Paraphrasing Worksheets - Free Printable

You're right — this worksheet is about paraphrasing, which means rewriting a passage in your own words while keeping the original meaning. The goal is to show you understand the content and can express it differently, without copying the original text word-for-word.

Let’s go through each paragraph one by one and provide a clear, rewritten version (a paraphrase) with an explanation of *how* we changed it.

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🔹 PARAGRAPH 1 (Original):

> The efficiency rating of a solar panel reveals what percentage of sunlight that strikes the panel is actually turned into usable electricity. The higher the efficiency rating, the more electricity the panel will produce. Most panels on the market today have an efficiency rating of around 15%, and for most panels efficiency is closer to 18%.

✔ Paraphrased Version:

> A solar panel’s efficiency rating tells you how much of the sunlight hitting it gets converted into usable electricity. Panels with higher ratings generate more power. While many panels currently available are about 15% efficient, newer or better models often reach close to 18%.

📝 Explanation:

- We replaced “reveals what percentage” → “tells you how much”
- “turned into usable electricity” → “converted into usable electricity” (synonym swap)
- “the more electricity the panel will produce” → “generate more power” (simpler phrasing)
- Combined the last two sentences for smoother flow, while preserving the key stats (15% vs. 18%).

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🔹 PARAGRAPH 2 (Original):

> Biomass is plant or animal matter that can be turned into energy that originated from the sun. Plants are grown to be used as renewable fuel that can be burned, as well as to be turned into fuel that can be pumped. Through the process of photosynthesis, trees convert sunlight into sugar. When wood is burned, the energy originally captured from the sun is released. Since most of the energy in fossil fuels comes from wood, which means that biomass energy can be traced back to the sun.

✔ Paraphrased Version:

> Biomass refers to organic material — like plants or animals — that can be converted into energy originally sourced from sunlight. Farmers grow crops specifically to serve as renewable fuels, either for direct burning or for processing into liquid fuels. During photosynthesis, trees absorb sunlight and store it as sugar; when wood burns, that stored solar energy is released. Even fossil fuels trace their energy back to ancient plant matter, making biomass another form of solar-powered energy.

📝 Explanation:

- Broke up long sentence for clarity.
- “plant or animal matter” → “organic material — like plants or animals”
- “turned into energy that originated from the sun” → “converted into energy originally sourced from sunlight” (more natural phrasing)
- Added “Farmers grow crops specifically...” to make the purpose clearer.
- Explained the link between fossil fuels and biomass more directly: “Even fossil fuels trace their energy back to ancient plant matter...”

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## 💡 Final Tips for Paraphrasing:

1. Understand the main idea before rewriting.
2. Use synonyms where possible (e.g., “reveal” → “show,” “convert” → “transform”).
3. Change sentence structure — combine or split sentences.
4. Keep numbers and facts accurate — don’t change percentages or scientific terms unless you’re sure.
5. Don’t copy phrases verbatim — even changing a few words isn’t enough if the structure stays the same.

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✔ Final Answer (Paraphrased Versions):

PARAGRAPH 1:
A solar panel’s efficiency rating tells you how much of the sunlight hitting it gets converted into usable electricity. Panels with higher ratings generate more power. While many panels currently available are about 15% efficient, newer or better models often reach close to 18%.

PARAGRAPH 2:
Biomass refers to organic material — like plants or animals — that can be converted into energy originally sourced from sunlight. Farmers grow crops specifically to serve as renewable fuels, either for direct burning or for processing into liquid fuels. During photosynthesis, trees absorb sunlight and store it as sugar; when wood burns, that stored solar energy is released. Even fossil fuels trace their energy back to ancient plant matter, making biomass another form of solar-powered energy.

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Let me know if you’d like to try paraphrasing Paragraph 3 (if there was one), or if you want to practice turning these back into the original wording!