How to paraphrase in English

Hi, guys. My name is Jiri.

We English learners sometimes get stuck in communication because we

might struggle to express ourselves clearly or perhaps

we don’t really understand what the other person is saying.

So, today we'll learn about paraphrasing,

a very useful skill that can help you communicate more effectively.

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What is a paraphrase?

It's when you express something that has been said

or written in a different way, usually so that it is clearer.

This book is liked by many people here.

In other words, many people are fond

of this book here.

True.

To put it another way, this book is very popular here.

There are many situations when paraphrasing can be useful.

In academic writing.

For example, when writing an essay, to show you understand the text or

to make it clearer for your readers.

In speaking.

When you don’t know how to say something, but you find another way to say it.

In conversations.

When you want to make sure you understand

the speaker and make them feel heard.

Paraphrasing is also a vital skill for your Cambridge exams.

You'll use it in key word transformation, listening

exercises and in speaking exams.

Having a bank of phrases to say when you paraphrase will give

you thinking time and help you explain things in different ways.

You can paraphrase something you've heard or read in multiple ways.

The simplest way is to replace chosen words with synonyms.

He’s a very good guitarist.

Yes, he’s an excellent guitarist.

You can also change the parts of speech

of chosen words when paraphrasing a sentence.

After eating breakfast, he went to work.

After he ate breakfast, he went to work.

You can also reduce the clause in a sentence to a phrase.

His new car, which is very fast, is parked in front of the house.

His new, fast car is parked in front of the house.

You can always combine any of these strategies

when expressing someone else’s ideas in your own words.

Finally, here are some useful phrases you can say when paraphrasing.

In other words, words, in other words.

To put it another way, another way, to put it another way.

It sounds as if you, as if you, it sounds as if you.

English is spoken in many countries that you can go

to and spend some time there.

In other words, there are many countries

you can visit where they speak English.

I don’t really like eating anything that is very hot.

To put it another way, I'm not a big fan of spicy food.

I like that we went to the beach and surfed the whole day.

It sounds as if you really enjoyed the day.

You're absolutely right, I did.

When you want to make yourself clear or you

want to check what other people said, paraphrase.

Which topic would you like to see in my next video?

Write me in the comments. Thank you and see you next time. Bye.