10 exercises — how "in other words" restates a preceding idea more plainly, and how it compares to the close synonym "that is to say."
Quick reference
In other words: restates a preceding idea in plainer, more accessible terms
Fixed word order: "in" + "other" + "words" — no articles, "words" stays plural
Close synonym: "that is to say" is interchangeable but slightly more formal
Needs a preceding statement: cannot open a sentence with nothing to rephrase
Register: neutral, common in both spoken explanations and written technical docs
0 / 20 completed
1 / 20
A design doc reads: "The operation is idempotent. ___ , calling it twice with the same input produces the same result as calling it once." Which phrase best introduces a plainer restatement of the same idea?
In other words restates the same idea in plainer, more accessible terms. "In other terms only" awkwardly adds "only" to a phrase that already stands complete. "On the other hand" introduces a contrast, not a rephrasing. "For other reasons" introduces an unrelated cause, not a restatement.
2 / 20
Which sentence uses "in other words" correctly?
"This endpoint is eventually consistent. In other words, a read immediately after a write might not reflect that write yet" correctly restates a technical concept in plainer terms. It cannot introduce a bare future plan, an instruction, or a past time reference — it needs a prior statement to rephrase.
3 / 20
Fill the blank: "The migration is backward-compatible. ___ , old clients will keep working without any changes on their end."
In other words has a fixed word order: "in" + "other" + "words." The other options scramble this into invalid, meaningless sequences.
4 / 20
Which pair correctly distinguishes "in other words" from "that is to say"?
"In other words" and "that is to say" both restate a preceding idea more plainly: "The service is stateless — that is to say, no request depends on data from a previous one." The two are close synonyms; "in other words" is slightly more common and slightly less formal than "that is to say."
5 / 20
A postmortem reads: "The circuit breaker tripped after five consecutive failures. ___ , the system stopped sending requests to a service it detected was already struggling." Which best completes the sentence?
In other words is the correct, fixed form. The other options scramble the required word order into non-idiomatic phrases.
6 / 20
Which sentence contains an error in the use of "in other words"?
"In other words that we discussed at the offsite, the server rebooted overnight" incorrectly attaches a relative clause and applies the phrase to an unrelated event with no preceding statement to restate. "In other words" must directly follow the idea it is rephrasing. The other three sentences use it correctly.
7 / 20
Choose the sentence where "in other words" is best replaced by "to put it more simply" without changing the meaning.
"To put it more simply, messages across different partitions can arrive out of order" preserves the meaning exactly, restating the preceding technical claim. The other options misuse the phrase as an urgency marker, an unrelated possessive-sounding construction, or a pairing with a specific future date.
8 / 20
A design doc states: "The function is pure. ___ , it has no side effects and always returns the same output for the same input." Which best fits?
In other words is the correct, standard form — "words" stays plural and "other" stays singular in form. Option A wrongly makes "word" singular. Option B wrongly pluralizes "others." Option D wrongly inserts the indefinite article "an."
9 / 20
Which register note about "in other words" is accurate?
"In other words" is a neutral phrase equally at home in spoken explanations ("In other words, don't worry about the retry logic — it's handled for you") and written technical docs. It always restates the immediately preceding idea in plainer, more accessible terms.
10 / 20
Which sentence best demonstrates "in other words" clarifying a technical claim for a less specialized reader?
"This endpoint is idempotent under retries. In other words, if your request times out, it's safe to just try it again without worrying about duplicate side effects" is the textbook use: restating a technical term in plain, practical language. The other options misuse the phrase as a command intensifier, insert it awkwardly mid-clause, or pair it incorrectly with a specific future date.
11 / 20
John (Lead Engineer) comments on a code review: 'This function handles the database connection. In other words, it establishes and closes the connection for each API call.' Which alternative best captures John's intention?
'In other words' here isn't about error correction or alternative implementations. It's used to rephrase the initial description in a clearer and more accessible way for someone less familiar with database connection details. The core idea – establishing and closing the connection – remains unchanged; John is simply stating it differently.
12 / 20
During a Slack discussion about a failing microservice, Sarah (DevOps) writes: 'The service keeps timing out. In other words, the requests aren't completing within the allotted time.' Is Sarah using 'in other words' correctly?
Sarah's use of 'in other words' is appropriate in this context. It rephrases a technical problem (timeout) into more understandable language for someone who might not immediately grasp the concept of request completion times. The key is that it doesn't introduce new information or suggest a fix.
13 / 20
In a PR description for a new API endpoint, Mark writes: 'This endpoint returns user data. In other words, it provides access to information about individual users.' Which option best reflects the purpose of this phrasing?
'In other words' here is used to make the description accessible to a broader audience – people who might not understand the intricacies of API endpoints. It's about conveying the *functionality* in plain language, rather than diving into technical specifications.
14 / 20
Emily (Product Manager) is explaining a complex algorithm to the development team. She says: 'This algorithm sorts data efficiently. In other words, it's designed to quickly arrange items in a specific order.' Is Emily utilizing 'in other words' effectively?
Emily uses 'in other words' to translate a technical term ('efficiently') into something more easily understood by a non-technical audience. The goal isn't to provide a precise definition but to convey the *purpose* of the algorithm – that it sorts data quickly. This is a common and appropriate use case for this phrase.
15 / 20
A standup update reads: 'The build process failed due to an unresolved dependency conflict. In other words, the required libraries weren't found during compilation.' Does this use of 'in other words' add value to the communication?
'In other words' here provides a slightly more accessible explanation of a technical problem – the unresolved dependency conflict – for team members who might not be deeply familiar with build processes. It helps them understand *why* the build failed without needing to delve into the specifics of library management.
16 / 20
John (Lead Engineer) comments on a code review: 'This function handles the database connection. In other words, it establishes and closes the connection for each API call.' Which alternative best captures John's intention?
'In other words' here isn't about error correction or alternative implementations. It's used to rephrase the initial description in a clearer and more accessible way for someone less familiar with database connection details. The core idea – establishing and closing the connection – remains unchanged; John is simply stating it differently.
17 / 20
During a Slack discussion about a failing microservice, Sarah (DevOps) writes: 'The service keeps timing out. In other words, the requests aren't completing within the allotted time.' Is Sarah using 'in other words' correctly?
Sarah's use of 'in other words' is appropriate in this context. It rephrases a technical problem (timeout) into more understandable language for someone who might not immediately grasp the concept of request completion times. The key is that it doesn't introduce new information or suggest a fix.
18 / 20
In a PR description for a new API endpoint, Mark writes: 'This endpoint returns user data. In other words, it provides access to information about individual users.' Which option best reflects the purpose of this phrasing?
'In other words' here is used to make the description accessible to a broader audience – people who might not understand the intricacies of API endpoints. It's about conveying the *functionality* in plain language, rather than diving into technical specifications.
19 / 20
Emily (Product Manager) is explaining a complex algorithm to the development team. She says: 'This algorithm sorts data efficiently. In other words, it's designed to quickly arrange items in a specific order.' Is Emily utilizing 'in other words' effectively?
Emily uses 'in other words' to translate a technical term ('efficiently') into something more easily understood by a non-technical audience. The goal isn't to provide a precise definition but to convey the *purpose* of the algorithm – that it sorts data quickly. This is a common and appropriate use case for this phrase.
20 / 20
A standup update reads: 'The build process failed due to an unresolved dependency conflict. In other words, the required libraries weren't found during compilation.' Does this use of 'in other words' add value to the communication?
'In other words' here provides a slightly more accessible explanation of a technical problem – the unresolved dependency conflict – for team members who might not be deeply familiar with build processes. It helps them understand *why* the build failed without needing to delve into the specifics of library management.
What will I practise in ""In Other Words" as a Rephrasing Marker — IT English Grammar"?
Practice using "in other words" to restate a technical claim in plainer, more accessible terms, in design docs and explanations.
How many exercises are in this module?
This module has 20 multiple-choice exercises, each with instant feedback and a full explanation of the correct answer.
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You'll immediately see which answer was correct, plus a full explanation covering the grammar rule and reasoning behind it — mistakes are where most of the learning happens.
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Where can I find more Grammar exercises?
Browse the full Grammar hub for related drills, or check the "Next up" link below to continue with a connected topic.
How is this different from reading an article on the same topic?
Articles explain grammar rules in prose; this exercise tests and reinforces those rules through active recall with immediate feedback — the two work best together.
Who writes these exercises?
Every exercise is written by the CoderSlingo team, drawing on real workplace English used in IT roles, then reviewed for accuracy and clarity.