Home / English / Printables / Grade 4 / Paraphrase What You Heard Paraphrase What You Heard is a free printable Grade 4 English worksheet on choosing the paraphrase that keeps what a speaker meant, aligned to Common Core standard SL.4.2. It prints 8 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.
One paper per student
Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.
Paraphrase What You Heard SL.4.2
Name Date
Circle the right answer.
1. A speaker says: "Although the warning was given, most people did not hear it in time." Which is the best paraphrase?
A. A warning came, but too late for most people. B. Nobody gave a warning. C. Everybody heard the warning early. 2. A speaker says: "Most of the rain falls in just three months of the year." Which is the best paraphrase?
A. It never rains for three months. B. It rains the same amount all year. C. Most of the year's rain comes in a short season. 3. A speaker says: "Coral is not a plant; it is made of tiny animals." Which is the best paraphrase?
A. Coral is really animals, not a plant. B. Coral is a kind of seaweed. C. Coral is made only of rock. 4. A speaker says: "Our class collected more cans this semester than in the whole of last year." Which is the best paraphrase?
A. Last year we collected no cans. B. We collected fewer cans this semester. C. We collected more cans in one semester than all last year. 5. A speaker says: "If we leave now, we will miss the worst of the traffic." Which is the best paraphrase?
A. We should wait for the traffic to get worse. B. Leaving now means we avoid most of the traffic. C. There is no traffic today. 6. A speaker says: "The bridge cut the journey from two hours to fifteen minutes." Which is the best paraphrase?
A. The bridge made the trip much quicker. B. The bridge took two hours to build. C. The journey became longer. 7. A speaker says: "Wolves did not just eat elk; they changed where the elk chose to graze." Which is the best paraphrase?
A. The wolves changed where elk fed, not only how many there were. B. The wolves ate all the elk. C. The elk ate the wolves' food. 8. A speaker says: "The team lost the match, yet the coach said she had never been prouder." Which is the best paraphrase?
A. The coach was angry about the loss. B. The team won, so the coach was proud. C. Even though they lost, the coach was very proud. LessonPrint · SL.4.2 · Set 10 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Paraphrase What You Heard Set 10. Prints on its own sheet.
1. A warning came, but too late for most people. 2. Most of the year's rain comes in a short season. 3. Coral is really animals, not a plant. 4. We collected more cans in one semester than all last year. 5. Leaving now means we avoid most of the traffic. 6. The bridge made the trip much quicker. 7. The wolves changed where elk fed, not only how many there were. 8. Even though they lost, the coach was very proud. Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to SL.4.2 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.