Lesson 4 | Links in a chain: connecting the parts
Paraphrasing: unpacking the connections
Let’s now apply this lesson to the skill of paraphrasing. One of the great values of paraphrasing is that it provides a tool to fully unpack the logical connections within a text. You can take the connections that are clearly stated and develop their full sense. You can also make explicit the connections that are only implied in the text. Already then, you can see that a paraphrase is generally going to be an expansion of the original. This can certainly be overdone and become too wordy, but just like unpacking a suitcase and laying out the clothes it contained, you’re going to take up some space.
Remember that the goal of a paraphrase is to accurately restate the author’s intended meaning in your own words. Here are two examples to help you. Notice especially that I have highlighted in bold all the connections in my paraphrase.
