Anything

[student’s name]

[professor’s name]

[course number]

[date of submission]

Learning by Paraphrasing Text

Paraphrasing is used to understand a text. It has no set length – it can either be shorter or longer, depending on the length of the original. For example, we know that in short lyric poems, poets choose the most powerful words they can find to convey emotions and attitudes in their writing. When paraphrasing, it is the role of the reader to digest what these words signifies; and to use appropriate words and syntax to describe it. Often such poems are paraphrased into longer sentences in order to make sense of the original.

Paraphrasing has its advantages and disadvantages. One of the benefit is already stated above – it helps a reader digest the meaning of a seemingly confusing piece of writing by discovering how ideas were clustered. Another advantage is that paraphrasing reveals how well one understood the text. Because the reader has to express his personal perspective about the piece of writing, the paraphrase typically contains more detail than the original.

The disadvantage in paraphrasing is that it loses the precise description of the original. Because the reader has to use his own words in describing the author’s work, the paraphrase loses the beauty and vividness of the original words. Suggestive words are translated into less specific language. Rhyme and rhythm may also be lost in the process.

While paraphrasing allows one to express his or her personal view, it is important to retain objectivity so that the reworded work will be true to the meaning of the original.

Dawe, Robert Thomas. Reference Points. Prentice Hall, 2001. Print.