Year 3 · Unit 5 · Lesson 3 of 5
Paraphrasing: In Your Own Words
apples, mangoes, oranges and bananas
How could you say this in one word?
fruit. Replacing a list with one general word is one of the fastest ways to shorten a summary and show you understand it.
Five ways to put it in your own words
Technique 1
Use synonyms.
reduced → cut; benefits → advantages. Keep technical words such as photosynthesis that have no simple synonym.
Technique 2
Change the word class.
"The garden has reduced the cost of lunches" → "Lunches are now cheaper."
Technique 3
Change the sentence structure.
"Floods closed the bridge" → "The bridge was closed because of flooding."
Technique 4
Replace a list with a general word.
cars, buses and lorries → vehicles; doctors, nurses and pharmacists → health workers
Technique 5
Never change the meaning.
"Most" is not "nearly all"; "tend to" is not "always". Do not add anything the writer did not say.
See it done
1. Paraphrase: "Many of the foods we eat depend on this process."
Synonym plus new structure: "A large part of our diet relies on it." The meaning is unchanged.
2. Paraphrase: "Students who read regularly tend to have wider vocabularies."
"Regular readers usually know more words." "Tend to" becomes "usually", not "always", so the meaning stays the same.
Common mistake: Changing one word and copying the rest. "The garden has cut the cost of lunches" is still mostly copied. Change the structure as well as the words.
10 questions with instant feedback
Choose the best answer.
1.Which general word best replaces "chairs, tables, beds and wardrobes"?
Not quite. All four are pieces of furniture. Answer: B. furniture.
Correct. All four are pieces of furniture.
Not quite. All four are pieces of furniture. Answer: B. furniture.
Not quite. All four are pieces of furniture. Answer: B. furniture.
2.Which general word best replaces "doctors, nurses and pharmacists"?
Correct. All three are people who work in health care.
Not quite. All three are people who work in health care. Answer: A. health workers.
Not quite. All three are people who work in health care. Answer: A. health workers.
Not quite. All three are people who work in health care. Answer: A. health workers.
3.Which general word best replaces "rain, wind, snow and sunshine"?
Not quite. All four are kinds of weather. Answer: C. weather.
Not quite. All four are kinds of weather. Answer: C. weather.
Correct. All four are kinds of weather.
Not quite. Sunshine is not a storm. Answer: C. weather.
4.Which general word best replaces "football, tennis, swimming and athletics"?
Not quite. All four are sports. Swimming and athletics are not usually called games. Answer: D. sports.
Not quite. All four are sports. Swimming and athletics are not usually called games. Answer: D. sports.
Not quite. All four are sports. Swimming and athletics are not usually called games. Answer: D. sports.
Correct. All four are sports. Swimming and athletics are not usually called games.
5.Which is the best paraphrase of "Many students stay up late on their phones"?
Not quite. This loses the key idea of staying up late. Answer: B. Lots of young people use their mobile devices until late at night..
Correct. It keeps the full meaning in new words and a new structure.
Not quite. This copies the sentence and adds "every night". Answer: B. Lots of young people use their mobile devices until late at night..
Not quite. It keeps the full meaning in new words and a new structure. Answer: B. Lots of young people use their mobile devices until late at night..
6.Which is the best paraphrase of "The garden has reduced the cost of lunches"?
Correct. It changes the word class (reduced the cost → cheaper) and keeps the meaning.
Not quite. This copies the sentence and adds "greatly". Answer: A. School lunches are now cheaper because of the garden..
Not quite. It changes the word class (reduced the cost → cheaper) and keeps the meaning. Answer: A. School lunches are now cheaper because of the garden..
Not quite. This changes the meaning. Answer: A. School lunches are now cheaper because of the garden..
7.Which paraphrase CHANGES the meaning of "Cycling produces no exhaust fumes"?
Not quite. "Fewer" is not "none". The original says cycling produces no fumes at all. Answer: C. Cycling produces fewer fumes than driving..
Not quite. "Fewer" is not "none". The original says cycling produces no fumes at all. Answer: C. Cycling produces fewer fumes than driving..
Correct. "Fewer" is not "none". The original says cycling produces no fumes at all.
Not quite. "Fewer" is not "none". The original says cycling produces no fumes at all. Answer: C. Cycling produces fewer fumes than driving..
8.Which is the best paraphrase of "Students who read regularly tend to have wider vocabularies"?
Correct. "Tend to" becomes "usually", so the meaning stays the same.
Not quite. "Tend to" becomes "usually", so the meaning stays the same. Answer: A. Regular readers usually know more words..
Not quite. "Tend to" becomes "usually", so the meaning stays the same. Answer: A. Regular readers usually know more words..
Not quite. "Always" is stronger than "tend to", so the meaning changes. Answer: A. Regular readers usually know more words..
9.Which is the best paraphrase of "Working outside together has helped students make friends across different classes"?
Not quite. This copies almost every word of the original. Answer: C. Outdoor teamwork has helped students from different classes become friends..
Not quite. New words and structure, same meaning. Answer: C. Outdoor teamwork has helped students from different classes become friends..
Correct. New words and structure, same meaning.
Not quite. New words and structure, same meaning. Answer: C. Outdoor teamwork has helped students from different classes become friends..
10.When paraphrasing a passage about photosynthesis, which word should you NOT replace?
Not quite. Photosynthesis is a technical term with no simple synonym, so keep it. Answer: B. photosynthesis.
Correct. Photosynthesis is a technical term with no simple synonym, so keep it.
Not quite. Photosynthesis is a technical term with no simple synonym, so keep it. Answer: B. photosynthesis.
Not quite. Photosynthesis is a technical term with no simple synonym, so keep it. Answer: B. photosynthesis.
Paraphrase three sentences
Rewrite each sentence in your own words without changing its meaning. Then compare with the model answers below.
1. Bees carry pollen that allows plants to produce fruit and seeds.
2. Many companies value employees who can speak to customers in their own language.
3. The school now plans to build a tank to collect rainwater.
Model answers. Yours will be different; check that the meaning is unchanged.
1. Plants need the pollen that bees bring in order to make fruit and seeds.
2. Plenty of firms want staff who can talk to customers in the customers' own language.
3. The school intends to store rainwater in a tank.
Next: the Lesson 3 exit quiz. Five questions, recorded on your dashboard. Aim for 4 out of 5.