VerbEdit
How to Paraphrase
Without Changing Meaning
Whether you are simplifying complex research for a paper or rewriting a competitor's article for your own blog, the goal of paraphrasing remains the same: originality without distortion.
The biggest risk in paraphrasing isn't grammar; it's accidentally changing the original message. If you swap "happy" for "ecstatic," you've changed the intensity. If you change "could result in" to "will result in," you've changed the certainty.
The Golden Rule: Understand Before You Write
You cannot rewrite what you do not understand.
The most common mistake writers make is trying to change the words before they have fully grasped the concept. Paraphrasing is the act of restating ideas using your own words and sentence structure while retaining the original meaning. If you don't understand the "original meaning," you are just guessing at synonyms.
The "Look Away" Method
To ensure you aren't just rearranging words (which can lead to plagiarism or awkward phrasing), follow this simple workflow:
- Read the original text until you fully understand it.
- Hide the original text so you can't see it.
- Write the idea down from memory in your own voice.
- Compare your version with the original to ensure the facts are accurate but the wording is distinct.
3 Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Even experienced writers fall into these traps. Here is how to spot them:
1. Synonym Stuffing
Replacing every word with a "fancier" synonym often makes the text unreadable or changes the context.
2. Changing Certainty
Be careful with modal verbs. Changing "might" to "must" completely alters the truth of a statement.
3. Losing the Subject
When changing active voice to passive, ensure it's still clear who did the action.
Examples: Accuracy vs. Distortion
"The CEO was annoyed by the drop in quarterly sales."
"The CEO was furious about the decrease in sales."
Error: "Furious" is much stronger than "annoyed."
"Although the software is expensive, its advanced features save the team roughly 10 hours per week."
"The team saves about 10 hours weekly using the program's high-end tools, which justifies the high cost."
Conclusion
Paraphrasing without changing meaning requires you to be an interpreter, not just a copier. Focus on the concepts, not the words. By understanding the source material and checking your work for shifts in tone or certainty, you can produce content that is both unique and accurate.
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