parafrases

Paráfrasis, called paraphrase in English, is the restatement of a text or spoken passage in different words while preserving the original meaning. The plural form in Spanish is parafrases. A paraphrase differs from a direct quotation, which reproduces the exact wording, and from a summary, which condenses the main points. Paraphrasing is a common skill in writing, language learning, journalism, and research, used to clarify, simplify, or adapt material for a new audience.

Most parafrases aim to keep the meaning intact while changing vocabulary and sentence structure. Effective paraphrasing involves understanding the source, then expressing the idea in one’s own words, not merely swapping synonyms. Ethical considerations include avoiding distortion of meaning and providing appropriate attribution when the ideas originate from another author. In academic contexts, paraphrasing requires a citation to acknowledge the source.

Common techniques include rewording, altering the grammatical voice, changing the order of information, and using synonyms with careful attention to technical terms. However, it’s important to ensure the paraphrase does not become too close to the original text—what scholars call patchwriting.

Paraphrasing is used in education to demonstrate understanding, in writing to improve readability, and in translation-adjacent tasks to adapt content across registers. It is also employed in content curation and summarization workflows, where multiple sources are integrated.

Example: Original: “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” Paraphrase: “A swift brown fox vaults over a sleeping dog.”