Paraphrasing is the process of putting someone else’s written or spoken words in your own way. Paraphrasing s about changing the words in a piece of content in a way that preserves the original meaning.
Paraphrasing has major applications in the academic and web content writing domains. If you want to learn how you can paraphrase effectively, then you are at the right place.
In this article, we are going to share with you all you need to know about paraphrasing and a step-by-step guide that you can use to paraphrase any piece of content.
What is Paraphrasing?
Paraphrasing involves rewording source content using different words, sentences, and writing styles. Proper paraphrasing requires you to properly read and understand the central idea of a piece of content.
Once you have got that down, you can use your own writing style to present the same idea. If you are having a hard time paraphrasing content manually, you can use this Paraphrasing tool to automate the process.
Still, paraphrasing is an important skill to learn that can go a long way for you. In this article, we are going to walk you through some basic steps that you can use to paraphrase any piece of content that you want.
How to Paraphrase Step-By-Step
How To Paraphrase Step-By-Step Guide & Examples has been discussed below, all you need to do is calm down and read to the end.
Step 1: Read & Understand the Source Text
You need to have a clear understanding of the concept at hand before paraphrasing it. You can’t paraphrase well if you don’t know the intent of the content.
Paraphrasing is about changing the words in a piece of content, but the meaning should stay the same. And if your paraphrased content gives off a different meaning than the source, then that is not paraphrasing.
So, you need to sit down with the content, read it through and through, and understand what the source material is all about.
Once you have a clear idea about the intent of the content, you can go on and start working on paraphrasing it.
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Step 2: Highlight the Important Points
When you are reading the content, it would be better to highlight the important points in the content. If you are reading on a piece of paper, you can try using a highlighter to mark the important points.
If you are using Microsoft Word or some other word processes, you can use the highlight text features. What this does is, it helps you figure out the exact points that you need to cover in the paraphrased version.
Example:
Topic: Challenges of Remote Team Collaboration
There is no denying that remote working has changed the business dynamics significantly over the past decade. With advancements in communication technology, there has been a surge of corporate organizations and businesses that hire employees and create remote teams for carrying out their operations. As with every other business strategy, there are both positive sides and negative aspects of remote teams for a business.
Step 3: Change Words with Their Synonyms
The most basic approach when paraphrasing a piece of content involves changing words with their synonyms. You can use a dictionary or an online thesaurus for that purpose.
You start by changing the most prominent words in a piece of content. Some synonyms might require you to change the sentence a bit, to accommodate for the changed words.
When using synonyms, you need to choose the words that sit well with the meaning and tone of the content. Also, try to use simpler words that the common audience understands. Using overly complicated words is only going to make things harder for the readers.
Source Text:
Hiring individuals who work from home or some Coworking space is financially less draining. If you choose to hire remote employees, you will not have to pay for their working spaces, commute expenses, car insurance, and many other costs. The employees will be working from wherever they feel comfortable while you can save a bunch of money.
Paraphrased Version:
Hiring people who work from home or some Coworking space is financially less difficult. If you choose to hire far-off employees, you will not have to pay for their working spaces, travel expenses, car insurance, and many other expenses. The employees will be working from wherever they feel easy while you can save a lot of money.
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Step 4: Changes Sentence Structure
If changing the words with their synonyms doesn’t work for you, you can try changing the sentence structure. There are many ways you can change the sentence structure.
For example, you can try breaking large sentences into smaller ones. Along with that, you can try changing the active voice to a passive voice and vice versa.
When changing the sentences, you just need to make sure that the central idea of the content stays the same. Changing the sentence voice eliminates the risk of plagiarism from the content.
You can also paraphrase online using a paraphrasing tool to get the reworded version of the source with a different sentence structure.
While changing the sentence structure, make sure to keep things as natural as possible. Above everything else, your paraphrased version should be written in such a way that feels natural to the readers.
Source Text:
Giving your employees the freedom to work from home or wherever they feel comfortable makes them work with more dedication and resolve. They don’t have to worry about reaching the office before a certain time and wearing appropriate clothing etc. And so, they can focus more on actual work and get more done.
Paraphrased Version:
You should offer your employees the freedom to work from their homes. It is going to inspire them more and they will want to work with more dedication. If your employees have to worry about reaching the office early, it is going to have an impact on their performance. By eliminating these restrictions, they would get to focus more. It is going to help them get more things done in less time.
Step 5: Use Quotations
When writing about an idea, when you are compelled to use the exact words as the source content, you can do that by using quotations. You can put the content under quotes and describe the name of the source.
Using the content as it is without using quotes would come under plagiarism. Doing this is going to have an impact on your professional reputation.
The use of quotes is quite simple. You just need to mention the source and then write what they said in inverted commas.
Source Text:
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. famously said, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
Paraphrased Version:
There is a popular quote by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, that says, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
Step 6: Make it Short
Another aim of paraphrasing is to make the content short and concise. When you have source content that feels quite long and you feel like you can make it shorter, this is where paraphrasing comes in.
When making the content short, you need to make sure that it covers the basic idea of the source. You don’t want to skip any important details when making the content concise. Also, it is going to help you find the useless information that you can skip as well.
Source Text:
This is a big issue when it comes to remote working. If your team members work from various locations and they have to communicate constantly with you and with each other, there might be some communication gaps due to different time zones or simply due to the employee’s negligence in communicating properly which can reduce productivity greatly.
Paraphrased Version:
Communication problems are the major issue with remote working. When you have to collaborate with a remote team in a different part of the world, the difference in time zones can affect communication which ultimately affects productivity.
Step 7: Proofread the Content
Once you are done paraphrasing the content, you need to go over it one more time to ensure that your paraphrased version reflects the context of the original content.
This is going to help you see the potential improvements that you can make to further improve the paraphrased version. Plus, it is also going to help you find and eliminate grammatical mistakes in your content.
Proofreading is an underrated task that beginner writers often overlook. When you are paraphrasing a piece of content, you need to make sure that you proofread the content so that it stays up to the mark.
Final Words
Paraphrasing requires you to have a great vocabulary and command of language principles. You can’t paraphrase well if you don’t have the right words to express an idea. But with practice, you can get better at it eventually.
We have talked about some of the most basic paraphrasing principles in this article in a step-by-step format. You can go over these steps to streamline your paraphrasing process.
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