paraphrasing test with answers

Paraphrasing MCQ Quiz With Answers

Hone your paraphrasing skills with this interactive multiple-choice quiz, complete with answers for self-assessment! This quiz is designed to test your ability to accurately restate information in your own words while maintaining the original meaning. You'll be presented with various sentences, and your task is to choose the best paraphrased version from the options provided. Mastering paraphrasing is crucial for effective communication, writing, and critical thinking. This quiz will help you practice rewording sentences, avoiding plagiarism, and improving your overall comprehension skills. Whether you're preparing for an exam, working on an essay, or simply looking to enhance your language proficiency, Read more this quiz is an excellent tool for learning and improvement. With instant feedback and answers included, you can easily track your progress and identify areas that need more practice. Challenge yourself, improve your paraphrasing abilities, and become a paraphrasing pro with this engaging and informative quiz!

Paraphrasing MCQ Questions and Answers

What is a paraphrase .

Exact language from a source used in an essay.

Restatement of an idea or phrase in a source. Always written in the writer’s own language.

Some phrases that come from a source are mixed in with a writer's own language.

Same as plagiarism.

Rate this question:

A paraphrase has quotation marks around it. 

A paraphrase mimics the sentence structure of the original source. , a paraphrase uses the exact same language as a source but doesn't include quotation marks. , a paraphrase is always cited.  , which of the following is an appropriate paraphrase of this original language from a source  original language: "small dogs make more aggressive companions because they see themselves as personal protectors, while large dogs see the entire property as their domain." from an article titled "why your dog is yippy" by writer john brown, published in dog magazine  on page 27. .

John Brown says that small dogs see themselves as personal protectors, and not guards of the entire property.

John Brown says that small dogs are aggressive because they see themselves as bodyguards, but large dogs see the entire property as their domain.

According to John Brown, smaller dogs see themselves as bodyguards devoted to an individual.

John Brown says, "Small dogs make more aggressive companions because they see themselves as personal protectors, while large dogs see the entire property as their domain."

What should come in the body of the essay before a writer paraphrases? 

Signal phrases or Introductory phrases

A quotation

Only the writer's name

All paraphrases must be cited. 

Paraphrasing is the same as summarizing., we should not use paraphrasing in a formal essay. .

Quiz Review Timeline +

Our quizzes are rigorously reviewed, monitored and continuously updated by our expert board to maintain accuracy, relevance, and timeliness.

• Current Version
• Mar 22, 2024 Quiz Edited by ProProfs Editorial Team Expert Reviewed by Juliette Firla
• Aug 10, 2012 Quiz Created by Shelle Stormoe

Related Topics

• Writing Process

Featured Quizzes

Popular Topics

• Conditional Sentence Quizzes

Related Quizzes

Wait! Here's an interesting quiz for you.

Paraphrasing and Summarizing Exercises with Answers

Paraphrasing and Summarizing are two skills that are highly useful for writers. With these two techniques, writers can get help creating their content and providing it to their readers in an easy-to-peruse way.

However, if you happen to be new to the field of writing, you could be a little unaware and untrained in both these skills. But don’t worry. Everyone starts out as a beginner.

In this post, we’re going to be looking at some  paraphrasing and summarizing  exercises along with their answers and explanations. By following along, you’ll get a good idea about how you can use these techniques in your own capacity.

Let’s begin!

What is Paraphrasing and Summarizing?

Before we get to the exercises, let’s digress a little and understand what paraphrasing and summarization actually are.

Let’s start with paraphrasing.

Paraphrasing  is the process in which a particular piece of content is reworded and rephrased in such a way that it looks different from its original version but it has the same meaning and context.

A simple example of paraphrasing would be to change “John likes his cat” to “John adores his feline pet”. Paraphrasing can be as slight as merely changing some words in the text, or it can be as drastic as fully changing the tone, structure, order, and words of the content.

On the other hand,  Summarizing  is the process in which a piece of content is shrunk and shortened to about one-tenth of its original size. In this shortened version, the main idea and concept of the content is provided.

Summarization is usually used by authors and writers when they want to give a brief outline of a book or article to their readers.

Now that we’ve looked at the definitions of both, let’s move ahead to look at some exercises.

Paraphrasing Exercises (with Answers)

The main purpose of providing these exercises along with their answers is to help you understand what these techniques look like when they are implemented. Since we have explained their core definition above, you can try and work along the exercises to improve your skills a little as well.

Related:  Difference Between Paraphrasing And Rephrasing

Paraphrasing Exercise # 1:

Here is a sample paragraph that we will be paraphrasing as an exercise. We’ll write the paragraph alone first, and then provide the answer after a brief explanation.

Sample Paragraph:

"John could not find the butter in his fridge. He went to buy some from the store. On coming back, he saw his cat sitting on the floor, smacking its lips. There was some yellow stuff smeared all around its face. Thus, John solved the mystery of the missing butter."

So, as we mentioned earlier, paraphrasing can be done simply and sparingly, or it can be done drastically.

One of the primary and basic ways of paraphrasing is to simply change some words in the provided content with their synonyms. This is, we reiterate, a very basic level of paraphrasing, and it is often very easy to see through it.

So, for this first exercise, we are going to be doing only that level of paraphrasing as a way to illustrate how it looks like.

Here is what the above paragraph looks like when paraphrased:

Paraphrased Paragraph:

"John could not locate the butter in the refrigerator. He went to purchase some from the shop. On coming back, he observed his cat sitting on the ground, licking its lips. There was some yellow material smeared all around its face. Hence, John solved the mystery of the missing butter."

While we are on this discussion, it will also be salubrious to understand that when changing words with their synonyms for the purpose of paraphrasing, you have to be careful that you pick those that don’t mess up the context and intent of the lines.

Paraphrasing Exercise # 2:

Moving on, let’s look at another paraphrasing exercise. Here is the paragraph that we will be using for this one:

"John’s cat got lost in the forest. He went looking for it in the night time. He heard some movement in one of the bushes. He put his hand in and felt the fur. He pulled the thing out, thinking it to be his cat. After coming home, he realized it was an angry raccoon."

We mentioned in the last exercise that the basic level of paraphrasing is to change some of the words in the given text with their synonyms. And we also mentioned how that sort of paraphrasing can be easily detected.

So, for writers who want to paraphrase something in such a way that it does not resemble its original form a lot, there’s a step further that they can go, and that is to change the sentence structures + phrases.

Essentially, by changing the phrases used in the content as well as the arrangement of the sentences, the overall look of the paraphrased piece looks very different. If someone wants to go even ahead of that, they can shuffle the sentence  order  as well.

Considering this type of ‘extensive’ paraphrasing, here is the answer to the paragraph given above:

"John’s cat went missing in the forest. He went to search for it when it was dark. He discerned some movement in the hedge. After putting his hand inside it, he felt some fur. Thinking that it was his cat, he pulled the animal out. It was only after coming home that he realized that it was a frustrated raccoon."

Read more: How And Why to Paraphrase Your Content?

Summarizing Exercises (with Answers)

Now that we have looked at the paraphrasing exercises, let’s move on to look at some for summarizing.

Just as we’ve looked at two types of paraphrasing above, we’ll also look at two different types of summarizing.

Actually, it’ll be better if we explain those two types before getting to the exercises.

Basically, there are  two types of summaries . One of them is called  extractive  and the other is called  abstractive .

In extractive summarization, the summary of a piece of content is generated merely by taking out some sentences from it and joining them together. This is usually the type of summaries that you get from automated tools.

When extractive summaries are created, there is no effort to understand the actual meaning and context of the text. Rather, the purpose is only to take some lines from it and join them together in such a way that they make sense.

On the other hand, abstractive summaries are those that are written using a completely new and different set of words, phrases and sentences than the content (that is being summarized). As opposed to extractive summarization, abstractive summarization involves understanding the meaning and context of the text, and then creating a completely new summary that features all those concepts and ideas.

Summarizing Exercise # 1 (Extractive)

In order to demonstrate and explain extractive summarization, we’re going to first write a paragraph here and then provide its summary afterwards:

Sample paragraph:

"John’s car broke down. He stopped by the road side and screamed at people to stop and help him. But no one stopped for him. He continued howling and howling for hours. People kept driving by. After getting tired, he picked up a sheet and wrapped it around himself. Then, he started spinning on his spot. He grew dizzy. He kept spinning and spinning until he fell asleep."

Now, since we have to use the “extractive” summarization technique here, we’ll create the summary using the lines and sentences used in the content itself.

"John’s car broke down. But no one stopped for him. Then, he started spinning on the spot. He kept spinning and spinning until he fell asleep."

Summarizing Exercise # 2 (Abstractive)

For this exercise, we will use the same para that we did above. However, the technique used for the summarization will be different.

Since we will be using the abstractive technique here, the summary will be created using different words and phrases as the original.

"John’s vehicle went phut. But, no one stopped their car to help him. After he was tired, he made himself dizzy by spinning and then went to sleep."

So, that’s about it.

If you were a little confused about paraphrasing and summarization techniques, hopefully you’re a little more confident about them now.

These skills can come in handy for writers in a lot of different situations. If you don’t have the hang of them already, you should try and get it as quick as you can.

Test: Paraphrasing Test Questions

29 multiple choice questions.

Definition To reword someone else's sentence with the same meaning. Choose matching term Paraphrase Verb Noun Paraphrasing Don't know? 1 of 29

Term Synonym Choose matching definition Rephrasing text to convey the same meaning differently. A word that sounds similar to another word. A word with the same meaning as another word. A word that is used in a specific context only. Don't know? 2 of 29

Definition An alternative term for education. Choose matching term Critical Thinking Learning Schooling Education Don't know? 3 of 29

Term Most significant Choose matching definition A synonym for 'country'. An alternative term for education. A synonym for 'factor'. An alternative for 'most important'. Don't know? 4 of 29

Term Aspect Choose matching definition A synonym for 'factor'. An alternative for 'most important'. A synonym for 'development'. Altering sentence organization for a different perspective. Don't know? 5 of 29

Term Advancement Choose matching definition A synonym for 'factor'. A synonym for 'country'. A synonym for 'development'. Altering sentence organization for a different perspective. Don't know? 6 of 29

Term Nation Choose matching definition A synonym for 'development'. An alternative for 'most important'. A synonym for 'country'. Altering sentence organization for a different perspective. Don't know? 7 of 29

Term Element Choose matching definition Altering sentence organization for a different perspective. An alternative for 'most important'. A synonym for 'development'. A synonym for 'factor'. Don't know? 8 of 29

Term Progression Choose matching definition A synonym for 'factor'. A synonym for 'country'. A synonym for 'development'. Altering sentence organization for a different perspective. Don't know? 9 of 29

Term Evolution Choose matching definition A synonym for 'factor'. A synonym for 'development'. A synonym for 'country'. Altering sentence organization for a different perspective. Don't know? 10 of 29

Term Most essential Choose matching definition An alternative for 'most important'. A synonym for 'country'. A synonym for 'development'. A synonym for 'factor'. Don't know? 11 of 29

Term Significant role Choose matching definition An alternative for 'most important'. A synonym for 'factor'. A synonym for 'development'. Altering sentence organization for a different perspective. Don't know? 12 of 29

Term Part Choose matching definition A synonym for 'development'. An alternative for 'most important'. Altering sentence organization for a different perspective. A synonym for 'factor'. Don't know? 13 of 29

Term Paraphrasing Choose matching definition Rephrasing text to convey the same meaning differently. Condensing text to make it shorter. Elaborating on a text to add more details. Translating text into a different language. Don't know? 14 of 29

Definition Words with similar meanings used for variety. Choose matching term Paraphrase Indexes Synonyms Antonyms Don't know? 15 of 29

Term Structure Change Choose matching definition Adding more adjectives to enhance a sentence. Removing unnecessary words from a sentence. Changing the meaning of a sentence entirely. Altering sentence organization for a different perspective. Don't know? 16 of 29

Term Concessions Choose matching definition Debating with someone to prove them wrong. Ignoring other viewpoints to strengthen your argument. Presenting only your opinion without any evidence. Acknowledging opposing views before presenting your opinion. Don't know? 17 of 29

Term Critical Thinking Choose matching definition Accepting information without questioning it. Evaluating multiple perspectives to form a judgment. Relying on popular opinion to form a view. Making decisions based solely on emotions. Don't know? 18 of 29

Term Education Choose matching definition A minor aspect of a country's culture. A tool for entertainment and leisure activities. An optional part of personal growth. Key factor in a nation's development and progress. Don't know? 19 of 29

Definition Word representing a person, place, thing, or idea. Choose matching term Adverb Noun Verb Paraphrase Don't know? 20 of 29

Definition Action or state of being in a sentence. Choose matching term Verb Vocabulary Noun Paraphrase Don't know? 21 of 29

Term Adjective Choose matching definition Evaluating multiple perspectives to form a judgment. Word describing a noun or pronoun. Words with similar meanings used for variety. Word representing a person, place, thing, or idea. Don't know? 22 of 29

Definition Arrangement of words and phrases in a sentence. Choose matching term Formation Perspective Process Structure Don't know? 23 of 29

Definition Point of view or way of looking at things. Choose matching term Perception Perspective Vernacular Concessions Don't know? 24 of 29

Term Opposing Opinion Choose matching definition A persuasive technique used in writing. Contrary viewpoint to the one being presented. An agreement or consensus reached by a group. A summary of the main points in an argument. Don't know? 25 of 29

Term Judgment Choose matching definition An emotional response to a situation. A random guess made without thought. A statement of fact that requires no analysis. Decision or conclusion based on careful consideration. Don't know? 26 of 29

Definition Range of words known or used by an individual. Choose matching term Comprehension Vocabulary Dictionary Spelling Don't know? 27 of 29

Term Quiz Choose matching definition A written report summarizing research findings. A type of educational game played in groups. Test of knowledge or skills, often with questions. An informal discussion about a topic. Don't know? 28 of 29

Definition Tools or materials that aid in learning or understanding. Choose matching term Services Resources Structure Education Don't know? 29 of 29

Home » English Grammar Tests » Paraphrasing MCQ Exercise 5

Paraphrasing MCQ Exercise 5

I would rather live in the suburbs.

We had never met before the night of the party.

I was accompanied by my brother and his wife.

I had the weirdest dream I have ever had last night.

They reduced the cost of the vegetables as there was an overproduction this year.

The plumbing in the bathroom was very old so we had to replace it.

The child sat next to his mother and quietly coloured his book while his mother completed her work.

Private schools in Turkey have become rather popular over the last ten years.

It would be appropriate to take advantage of the offer that was made to you yesterday.

It is really difficult to bring him around to my point of view.

James had second thoughts about taking the children to the zoo.

It is a pity that so many animals have died out over the last one hundred years.

Would you mind keeping an eye on the milk?

After the loss of their parents, the older child devoted himself to his younger siblings.

There are times when I feel overwhelmed with the responsibilities that I have to face.

Rick is planning to learn more about the stock market before making an investment.

The committee was upset with the decision made by the board of trustees.

The survival of the passengers whose plane crashed in the mountains was remarkable.

The cashier at the bank, Alan, was shot during the robbery attempt.

I get sentimental any time I see romantic movies.

Download PDF version of this test.

Previous Posts

We welcome your comments, questions, corrections, reporting typos and additional information relating to this content.

Advanced Paraphrasing Tool

Elevate your writing with our free and ai-powered paraphraser. instantly correct or rephrase your sentences in different tones., paraphrasing tool, please rewrite my sentence, what is paraphrasing.

Paraphrasing is the art of rewriting text into other words. This includes using synonyms, restructuring phrases, and connecting ideas in different ways. A state-of-the-art paraphraser provides automatic and simple-to-use rephrasing of complete sentences.

Why Should I Paraphrase My Sentences?

By paraphrasing existing sentences, you can elevate your writing and achieve different goals as a writer. That’s why rephrasing is helpful in plenty of cases: rewriting citations, strengthening the message of your text, and rewording your ideas while improving style.

How Does Rephrasing Help Me Become a Better Writer?

This feature is highly customizable, meaning you’re in control. Choose from five different categories—general, formal, concise, fluent, or simple—to transform your writing to better suit the context and tone. Paraphrasing helps you by refining and perfecting your masterpieces.

Where Can I Use the Paraphrasing Tool?

Rephrasing is available wherever and whenever! All you need is a LanguageTool account and a stable internet connection to rewrite your sentences in almost all of LanguageTool's extensions. The feature is easily accessible for everyone that aims to improve their writing.

Thunderbird

What exactly does an online paraphraser do.

LanguageTool’s paraphrasing feature does so much more than just rewrite sentences. Not only does it check for stronger, more suitable word choice, but it also corrects your sentence as a whole to ensure high-quality writing. With its intuitive and user-friendly interface, everyone can leverage Artificial Intelligence to achieve the best results possible.

What Other Features Does LanguageTool’s Paraphraser Provide?

The best part of using A.I. to paraphrase your writing is that the suggested sentences come free of spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. Want to also improve style? Simply go back to the general correction to view stylistic suggestions.

As multilingual as you

Make your text sound professional and avoid embarrassing style, punctuation, and grammar mistakes

It’s an online tool that rewrites texts in a new (stylistically different) way by using alternative wording and a rephrased sentence structure.

This function is recommended for all types of texts, including professional, academic, and creative writing. It’s available for all LanguageTool users, but unlimited paraphrasing is only available in Premium.

A paraphrasing tool can easily enhance your writing by improving the tone and style of your text. Moreover, it helps you avoid having to write direct citations by rewriting copy-and-pasted text.

Premium accounts offer even more useful and powerful features:

Only with Premium

Sentence correction of longer texts

Style guide for customizing individual rules

Team features for companies

More in-depth suggestions, especially for word choice and style

How Can I Effectively Use the Rephrasing Tool?

For basic users, the paraphrasing feature is limited to three times daily. If you need more rephrased sentences, you can upgrade to LanguageTool Premium to get access to unlimited paraphrasing in six languages and several English dialects. Remember: No personal data is stored (ever) and privacy guidelines are strictly followed (always).

Strengthen Your Communication Skills

Try out the best paraphrasing tool for free and discover how LanguageTool can elevate your writing.

Paraphrasing Exercises with Answers

If you are Looking for paraphrasing Exercises with answers, then this is the page for you!

Paraphrasing is one of the most accessible tools in the English language that allows you to create original content from scratch. Anyone can do a little bit of research of their own online and comfortably talk about their findings to make new articles or produce a research report. The scale of paraphrasing is quite an importance in the life of anyone who is into writing a lot of stuff. It is an acquired Academic skill which can be perfected with the help of some practice.

Note: If you are someone who has to write content in your day to day life regularly, then using our rewording website will help you to produce excellent articles instantly.

Let’s get back to our article, many of our readers have asked us about how one can get better at paraphrasing articles. The answer to that comes from the simple saying of practice makes perfect.

ABOUT PARAPHRASING

Paraphrasing can be put into simple words by just saying that it is the procedure of rewording information . It involves researching multiple sources online, and when one puts their understanding of the subject into their own words, It is known as paraphrasing. dig deeper and learn more about the meaning of paraphrasing .

HOW TO GET BETTER AT PARAPHRASING

To get better at paraphrasing ,  specific rules and regulations need to be followed while trying to create your content. Following these basic necessary steps will help you improve your technique at paraphrasing:

• Read the text thoroughly to understand it.
• When you feel that now you have enough knowledge about the subject, try to write a paraphrase about it.
• Speak your thoughts out while writing a paraphrase to write it better.
• Repeat steps 1 to 3 if you forget any essential topics from the original passage.
• After completing your paraphrase read the source material to confirm all topics have been mentioned in your paraphrase.

Paraphrasing Exercises

Here are a few paraphrasing exercises to help you practice your paraphrasing skills.

Exercise 1:

Original: Condenser microphones have been a part of society for a long time now. Because of their fantastic sound quality that has been little to no innovation in the mic industry for over 30 years now. The basics of condenser mic have remained the same which allow countless many new manufacturers to create great mic for low prices. One such example of this comes from China where the patent laws are quite loose. Now anyone can buy a decent condenser mic just under the price of a pizza.

Paraphrase: Condenser microphones have been around for a long time, maintaining the same technology for over 30 years due to their excellent sound quality. This stability has allowed many new manufacturers to produce high-quality mics at low prices. For instance, in China, where patent laws are lax, you can get a decent condenser mic for the price of a pizza.

Exercise 2:

Original: The advancements in artificial intelligence have revolutionized many industries, from healthcare to finance. Machines are now capable of learning and improving their performance without human intervention.”

Paraphrase: Artificial intelligence has transformed various fields, including healthcare and finance. Machines can now learn and enhance their performance independently.”

Exercise 3:

Original: Global warming is a pressing issue that affects every aspect of our lives. It is caused primarily by the increase in greenhouse gases due to human activities like deforestation and burning fossil fuels.

Paraphrase: Global warming impacts all areas of life and is a major concern. It’s mainly driven by higher greenhouse gas levels from activities such as deforestation and burning fossil fuels.

Exercise 4:

Original: Social media platforms have drastically changed the way we communicate and interact with each other. They provide instant access to information and allow people to stay connected regardless of their geographical location.

Paraphrase: Social media has significantly altered our communication and interactions. These platforms offer instant information access and keep people connected, no matter where they are.

Exercise 5:

Original: Eating a balanced diet is crucial for maintaining good health. It provides the necessary nutrients that our bodies need to function properly and helps prevent chronic diseases.

Paraphrased: A balanced diet is essential for good health. It supplies the vital nutrients our bodies need and helps prevent chronic illnesses.

Exercise 6:

Original: The rise of remote work has changed the traditional office environment. Employees now have the flexibility to work from anywhere, which has led to increased job satisfaction and productivity.

Paraphrase: “Remote work has transformed the typical office setup. Workers can now work from any location, boosting job satisfaction and productivity.”

Exercise 7:

Original: Renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, are becoming increasingly popular. They provide a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels and help reduce our carbon footprint.

Paraphrase: Solar and wind power, as renewable energy sources, are growing in popularity. They offer a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels and help lower our carbon footprint.

Exercise 8:

Original: Learning a new language can be challenging but rewarding. It opens up opportunities for personal and professional growth and helps you connect with people from different cultures.

Paraphrase: Learning a new language is tough but beneficial. It creates personal and professional opportunities and helps you engage with diverse cultures.

Here’s what I did to generate the paraphrased versions above:

• Read and Understand : Fully understood the original text.
• Identify Key Points : Identified the main ideas and key points.
• Rephrase : Used This tool to rewrote the sentences using different words and structures while keeping the original meaning intact.
• Simplify : Used simpler language and shorter sentences to enhance clarity.
• Maintain Context : Ensured the new version still made sense within the context.

Other Helpful Resources:

Summarizing and paraphrasing examples.

• When to Paraphrase ?
• The 10 types of paraphrasing
• The Best Paraphrasing tools and Apps
• How to Rewrite AI Generated Text to Human style ?
• ← Summarizing and Paraphrasing Examples
• When to Use Dashes Between Words? →

You May Also Like

Why Paraphrasing is Important?

Types of Paraphrasing

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

🍪 We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understood our Privacy and Policy

• Literary Terms

Paraphrase Quiz

• Definition & Examples
• When & How to Use paraphrase

1. What is paraphrasing?

a. rephrasing an original statement

b. summarizing and shortening

c. stealing someone else’s words

d. a type of summarization

2. When can paraphrasing be used?

a. in a documentary

b. on a news report

c. in a formal essay

d. all of the above

3. What is the difference between paraphrasing and summarizing?

a. summarizing shortens, whereas paraphrasing only rephrases

b. summarizing rephrases, whereas paraphrasing shortens

c. paraphrasing always lengthens whereas summarizing only sometimes lengthens

d. paraphrasing and summarizing are the same thing

4. Which of the following is the best possible paraphrasing of this statement? We were able to save the day thanks to teamwork and innovative thinking.

a. We saved the day with teamwork and creative thinking.

b. Because we worked together and used innovation, we made it work.

c. Thanks to innovative thinking and teamwork, we were able to save the day.

d. We were able to save the day together.

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

Have an account?

Suggestions for you See more

Tier One Words

Kg -  1st  , kindergarten spelling, near and far, countries and nationalities, articles a an the.

Paraphrasing

12 questions

Introducing new   Paper mode

No student devices needed.   Know more

• 1. Multiple Choice Edit 30 seconds 1 pt Which is the best paraphrase of the following sentence? Deserts cover one fifth of the surface of the Earth.  Deserts cover one fifth of the Earth. One fifth of the Earth's surface is desert. Deserts cover one fifth of the Earth. Deserts cover more than half of the Earth's surface.
• 2. Multiple Choice Edit 30 seconds 1 pt What is the best paraphrase of the following sentence? A type of shark called a shortfin mako can leap 20 feet above the surface of the water. A shark can leap 20 feet out of the water, it is called a shortfin mako.  The shortfin mako shark can jump above the surface of water. A shortfin mako is a kind of shark that can leap 20 feet out of the water.  A shortfin mako can jump 20 feet above the surface of the water.
• 3. Multiple Choice Edit 1 minute 1 pt What is the best paraphrase of the following sentence? Brazil is the largest country in South America and Suriname is the smallest.  The biggest country in South America is Brazil, while the tiniest is Suriname. Suriname and Brazil the largest and smallest countries in Brazil. The largest country is Brazil and the smallest country is Suriname, and they are both countries in Brazil. The two countries of Brazil and Suriname are two countries in Brazil.
• 4. Multiple Choice Edit 1 minute 1 pt Choose the sentence that BEST paraphrases this sentence: A high school student usually has summer reading assignments. A high school student always has homework assignments in the summer. It is common for students in high school to have summer reading assignments. Usually school aged students have summer reading assignments. Most summer school students have high school reading to do.
• 5. Multiple Choice Edit 30 seconds 1 pt Choose the BEST paraphrase of this sentence: Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, has been an important market and trading place for hundreds of years. (World Book Illustrated Atlas page 103) Tashkent and Uzbekistan are important places to trade hundreds of things in the market. The Uzbekistan capital city of Tashkent has been a major market and trading place for centuries. For hundreds of years, Tashkent has been the capital of Uzbekistan and trading places now is important for the market. Uzbekistan is a popular place for markets and for hundreds of years Tashkent has been trading its capital goods.
• 6. Multiple Choice Edit 30 seconds 1 pt   Choose the BEST paraphrase of this text:  Lionel Messi earns a whopping $39.6 million a year for playing striker for La Liga's Barcelona team. (Scholastic Book of World Records 2011 page 99) Lionel Messi earns a whopping $39.6 million a year for playing striker for La Liga's Barcelona team. According to Scholastic Book of World Records 2011, I think it is great that soccer player Lionel Messi earns a whopping $39.6 million a year for playing striker for La Liga's Barcelona team! Soccer player Lionel Messi earns a whopping $39.6 million a year for playing soccer as striker/winger for La Liga's Barcelona team. Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain. According to Scholastic Book of World Records 2011, soccer player Lionel Messi makes over $39 million dollars annually. This impressive salary is from his work as a striker for La Liga's Barcelona team (page 99).
• 7. Multiple Choice Edit 30 seconds 1 pt Which is the best paraphrase of the following sentence? Dragonflies have six legs, but they can’t walk.  Dragonflies have six legs but cannot walk, and I think that this is odd. Dragonflies have six legs. Although Dragonflies have six legs, they cannot walk at all.  Even though they have six legs, dragonflies can’t walk. 
• 8. Multiple Choice Edit 30 seconds 1 pt Which is the best paraphrase of the following sentence? Dragonflies have six legs, but they can’t walk.  Dragonflies have six legs but cannot walk, and I think that this is odd. Dragonflies have six legs. Although Dragonflies have six legs, they cannot walk at all.  Even though they have six legs, dragonflies can’t walk. 
• 9. Multiple Choice Edit 1 minute 1 pt Choose the BEST paraphrase of these sentences: Rugby football is the most popular sport in New Zealand. Most villages, towns, and districts have their own teams. (World Book Atlas page 212) Of all sports played in New Zealand, rugby football is the most popular. Most areas even have their own teams. Rugby and football are the most popular sports in the area of New Zealand. Every village, town, and district has teams. New Zealand sports include rugby football in most districts, villages, and towns. Most villages, districts, and towns in New Zealand love rugby football and popular sports.
• 10. Multiple Choice Edit 30 seconds 1 pt  Choose the BEST paraphrase of this text:  The giant rafflesia, also known as "the stinking corpse lily" has blossoms that can reach three feet in diameter and weigh up to twenty five pounds. The flowers give off a smell similar to rotting meat. The stinking corpse lily, also known as the giant rafflesia has blossoms. They can get pretty big and the blossoms stink. A flower with the nickname "the stinking corpse lily" produces an odor like rotting meat. The real name of this huge flower that can weigh as much as twenty five pounds is the giant rafflesia. The giant rafflesia, also known as "the stinking corpse lily" has blossoms that can reach three feet in diameter and weigh up to twenty five pounds. The flowers give off a smell similar to rotting meat. There are flowers give off a smell similar to rotting meat. The giant rafflesia, also known as "the stinking corpse lily" has blossoms that can reach three feet in diameter and weigh up to twenty five pounds.
• 11. Multiple Choice Edit 30 seconds 1 pt When do you have to cite your sources? We do not have to cite sources. Only if your teacher tells you to. Whenever you use information from an author or a reference source. Only when you have time.
• 12. Multiple Choice Edit 30 seconds 1 pt How should an in-text citation look? (Seuss, 1974) Dr. Seuss, book (Dr. Seuss, Cat in the Hat) (Cat in the Hat)

Explore all questions with a free account

Continue with email

Continue with phone

Have a language expert improve your writing

Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, generate accurate citations for free.

• Knowledge Base
• Working with sources
• How to Paraphrase | Step-by-Step Guide & Examples

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

Published on April 8, 2022 by Courtney Gahan and Jack Caulfield. Revised on June 1, 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 integrate sources by paraphrasing 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 .

What is your plagiarism score?

Compare your paper with 99.3 billion webpages and 8 million publications.

• Best plagiarism checker of 2021
• Plagiarism report & percentage
• Largest plagiarism database

Scribbr Plagiarism Checker

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. summarizing, avoiding plagiarism when you paraphrase, other interesting articles, 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.

Scribbr Citation Checker New

The AI-powered Citation Checker helps you avoid common mistakes such as:

• Missing commas and periods
• Incorrect usage of “et al.”
• Ampersands (&) in narrative citations
• Missing reference entries

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)
• Introduced the information with the signal phrase “Scientists believe that …”
• 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

Prevent plagiarism. run a free check..

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 analyzing 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 summarizing .

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), summarizing is more appropriate.

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

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.

Paraphrasing tools are widely used by students, and can be especially useful for non-native speakers who may find academic writing particularly challenging. While these can be helpful for a bit of extra inspiration, use these tools sparingly, keeping academic integrity in mind.

To make sure you’ve properly paraphrased and cited all your sources, you could elect to run a plagiarism check before submitting your paper. And of course, always be sure to read your source material yourself and take the first stab at paraphrasing on your own.

If you want to know more about ChatGPT, AI tools , citation , and plagiarism , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

• ChatGPT vs human editor
• ChatGPT citations
• Is ChatGPT trustworthy?
• Using ChatGPT for your studies
• What is ChatGPT?
• Chicago style
• Critical thinking

 Plagiarism

• Types of plagiarism
• Self-plagiarism
• Avoiding plagiarism
• Academic integrity
• Consequences of plagiarism
• Common knowledge

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 cite the source . This means including an in-text citation and a full reference, formatted according to your required citation style .

As well as citing, 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 in 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 in your own words and properly cite the source .

Try our services

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 Citation Generator.

Gahan, C. & Caulfield, J. (2023, June 01). How to Paraphrase | Step-by-Step Guide & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved September 24, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/working-with-sources/how-to-paraphrase/

Is this article helpful?

Courtney Gahan

Other students also liked, how to write a summary | guide & examples, how to quote | citing quotes in apa, mla & chicago, how to avoid plagiarism | tips on citing sources, get unlimited documents corrected.

✔ Free APA citation check included ✔ Unlimited document corrections ✔ Specialized in correcting academic texts

Paraphrasing

• Why Paraphrase?
• Paraphrasing Is a Process
• Step 1: Read
• Step 2: Take Notes
• Step 3: Think About What You Read
• Step 4: Write It In Your Own Words
• Step 5: Cite Your Source
• Citing in APA
• Citing in MLA
• Paraphrasing Gone Bad Video
• What's Wrong With This Paraphrase? (A)
• What's Wrong With This Paraphrase? (B)
• What's Wrong With This Paraphrase? (C)

Test Yourself

On the next few pages, test yourself to see if you can tell good paraphrasing from bad.

• << Previous: Paraphrasing Gone Bad Video
• Next: What's Wrong With This Paraphrase? (A) >>
• Last Updated: Mar 27, 2024 4:34 PM
• URL: https://libguides.sjsu.edu/paraphrasing

Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Paraphrasing Exercise: Possible Answers

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

Here are sample answers for the paraphrasing exercise:

• According to Jacques Cousteau, the activity of people in Antarctica is jeopardizing a delicate natural mechanism that controls the earth's climate. He fears that human activity could interfere with the balance between the sun, the source of the earth's heat, and the important source of cold from Antarctic waters that flow north and cool the oceans and atmosphere ("Captain Cousteau" 17).
• During the twenties lawlessness and social nonconformity prevailed. In cities organized crime flourished without police interference, and in spite of nationwide prohibition of liquor sales, anyone who wished to buy a drink knew where to get one. Musicians like Louis Armstrong become favorites, particularly among young people, as many turned away from highly respectable classical music to jazz. One of the best examples of the anti-traditional trend was the proliferation of young "flappers," women who rebelled against custom by cutting off their hair and shortening their skirts (Yancey 25).
• The use of a helmet is the key to reducing bicycling fatalities, which are due to head injuries 75% of the time. By cushioning the head upon impact, a helmet can reduce accidental injury by as much as 85%, saving the lives of hundreds of victims annually, half of whom are school children ("Bike Helmets" 348).
• Matisse paintings are remarkable in giving the viewer the distinct sensory impressions of one experiencing the scene first hand. For instance, "The Casbah Gate" takes one to the walled city of Tangier and the Bab el Aassa gateway near the Sultan's palace, where one can imagine standing on an afternoon, absorbing the splash of colors and the fine outlines. Even the sentry, the bowaab vaguely eyeing those who come and go through the gate, blends into the scene as though real (Plagens 50).
• How much higher skyscrapers of the future will rise than the present world marvel, the Sears Tower, is unknown. However, the design of one twice as tall is already on the boards, and an architect, Robert Sobel, thinks we currently have sufficient know-how to build a skyscraper with over 500 stories (Bachman 15).

Your ideas,   better writing

We use AI to strengthen writing and boost productivity—without sacrificing authenticity.

Get the free app

Eight tools.  

One platform., paraphraser  .

Increase fluency

Grammar Checker  

Fix mistakes

Plagiarism Checker  

Prevent plagiarism

AI Detector  

Analyze text

Summarizer  

Summarize text

Citation Generator  

Cite sources

Translator  

Unlock languages

Write with AI

QuillBot empowers writers at...

AI that writes with you, not for you

QuillBot works alongside you to help you craft clear, polished, and professional writing — in a fraction of the time it usually takes. Welcome to the future of writing.

Perfect words, every time

Make your writing stand out. From spicing up sentences to stepping up style, our tools help your ideas shine. We enhance your ideas—we don’t replace them.

Speed without sacrifice

Say goodbye to all-nighters and nail-biters. QuillBot helps you conquer deadlines without reducing quality. It’s like giving your writing process rocket fuel.

Clear, confident communication

Stop stressing over pressing send. Instead, feel confident every message hits the mark. We straighten messy emails, erase embarrassing typos, and more.

Perfect any project with QuillBot

Ace your essays.

Stressing over a paper? No worries. QuillBot can help you draft an essay you’re proud of—and finish before the due date. Your professors will be impressed.

Write like a boss

Whether you’re drafting an important email or planning a big project, QuillBot infuses your writing with power, confidence, and professionalism.

Ignite your content flow

Create content that wows your audience in record time. Our features are specially designed for brainstorming, rewriting, and research.

Communicate clearly and fluently

Start sounding like a native speaker. Effortlessly transform your thoughts into natural, polished English.

Craft stellar research papers

Elevate your research and writing process. Detect AI-generated content , scan for plagiarism , generate and organize citations and much more.

Millions are becoming better writers

Million writers worldwide

Countries that use QuillBot

Average time savings per writing project

Chrome store rating

Why writers love us

“As someone who makes money online by writing, I wouldn't say I like fluff, so I will say that briefly. QuillBot is one of my favorite tools, and I use it daily. It will save you time and money.”

Jerry Keszka

“My favorite QuillBot tools are the Paraphraser and the AI Detector. These aren't static tools; they're constantly evolving and helping me improve my technical, commercial and creative writing.”

Nico Zwaneveld

"I've been writing blogs and articles for over four years now, and as a teacher, I've always needed something to aid or simplify my writing process. That's when I discovered QuillBot and its capabilities. It not only saves me time but also enhances my creativity."

Akshita Thakur

"As a student, I can confidently say that QuillBot has been a game-changer in my academic journey. It’s an indispensable tool for any student looking to improve their writing skills and save time on their assignments."

Danisha Verma

Start writing clearly and confidently with QuillBot

By enhancing your communication and giving your writing greater impact, we can help you reach your personal and professional goals.

Rewrite your text with precision and ease

Transform your text with DeepL Write, the AI-driven paraphraser and grammar checker. Offering unparalleled accuracy and versatility in rewriting, experience the future of paraphrasing today. And for unlimited text improvement, try DeepL Write Pro.

Revolutionize your writing with our advanced AI paraphraser

Embrace the power of DeepL’s cutting-edge AI to transform your writing. Our paraphrasing tool goes beyond simple synonym replacement, using a sophisticated language model to capture and convey the nuances of your text. 

With our paraphraser, you'll not only retain the essence of your original content, but also enhance its clarity.

We currently offer text rewriting only in English, German, French and Spanish. In the future, we'll  release new languages gradually  to ensure we deliver texts that are not just rewritten, but elevated.

Why use DeepL’s paraphrasing tool?

With our AI writing assistant, you can:

Improve your writing

Enhance the style, clarity, tone, and grammar of your writing, especially in professional contexts.

Avoid errors

Forgo errors and present your ideas concisely for more polished writing. Our tool also serves as a powerful spell checker.

Speed up writing

Expedite the writing process with suggestions for more formal, refined language.

Express yourself clearly

Perfect sentences and express yourself clearly—particularly for non-native speakers.

Here's what you can do with our paraphraser

For business or academic use:

Great for short-form writing, like emails or messages, and long-form content, like PowerPoint presentations, essays, or scientific papers.

For personal use:

Improve your writing and vocabulary, generate ideas, and express your thoughts more clearly.

DeepL’s paraphraser is also helpful for language learners. For example, you can memorize suggested vocabulary and phrases.

Key features of our AI paraphrasing tool

Incorporated into translator: Translate your text into English or German, and click "Improve translation" to explore alternate versions of your translation. No more copy/paste between tools.

Easy-to-see changes: When you insert the text to be rewritten, activate "Show changes" to see suggested edits.

AI-powered suggestions: By deactivating "Show changes", you can click on any word to see suggestions and refine your writing.

Grammar and spell checker: Our paraphrasing tool is all-in-one, helping you correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.

Helpful integrations:  Access our paraphrasing tool in  Gmail, Google Slides, or Google Docs , via our browser extension or in  Microsoft Word via add-ins .

Still have questions about DeepL’s paraphrasing tool?

1. what makes our paraphrasing tool unique.

DeepL uses advanced AI to provide high-quality, context-aware paraphrasing in English and German. Our tool intelligently restructures and rephrases text, preserving the original meaning and enhancing your writing.

2. How do you use DeepL’s paraphrasing tool?

To accomplish writing tasks, you can:

- Paste your existing text into the tool

- Compose directly in the tool

- Use DeepL Translator before refining your writing with our paraphraser

3. Can the tool paraphrase complex academic texts?

Absolutely. DeepL's paraphraser is designed to handle complex sentence structures, making it useful for academic writing.

4. How does DeepL's paraphraser support language learners?

By making suggestions, the tool enables you to learn new phrases or words to incorporate into your vocabulary.

5. Is the paraphrasing tool free to use?

The amount of text you can improve is limited if you want to use the tool for free. For maximum security, unlimited text improvement and unlimited use of writing styles, it's best to upgrade to DeepL Write Pro. The other advantage of upgrading to the Pro version is that you'll also benefit from the advanced features of the translator.

Explore the capabilities of our tool

Unlock advanced paraphrasing to refine your writing with precision and clarity. Upgrade to the Pro version for enhanced rewriting options, maximum security, and faster results.