Rephrasing an idea — understand and recognise

Rephrasing an idea: progressive explanation, topic-specific examples, guided exercises and a corrected assessment.

Duration: 25 minPrerequisites: registre-familier-produirePass mark: 80%

1. Objective

By the end, you will identify the key clues in “Rephrasing an idea” and explain what they tell you.

2. I discover

Look at the pairs: which words change? What information stays exactly the same?

3. I understand

Rephrasing means keeping the same meaning with different wording or structure. You may replace words or reorganise the sentence, but you must not add or remove an essential idea.

Le train a été supprimé à cause de la grève.En raison de la grève, le train ne circule pas.Maya n’est pas certaine de venir ce soir.Maya viendra peut-être ce soir.La réunion commence à neuf heures précises.Le début de la réunion est fixé à neuf heures.

Watch out

Changing a single word is not always enough. Compare meaning before and after: cause, intensity, certainty and chronology must remain the same.

4. Guided practice

5. Independent practice

6. I write / I speak

Choose one pair and explain in one sentence why the two formulations are equivalent.

7. Check-up

8. Remember

A successful rephrasing says it differently, not something different. Check what must remain unchanged: information, logical relation and degree of certainty.

Download the worksheet (PDF)

9. Now I can…

I can identify useful clues in “Rephrasing an idea”.
I can explain my choice instead of guessing.
I can reuse this skill in a real text or exchange.