Verbal strategies - Paraphrase — AQA GCSE Modern Hebrew
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Verbal strategies - Paraphrase explained
Paraphrase is a communication strategy for when a word will not come.
Read the full explanation
Instead of stopping or switching to English, the student keeps going in acceptable Modern Hebrew, choosing other words and messages that carry the same meaning. The forgotten word is avoided, not replaced by a gap or a foreign word. A sympathetic native speaker can still understand the message, so the strategy works communicatively. In an exam, this kind of successful paraphrase is assessed as part of communication. For example, if the student cannot recall the word for 'library', they might say they went to a place with many books to study. The message survives even though the exact word is missing.
Your focus
- Identify when a forgotten word can be replaced by other Hebrew words or messages.
- Produce acceptable Modern Hebrew paraphrase that preserves the intended message.
- Evaluate whether a paraphrase would be understood by a sympathetic native speaker.
Verbal strategies - Paraphrase exam tips
Examiner Tips
- 💡When a word will not come, keep speaking or writing in Hebrew and describe the idea with words you do know, rather than stopping or using English.
- 💡Check that your alternative wording still carries the original message, because the assessment focuses on whether communication succeeds.
- 💡Practise paraphrasing common topics aloud so that the strategy becomes automatic under exam pressure.
Common Mistakes
- Misunderstanding: paraphrase means translating the forgotten word into English. Correction: the strategy requires staying in acceptable Modern Hebrew and using other Hebrew words or messages, not switching language.
- Misunderstanding: any vague sentence counts as paraphrase. Correction: the replacement words must still communicate the intended message clearly enough for a sympathetic native speaker to understand.
- Misunderstanding: paraphrase is only for Foundation tier. Correction: this verbal strategy applies to both Foundation and Higher, and its communicative success is assessed in either tier.
- Misunderstanding: a long pause or silence is a paraphrase. Correction: paraphrase is active language use; the student must produce alternative Hebrew words or messages rather than stop.