewriter provides users with a wide range of vocabulary options by integrating thesaurus. This guarantees a lot of fresh and attractive rephrases while maintaining the essence of the actual text.

Pricing: Following a free trial period, Chimp Rewriter offers two pricing structures:

Monthly Plan: This software provides a monthly subscription of $15/monthly for those who are looking for more advanced tools and limitless access to sentence rewriting. With this plan, premium features are made available for one month.

Yearly Plan: If you’re looking for a longer period plan, then you can choose an annual subscription option for $99 per year. The amount represents a considerable discount above the monthly plan. The annual membership gives users unrestricted use of Chimp’s sentence rephrasing services for one year with free software updates.

Top Paraphrasing Apps for iOS and macOS:

1. ginger writer.

Ginger is a thorough proofreading & Paraphrasing application specially designed for iOS users. It provides a number of options for content enhancement, including grammar and rephrasing. It offers an array of mostly used words and idioms to help you with creating original content.

• AI-Powered Proofreading: The app verifies your writing for grammatical errors, assisting you in avoiding all manner of embarrassing blunders. Users can enhance the clarity and readability of the work with the help of a proofreading engine.
• AI-based rephraser: With a click of the button, the Ginger will process your existing content and rewrite it for a better readability, uniqueness and tone. It empowers AI to guarantee an excellent, new copy that you and your readers will enjoy.

Free: Most of the options on the app are paid. However, for a 7-day trial period, you can utilize all of its features, though.

Premium: You can get access to some of their advanced features by purchasing Ginger Premium. After the trial period, the subscription price cost you $4.99/mo.

Mobile apps provide ease and a range by allowing us to paraphrase text at any time and from any location. We’ve listed here the finest paraphrase applications for Mac and iOS users:

2. Quillbot’s macOS App

Quillbot for macOS is a user-friendly Mac application that makes paraphrasing simpler. Users may easily paraphrase text with its simple UI and straightforward navigation. The app has several paraphrase modes to accommodate different writing styles.

• User Friendly: There are other online paraphrasing apps, however, this sentence rewriter app is one of a kind. It is faster and simpler to use. You can paste your text and then click the button for paraphrasing and rewriting.
• Content Friendly: This app generates excellent paraphrase material in just a few clicks. It examines the material for keywords and adds keywords related to them. You can also prevent keywords from being replaced with synonyms while paraphrasing by freezing them in the article and many more option to try.

Pricing: (Free/premium)

Free Plan: The free plan has various restrictions on the number of daily rewrites and the length of input text. But it still gives users access to the fundamental paraphrase functions.

The app is free to download and there are no ads, but there are in-app purchases for additional features. Those who purchased a premium plan can gain unlimited access to advanced AI paraphrasing, grammatical improvement, along with customer assistance. The Premium Plan costs around $4.17.

Now, it’s time to wrap up this article, here what we’re meant to teach you is how to rephrase text by using top resources and tools for both Mac and iOS users. In order to create unique content with avoiding plagiarism, one must need to master the art of paraphrasing. It became now easier and quicker than ever, thanks to the wide variety of technologies that help generate human-like text.

By using above mentioned online tools, and software-based resources, anyone can express someone else’s ideas in their own voice, while keeping the same essential meaning. Hence, use these tools to your advantage to become the proficient paraphraser you were meant to be.

• ← Types of Paraphrasing

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Top Paraphrasing Tools for Freelance Writers to Increase Their Productivity

Freelancing has emerged as a dynamic and flexible professional domain with no restrictions. Experts in any digital field, specifically writers, prefer working as freelancers instead of dedicating themselves to enterprises and other businesses. Freelancing also gave them the opportunity to grow their personal brand and value in the niche. 

However, working solely without assistance and human aid isn’t simple for a writer. They have to manage all tasks all alone, from negotiating and closing deals with clients to monitoring their progress, evaluating their work, and, most of all, improving their productivity. Being a stand-alone writer and multitasking for every project might be challenging and delay your progress. 

Although, being a freelancer, they can’t afford delays in the projects and decreases in their working efficiency. That’s where they need external help (not human, though). Paraphrasers are advanced tools that accelerate the rewriting process and let the writers submit their tasks on time. 

If you are also a freelancer and finding ways to enhance your productivity with automated tools, you have landed on the right page. Here, you will learn about the top 5 paraphrasing tools for freelance writers to increase their productivity.                

Table of Contents

PlagiarismDetector.net

The PlagiarismDetector.net offers an AI-based paraphrasing tool to instantly rewrite any form of text. It is a beneficial aid for freelancers who have to spend several hours trying to revitalize their content and present it from a unique perspective. Instead of brainstorming alternative vocabulary and sentence appearance, just place your text within the paraphrase tool.

It will process your text, deeply analyze the context, and present it distinctly. The paraphraser does this by replacing common words with more influential synonyms and rearranging your sentences in a more meaningful way. This also removes the chances of accidental plagiarism and unknowingly replicating other words. 

Therefore, freelancers can avail themselves of the best of both worlds, i.e., making their writing unique and spending less time. Moreover, the paraphraser also offers several necessary options to ease the paraphrasing for them. For instance, it allows cross-format support; freelance writers can upload their documents in any format without any hurdles. Other key features of the paraphrasing tool include

Key Features

Multilingual support.

The paraphraser keeps no language barrier by offering paraphrasing in multiple languages. No matter whether freelancers have to create content in Español, Português, or Deutsche, they just need to choose the desired language. 

Free Paraphrasing

The paraphrase tool does not impose any restrictions on users’ usage. It allows everyone to paraphrase online as often as they want without cost.

24/7 Accessibility

Just like freelance writers don’t follow the 9-5 timetable and work any time of the day. The paraphrasing tool is also accessible 24/7. Hence, you can easily access this utility anytime from any corner of the world.

Multiple Paraphrasing Modes

The tool caters to the distinct writing needs of every freelance writer and offers multiple paraphrasing modes. For instance, You can choose from following options and customize the rewriting results.

• Word Changer
• Replace Manually 

Pricing Plans

It’s a completely free-to-use tool with no payment options.

PlagiarismChecker.co

Another AI-powered option for freelance writers is the Paraphrase tool by PlagiarismChecker.co. This swift and efficient tool assists writers in paraphrasing text in an engaging and refined tone. The best thing about this paraphrasing tool is that it maintains the original meaning and readability structure of a given text. 

As soon as you enter your text in the input section, it begins semantic and contextual analysis to rearrange it in a clearer and more concise way. The paraphraser is incorporated with smart thesauruses that replace the word with the most relevant and meaningful synonyms. As a result, your paraphrased version has a more engaging structure and better explains it in simpler terms. 

With the aid of this paraphrase tool, you can customize the paraphrased result as it suggests multiple options for a single word. By hovering your mouse over any word, you can view alternative words and choose any synonyms that seem better to you. Moreover, it takes special care to avoid plagiarism and maintain the originality of content.

Files Format

It supports all file formats; freelancers aren’t restricted to uploading their files in a specific format. Instead, they can import their documents created in any file format, including .txt, .doc, .docx, .odt, .pdf, .rtf, and .tex.

AI Integration

The digital world is revolutionizing with artificial intelligence (AI), and paraphrasing tools benefit freelancers with AI-based rewriting. AI integration ensures that readability, sentence structure, context, and text clarity are all preserved during text modification.

Light/Dark Mode

Working constantly on screens, freelance writers aren’t interested in light screen modes. Hence, the paraphrase tool offers a dark mode as well to ease their work and allow them to focus on their productivity.

Cloud Platform Compatibility

Freelancers usually create documents on cloud storage platforms so they can access them on multiple devices. The paraphraser allows compatibility with cloud devices so they can upload their documents and paraphrases in real-time.

The PlagiarismChecker.co offers flexible premium plans that can be customized per the freelance writer’s needs. It includes the following plans. 

• Basic: $15/Month
• Business: $20/ Month
• Enterprise: $50/Month
• Corporate: $120/3 Months
• Exclusive: $150/6 Months

Check-Plagiarism.com  

Check-Plagiarism.com provides a proficient and highly credible paraphrasing too. It smartly rephrases the text by altering specific words with better synonyms and rearranging sentence structure. It is incorporated with cutting-edge NLP technology to deliver human-level paraphrasing results. 

The paraphrase tool accurately modifies the sentences with a new appearance and vocabulary without bringing changes to the original meaning. The freelancers can leverage this paraphraser by rewriting any type of text from any niche. 

With its 2 different rewriting modes, you can decide whether you want to paraphrase in a “Simple” way or in “AI Mode.” Furthermore, freelancers can rewrite content in their local or foreign language with the multilingual option. No sign-up or login is required; simply paste it into your text and start paraphrasing without wasting a second. 

No sign-up Required

Freelance writers are already short on time and don’t have to waste time creating credentials or remembering them. They can quickly access the tool and begin paraphrasing their tasks. 

Swift and Flawless Results 

This tool works with lightning speed, providing super-fast paraphrased text. However, the high speed doesn’t mean you have to compromise on accuracy. With quick processing, the results are flawless. 

Cross-platform Compatibility

Writers using different systems, browsers, and devices shouldn’t be worried about compatibility. The paraphraser is compatible with every digital platform. 

Human-Like Results 

The NLP algorithms ensure paraphrasing is done at a human level, delivering human-readable and understandable results. 

• Weekly: $4.99/week
• Monthly: $15/month
• Semi-Annual: $16.66/month $100 billed every 6 months
• Annual: $11.25/month $135 billed every 12 months

RewriteGuru.com

An advanced paraphrase tool with all necessary rewriting features can be found on Rewrite Guru’s platform. This tool is carefully designed, integrating smart machine learning and AI patterns to comprehend the written text just like humans. 

It can paraphrase any text from paragraphs, sentences, articles, blogs, or marketing copies. The paraphrasing tool offered by RewriteGuru.com is a blessing for freelance writers, students, and even professional content creators. Using this tool, they can easily recreate any type of text within only a few moments. They should give it a try and paraphrase their writing to make it more engaging and precise. 

Moreover, innovative vocabulary works to make your sentences unique and compelling by replacing ordinary words with better alternatives. However, the main idea of the original text doesn’t drift away. 

5 Efficient Paraphrasing Modes

• Creative Spin : This mode is to achieve medium-level paraphrasing without bringing considerable changes.
• Turbo Spin : For maximum text modification, this mode offers maximum word replacement and sentence modification.
• DIY Mode : No automatic synonymization took place to give the writers full control of their paraphrased text. Instead, the user was provided with several suggestions and had to choose according to their preference.
• AI Rewriter : A complete AI focuses paraphrasing mode that maintains maximum contextual relativity to the original text.
• Sentence Rephraser : Our sentence rephraser online rephrases the sentences with suitable replacements that uplift their readability and engagement. The final sentence generated by this AI sentence changer has a strong vocabulary that emphasizes the contextual meaning of the text.

Improves Writing Flow

The paraphrase tool improves the readability and flow of writing by replacing complex and redundant words with simpler yet more meaningful ones.

• Weekly Plan: $7.55
• Monthly Plan: $14.98
• Quarterly Plan: $40.98
• Annual Plan: $159.98

Paraphrasing-Tool.org

The last one on our list is Paraphrasing-Tool.org., which has innovative paraphrasing algorithms. Writers who usually work on similar niche content and end up in accidental and self-plagiarism should get help from it. 

The paraphraser tool is specifically designed to eradicate duplication in written text. No matter whether you have unintentionally plagiarized your work or failed to bring variation to it, it infuses diversity and uniqueness. By giving your sentences a new structure and word different synonyms, it completely modifies their appearance, making them unique. 

In 3 quick steps and without getting involved in any intricate process, you can have your paraphrased text. Just submit your content, choose the paraphrasing mode, and Ta-Da, there you go.

An all-in-one paraphraser

The paraphraser is an all-in-one writing solution for freelance writers. It is user-friendly and has no limitations, subscriptions, or intricacies. With powerful and efficient paraphrasing results, customer suggestions and selection modes should be added to your must-have tools.

Custom Vocabulary Suggestions

The paraphrasing tool allows the writer to alter the synonyms according to their preference. Therefore, you can assign any suitable word as per your choice. 

Enhanced Text Clarity

Paraphrasing manually may result in ambiguous word choices and incorrect grammar. However, the paraphrase tool and NLP algorithms analyze these and replace them with appropriate words to make them clearer and more concise.

You will be amazed to know that this incredibly smart AI paraphraser is available for free. It offers no hidden subscriptions or limitations, so you can access it freely without spending a buck.

Freelancers are always piled up due to having multiple tasks and dealing with them single-handedly. Therefore, they sometimes require outside help and automation that can lessen their burden and liberate extra time spent. Freelance writers can get help from paraphrasing tools to instantly wind up their rewriting process. These tools are integrated with AI technology that rephrases the given text in a unique and better readable way. Furthermore, another advantage of paraphrased tools is that they help eliminate unintentional plagiarism. Using any of the abovementioned tools, you can also improve the productivity of your work and submit your tasks before deadlines.

Related Posts:

Wealth of Geeks

15 Words and Phrases That Used To Have Completely Different Meanings

Posted: May 28, 2024 | Last updated: May 28, 2024

As time passes and language evolves, words and phrases sometimes change meaning. It’s a normal process that has been happening for hundreds of years.

However, some phrases and words take on completely different connotations from what they originally used to mean. Sometimes, they end up meaning the complete opposite. Even when they don’t, their original interpretation will often surprise you.

Here are words and phrases whose original meaning is nothing like what we know them today.

When it entered the language in the 14th century, nice meant trivial, stupid, or foolish thanks to its Latin origin, in which nescire meant “not to know.” In the 16th century, the word took on a different meaning, but it wasn’t the one we use today. Nice used to mean “too particular” or “finicky.”

The latter meaning is still used today in phrases like “she’s too nice to appreciate our food.” However, “nice” has lost its original connotations and is now synonymous with “pleasant.”

The original meaning of “explode” also relates to its Latin origin. It comes from the verb plaudere , which means to clap loudly — also the root of “applaud.” Romans used to applaud a good performance and clap loudly when the actors were bad.

Hence, “explode” meant driving an actor from the stage with loud clapping. That’s quite an explosive exit, no?

This one’s maybe the funniest on the list. Originally, “bully” meant a sweet person of either gender, a darling. After it entered the language in the 16th century, its meaning changed to “an outstandingly strong man,” “a hired ruffian,” and “the boss of a logging camp.”

Eventually, it became the opposite of a sweet person, which is the meaning we still use today.

You may refer to a full-bosomed woman as a “buxom lady,” and you’d be correct because it’s the primary meaning of the word today. However, its original meaning was obedient or tractable.

Buxom comes from an Old English word that shared a common ancestor with another Old English word that meant “to bend” — hence the original meaning of tractable or obedient. Before it received its current connotation, buxom also meant flexible and full of joy.

In the 16th century, if you said you “disappointed” someone, it didn’t mean you let them down. It meant you did the opposite of “appointing” them. You removed them from office.

However, English is inconsistent, and with time, the prefix “dis-,” which can mean “to do the opposite of,” also acquired the meaning of “completely.” As such, we can’t remove anyone who disappoints us from office, which is a pity. 

Fizzle has got you covered if you want to use a funny synonym for a certain unmentionable body function in polite society. Its original meaning was what happens when you eat “beans, beans, the magical fruit.”

Between the 16th and 19th centuries, “fizzle” referred to the act of silently passing wind . The word only changed to refer to an audible sound after its original meaning had, ahem, fizzled out.

Torpedo entered English in the early 16th century from Latin, where torpedo  meant an electric ray (the fish). After it became part of the vocabulary, people started using the word for David Bushnell ’s invention, an underwater vessel.

Naturally, this word evolved to refer to the torpedoes we know today and lost its meaning of electric ray. 

Garbage has an  obscure origin , but it originally meant “poultry organs and body parts used for food, poultry refuse.” This meaning was gained in the 15th century.

Curiously enough, garbage isn’t the only food-related word that took a different meaning as time passed. Originally, “meat” referred to food in general, and “liquor” used to denote liquids in general, not just the ones you get inebriated with.

The more you know…

Luxury didn’t refer to a high-flying, easy lifestyle when it originally entered the language. Its original meaning was negative; it was synonymous with lechery. That’s because its origin is the Latin word luxuria , which means rankness and excess.

In this sense, the word entered English in the 14th century. As centuries passed, it took on a positive connotation — a process known as amelioration in linguistics.

Nowadays, if you receive a standing ovation, you get the utmost praise from your peers. It’s, therefore, easy to ignore that this  Latin-derived word  originally referred to “a ceremony attending the entering of Rome by a general who had won a victory of less importance than that for which a triumph was granted.”

That’s right; an ovation wasn’t a big deal. It certainly wasn’t the expression of popular acclaim it means today. Who would have guessed?

Ironically, popularity originally meant “democracy as a principle or government form.” The word has circulated since the 16th century when the Bishop of Canterbury used it to warn against the rise of democracy as opposed to absolute rule.

While you’re supposed to win the popular vote to be democratically elected, that’s not the kind of “popularity” we refer to today.

Prestigious

If you’ve ever considered something “ prestigious ” or renowned, illusion or trickery was probably the last thing on your mind. However, “prestige,” the root word of “prestigious,” comes from Latin, where it means “conjuror’s tricks.”

It wasn’t until the beginning of the last century that prestigious became synonymous with honored or renowned.

Ever wondered whether “secret” and “secretary” have a connection? If so, you were on to something. Originally, a secretary referred to someone who was a party to the confidences of a boss or superior.

This word also has Latin roots and entered Middle English in the 15th century. Nowadays, a secretary also denotes a type of writing desk, also known as an “escritoire.”

If you’ve studied botany, you probably know about radical tubers , which grow from a plant’s roots. As such, the original meaning of “radical” may not surprise you. It originally meant something relating to a root.

This word’s meaning changed from the literal to the figurative because today, “radical” means “extreme.” Something that’s extreme aims to change the very root or origin of something else.

Originally, a “clue” was something a cat would love to play with — a ball of thread or yarn. Given that a clue is some evidence that helps us unravel a mystery, its original meaning isn’t as surprising.

After all, in the Greek story of the Minotaur, King Theseus follows a ball of thread to reach the Minotaur in the labyrinth and make it out of the maze. That’s quite a clue.

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