Writing that is both clear and concise is crucial for effective communication.

Therefore, your writing should be clear and straightforward in any form (email, report, or research paper). 

But, of course, there will always be some paragraphs that are difficult to understand. 

This is because, when writing about subjects that genuinely interest us, we tend to ramble on and on without thinking whether or not our words are easily digestible by the reader.

In this article, we'll discuss how to rephrase a paragraph so it gets simple to read. 

We'll review some tried-and-true methods for improving your writing's clarity, readability, and tone without sacrificing any of the information you need to convey. 

Following these guidelines, you will be able to rewrite any paragraph and make it easier to understand efficiently.

Let’s begin!

How To Rephrase a Paragraph & Make It Easy To Read

Paragraph rephrasing can seem impossible, especially if the source paragraph is dense or tangled.

Nonetheless, the ability to do so is crucial for any storyteller.

Rephrasing a paragraph can make it simpler to read, understand, and remember. 

So, to make the paragraph more readable, consider the following suggestions for rephrasing it:

1. Identify the Main Idea

To paraphrase effectively, you must first grasp the paragraph's central idea. Ask yourself the question, "What is the author trying to say?"

basic-paragraph-key-parts-visual

Finding the central idea will allow you to concentrate on rephrasing the supporting details so they are more intuitively presented.

Example of the Main Idea

“We couldn't leave the house because it was raining so hard.”

How to Identify the Main Idea? 

Asking yourself what the sentence is primarily about will help you determine a sentence's main idea. The main idea is the primary message the author is attempting to get across in the sentence. 

Here are some pointers for locating the main idea in a passage:

Look for the topic sentence — The topic sentence in a paragraph frequently introduces the main idea. It usually appears as the paragraph's opening sentence.

Identify the subject — The sentence's subject is the thing or person it is about. The subject of the sentence and the main idea are frequently closely related.

Look for supporting details — The main idea is further explained by the supporting details. They clarify, define, or exemplify the main idea.

2. Simplify the Language

If the original paragraph is written in a complicated or technical way, try to make it easier to understand by using simpler words and phrases.

Making a paragraph's language easier to understand can make it more accessible to a wider audience.

This is especially true for people who don't speak English as their first language or who have trouble with complex language. 

Example of Complex Sentence

Putting too many subordinating conjunctions in a sentence can make it harder to understand than it needs to be.

complex-sentence-visual

Subordinating conjunctions are words that link two clauses so that one clause depends on the other. 

Most of the time, the subordinating conjunction shows how the two clauses are related, such as cause and effect, time, or condition.

common-subordinating-conjuctions

How to Simplify the Language in Your Paragraphs?

Here are some ways to make a paragraph's language easier to understand:

Avoid complex vocabulary — Use simpler, more common words instead of words that are hard to understand or are technical. If you need to use complicated words, explain what they mean in simpler language.

Avoid jargon or technical terms — If the paragraph has jargon or technical terms, try to use simpler words or explain the unfamiliar words..

Use active voice — Instead of passive voice, use active voice. Active voice is easier to understand and more clear.

3. Use Shorter Sentences to Reduce Complexity

Sentences that are too long or too complicated can be challenging to read and comprehend. Use shorter, simpler sentences and avoid complex structures.

Reducing the length of a paragraph by cutting out unnecessary details can make the writing more concise and straightforward.

Example of Unnecessary Long Sentence

"The weather outside was inclement, with dark, menacing clouds looming on the horizon, a fierce wind blowing incessantly, and driving rain pelting down in unrelenting waves, creating deep puddles of standing water on the sidewalk and turning the streets into treacherous, slippery, and dangerous places to be."

This sentence is too long and has too much information in it. Because of that, the reader may have trouble getting the main point and lose interest in the sentence before it's over. 

It can be hard to follow the flow of a sentence and see how the different clauses and phrases fit together.

How to Make Your Sentences Shorter?

Here are some ways to shorten a paragraph that makes more sense:

Remove redundant information — Get rid of any information that has already been said in the paragraph, such as synonyms, similar phrases, or ideas.

Eliminate irrelevant information — Remove any information that isn't directly related to the main idea or purpose of the paragraph. This can help the paragraph flow better and make the main idea clearer.

Use bullet points or lists — Make the paragraph easier to read by breaking it up with bullet points or lists. This can also help draw attention to the most important parts of the paragraph.

Pro Tip

Some AI rewriting add-ons, such as TextCortex, provide summarizing features to help you condense the sentences in your paragraphs quickly without scarring the context.

To use the “Summarize” option, simply highlight the portion of the text you want to modify and choose the designated option from the rewriting menu.

4. Extend Your Sentences for Better Clarity

Even though we said in the last section that sentences can be made clearer by shortening them, sentences can also be clearer by making them longer.

People sometimes use a bunch of short sentences in a row to make a point, even though it's not necessary.

This changes the way the information is introduced in a paragraph and how they are put together, which can be confusing. 

Try changing the order of the sentences so that the most important information comes first and the details follow a logical order.

Example of Simple Sentences vs Compound Sentences

Here are examples of how 2 simple sentences can be put into one compound sentence for better clarity.

change-simple-sentences-into-compound-sentences

Extending a paragraph can help you provide more detail and clarity on a particular topic

How to Extend Paragraphs?

Here are some ideas on how to make paragraphs clearer by making them longer:

Provide examples — Put in some examples to back up your main point. This can make the paragraph easier to understand and more interesting to read.

Use descriptive language — Make use of vivid language to give the reader a better picture of the subject at hand. The paragraph may benefit from this in becoming more engaging.

Use quotes or citations — Make use of citations and quotes to back up the paragraph's thesis statement. Including such evidence can bolster the credibility of the paragraph's claims.

Pro Tip

Similarly to the “Summarizing” feature, the TextCortex add-on provides a great deal of assistance with 2 extending features.

The "Expand" function can be used on a regular basis to add relevant information to an existing sentence.

5. Use Transitional Phrases to Connect Your Thoughts

Paragraphs can flow more smoothly and effectively when you use transitional phrases like "however," "nevertheless," and "on the other hand."

Words or phrases used as transitions between ideas and paragraphs help the reader follow your argument and stay engaged.

Cohesive and straightforward writing is the result. 

Examples of Transitional Phrases

Here is a table of the most common transitional phrases to get started:

transition-words-in-english

How to Use Transitions in Writing?

Here are some suggestions for connecting your ideas with transitional phrases:

Transitional phrases between paragraphs — Use phrases that indicate a change in subject or focus as you move from one paragraph to the next. Between paragraphs, you can use transitional phrases like "In addition," "further," and "likewise."

Transitional phrases within paragraphs — Transitional phrases are used to link ideas within a paragraph and to provide context or additional details. Paragraphs can make use of transitional phrases such as "Moreover," "Additionally," and "Furthermore."

Transitional phrases to contrast ideas — You can show disagreement between ideas by using transitional phrases. However, "on the other hand," "yet," and "however" are all examples of transitional phrases that can be used to contrast ideas.

Transitional phrases to summarize — Summarize major points or indicate a conclusion by using transitional phrases. The phrases "in summary," "to summarize," and "in conclusion" are all examples of summary transitions.

Pro Tip

You can always rely on the Rewriting features to do the heavy lifting for you when it comes to using transitional phrases to link your paragraphs together and make your writing flow better.

TextCortex has a "Rewriting" function that offers alternative wording suggestions for the given input text.

Select the text and then pick the option from the rewriting menu.

6. Check the Tone of Your Message

A message's tone is the underlying mood or perspective that comes across to the reader. That's important because it can affect how your message is received

When paraphrasing, it is essential to keep the original paragraph's tone in mind to ensure that your new words and phrases sound natural. 

For instance, take care to maintain the same level of formality in your rephrase paragraph if the original was written in a more serious tone. 

If the tone is conversational, keep it that way.

Example of the Tone of Voice in Your Message

Below is an illustration of the distinction between the casual and formal tones of voice, each of which conveys the same overall context through a different narrative.

How to Change the Tone In Your Writing?

To make sure your tone is consistent throughout a paragraph, consider the following tips:

Identify the purpose of the paragraph — Figure out what you want to say in this paragraph, and make sure the tone fits the subject matter.

Use appropriate language — Always tailor your choice of words and phrases to your audience and the nature of your message.

Check for emotional language — Make sure there isn't any overly sentimental language that could come across as negative. Words like "accuse," "judge," and "angry" fall into this category.

Consider the context — Think about where this message is being delivered. The relationship between the writer and the recipient, as well as the overall context, may necessitate a shift in the message's tone.

Pro Tip

You can use TextCortex's "Tone" function to quickly jump between alternate narratives.

It gives you the option of using up to 10 distinct voices in your writing, each of which can be copied and pasted for easy comparison.

7. Proofread

Once you're satisfied with the rephrased output of your paragraphs, go back and check it for typos and clarity. 

Just reading it out loud will tell you if it reads well and flows naturally.

Here are some advice on paragraph proofreading:

Use a checklist — Make use of a list of typical writing blunders to direct your proofreading. This can assist you in locating and fixing spelling, grammar, punctuation, and formatting errors.

Read aloud — Read your paragraph aloud to help you spot grammatical mistakes, awkward wording, and other problems that might not be obvious when reading silently.

Check for consistency — Verify that your paragraph is formatted, capitalized, and styled consistently throughout. By doing this, you can make sure that your writing is polished and expert.

Read backward — To find possible spelling and grammar mistakes that may have gone unnoticed, read your paragraph backward.

Use spell-check and grammar-check — To find any mistakes you might have missed, use your word processor's spell-check and grammar-check functions.

Pro Tip

It's normal to feel exhausted and lose focus after a long writing session.

For this purpose, you can use TextCortex's "Text-to-speech" function.

This feature is located in the rewriting menu.

It also has a readability checker so you can see how well your writing flows for the reader. Information such as readability score, word count, and more will be displayed here.

To access it, click on the blinking bubble that is located at the bottom of the selected text.

Let’s Recap

Paragraph rephrasing requires some work, but if it improves readability for your audience, it's time well spent. 

You can make any paragraph easier to read and understand by using simpler language, shorter sentences, rearranging the information, and transitional phrases. 

So the next time you come across a challenging paragraph, try applying these strategies to make it easier to read.

You could also hire a piece of artificial intelligence writing software to do the work for you.

Besides, the TextCortex add-on has that purpose solely — to provide assistance to your writing.

What is TextCortex?

The TextCortex is an artificial intelligence–driven writing solution that, in addition to everything you've seen so far, can also:

✒️Translate text into 10+ distinct languages.

✒️Transform bullets into emails.

✒️Create up to 300-word blog posts out of 5-word prompts.

✒️Predict relevant output with Zeno mode.

✒️Provide AI-generated output in a conversational manner with its Zeno chat.

Additionally, you will have access to over 60 distinct AI-generated content templates that you can use in combination with keywords to produce nearly any content format you can imagine.

Ready to rephrase your paragraphs across 30+ most popular platforms?

✔️Get up to 10 free daily creations.

✔️Signing requires no credit card information.

✔️We offer affordable premium plans for upgrades.

Claim your freemium TextCortex account to start rephrasing paragraphs like a pro.