Is my paraphrasing good?

Question

The original sentence:

According to international law, work is prohibited for children under the age of fifteen years, with the exception of “light work” that might be carried out by children aged thirteen.

My paraphrase:

Based on the law which applies to all countries, the children are allowed to work if they are 13 years old and more; however, the ones under fifteen are only allowed to do light work.

Does the meaning still same? How's the grammar? My Vocabulary? Is it too similar to original or not?

Answer 1

Hello Avas,

You have started out with a nice try, so congratulations!

Based on your sentence, I think you might be having a misunderstanding about what the original sentence says. For example, the original sentence is saying that "work is prohibited for children under the age of fifteen years". This means that only children fifteen years of age and above are permitted to work. It goes on to say "with the exception of 'light work' -by children aged thirteen", which means children who are thirteen and fourteen years of age can sometimes do "light work".

With regard to your grammar, you do not need to say "the children". Just saying "children" is acceptable. Start with that and let us see what you can come up with. Remember, when paraphrasing, keep your sentence as simple and easy to understand as possible. I will be following your progress if you need further help! Good luck!