The word "paraphrase" has been derived from a Greek word, meaning "equivalent sentence". It is defined as "restatement of the sense of a passage in other words."
Method of Procedure
1. Read the passage slowy and carefully until you have completely understood its general meaning. You may read the passage repeatedly if one reading does not help you to understand the gist.
2. Next, read the passage again with a view to its details. You need to express not only the substance, but also the details, of the passage in your own words.
3. Reproduce the passage in simple and direct English, keeping in mind the main gist of the passage.
4. Treat the passage as a whole. Do not work word by word, or line by line.
5. Rearrange, if required, the order of sentences, and even of the whole passage, if this helps in making the meaning clear.
6. Break up a long sentence into many short ones, or combine the several short sentences into one long, if that helps the whole to be more easily understood.
7. Do not change words just for the sake of change. Do not change the words in the original that are already simple in meaning. Change only those words that are uncommon, difficult and technical. Never substitute a difficult or complicated word for a simple and familiar word.
8. Explanatory notes have no place in a paraphrase. If any sentence in the paraphrase requires a note to expalin it, rewrite the sentence until it explains itself.
9. Write out a rough draft of your paraphrase. Proofread the draft carefully. Correct any mistake in spelling, grammar, punctuation, idiom, etc. Make the draft completely error-free.
10. Write down the final draft neatly if you feel the paraphrase is as good as you can make it.