Paraphrasing means stating the same meaning in different words. The meaning includes how strongly the writer claims something. A qualification such as “some”, “may” or “only” sets that strength, so a paraphrase that drops it has changed the claim.
This lesson follows grouping points clearly and belongs to summary selection and synthesis.
How do you paraphrase safely?
Use four steps:
- Underline the qualifiers in the original: quantity words (some, most, a few), frequency words (usually, rarely), certainty words (may, is likely to, appears to) and limiting words (only, at least, nearly).
- Find the core idea: who does what to whom.
- Rebuild the sentence with new structure and vocabulary, not just synonyms in the same order.
- Put each qualifier back and compare with the original: is any claim stronger or weaker?
Worked example
Original sentence (written for this lesson):
In the trial, most students who used the new revision planner improved their test scores. A few showed no change, and the researchers admit the small group may have affected the result.
Step 1, qualifiers: “most”, “a few”, “may have been affected”, “small group”.
Step 2, core idea: students using a planner mostly improved; a few did not; the researchers doubt how far the result can be trusted.
Step 3 and 4, rebuild:
The majority of the students trialling the planner scored higher, though a small number saw no difference, and the researchers accept that the limited sample may have influenced the outcome.
Check against the original:
| Original | Paraphrase | Same strength? |
|---|---|---|
| most | the majority | Yes |
| a few | a small number | Yes |
| may have been affected | may have influenced | Yes |
| small group | limited sample | Yes |
The vocabulary and structure have changed, and each limit is still in place.
The mistake to watch for
The common slip is to write a cleaner, bolder sentence.
Mistaken paraphrase: The new planner improved students’ test scores, although some did not change.
“Most students improved” became “the planner improved scores”, which reads as a general fact. The doubt about the small group has also vanished.
The correction is to read your paraphrase and ask, for each claim, “would the researcher sign this?” Here the researchers would not, because they said the result may have been affected. A second slip is to swap “may” for “will”, or “some” for “all”. If your new sentence sounds more confident than the original, a qualifier has slipped.
A further trap is a synonym with a different force. “Criticised” is not the same as “questioned”, and “banned” is not the same as “discouraged”. When a synonym is not exact, keep the original word.
Check yourself
1. Paraphrase and keep the qualifier: “Nearly all the stalls close before nine.”
Show answer
One possible answer: Almost every stall shuts before nine o’clock. “Nearly all” stays “almost every”, so the claim is not stretched to “all”.
2. Which paraphrase is faithful to “The scheme may reduce waiting times at busy clinics”? (a) The scheme cuts waiting times. (b) The scheme could shorten waits at crowded clinics. (c) The scheme shortens waiting times at all clinics.
Show answer
(b). It keeps the possibility (“could”) and the limit (“crowded” clinics). (a) and (c) remove the uncertainty, and (c) also removes the limit to busy clinics.
3. A student writes “Only junior students must attend” as “Junior students have to go.” What has changed?
Show answer
“Only” has been lost. The original says seniors do not attend. The paraphrase is silent on that. A faithful version is Attendance is required of junior students alone.
Where this leads next
With your wording secure, the last step is to check the summary against the task focus. You can practise choosing points and writing your own sentences in the summary selection and paraphrase studio, then compare two drafts in the writing revision compare view.
If you want someone to compare your paraphrases with the source, a teacher in online one-to-one English First Language tuition can do that. They can show you exactly where the strength slipped.