Paraphrasing What You Hear · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Say it in your own words

English · Speaking & Listening · ages 9-10
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Lily listens to a talk, then writes down the speaker's sentences word for word. What is she doing?

    • Paraphrasing
    • Copying
    • Summarizing the video

  2. What is paraphrasing?

    • Repeating the exact words you heard
    • Retelling the main idea in your own words
    • Reading the text out loud again

  3. When you paraphrase, you must use the exact same words as the speaker.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. A passage says: "Bats use echolocation, bouncing sound waves off objects, to hunt for food at night." After listening, Jay says: "Bats find food in the dark by listening for echoes." Is Jay's sentence a paraphrase?

    • Yes, it keeps the same meaning in his own words
    • No, because he did not use the word "echolocation"
    • No, because his sentence is shorter

  5. You watch a short video about how bees make honey. Which is the best way to paraphrase what you saw?

    • Explain the main idea and key details in your own words
    • Write down every word the narrator said
    • Just say "it was about bees"

  6. A good paraphrase must include every single detail from the original passage, or it doesn't count.

    Circle one:   True   False

  7. During a class podcast, the speaker gives three reasons recycling helps the environment. You paraphrase it for a friend who missed it. What should you do?

    • Explain the three reasons in your own words
    • Just say "the podcast was about recycling" with no details
    • Read your friend the podcast transcript word for word

  8. Which sentence is a paraphrase, not a copy, of this line: "The rainforest is home to millions of species, many of which have not yet been discovered"?

    • "The rainforest is home to millions of species, many of which have not yet been discovered."
    • "Millions of species live in the rainforest, and many of them have not been discovered yet."
    • "The rainforest millions of species home to are."
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Say it in your own words W1-mt_-DuXzMVVXQ-s1

  1. Copying · Using the exact same words in the same order is copying, not paraphrasing.
  2. Retelling the main idea in your own words · Paraphrasing means putting the message into your own words while keeping the same meaning.
  3. False · Paraphrasing means using your own words. Copying is what uses the exact same words.
  4. Yes, it keeps the same meaning in his own words · Jay kept the same meaning even with simpler words. A paraphrase does not need to match the exact terms or length.
  5. Explain the main idea and key details in your own words · A good paraphrase covers the central message and the important details, not just one word or the exact script.
  6. False · A paraphrase focuses on the main idea and the key details, not every single detail from the original.
  7. Explain the three reasons in your own words · A good paraphrase captures the key details, here the three reasons, in your own words instead of a vague summary or an exact transcript.
  8. "Millions of species live in the rainforest, and many of them have not been discovered yet." · Only the sentence about millions living in the rainforest keeps the same meaning with new words and a new order. One choice copies the original exactly, and one just scrambles the words.
Worksheet · LightMySky