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Imagine there is a sentence about someone's opinion that we need to paraphrase: "some people think that smoking should be banned...". Will there be much difference between saying "it is suggested that smoking should be banned" and "it is argued that smoking should be banned"? I personally would go for the second option.

Consider another example: Some people think that parents should teach their children about the importance of recycling. Others believe recycling should be taught in schools.

Paraphrased sentence: It is sometimes suggested that parents should teach their children about the importance of recycling, while others believe recycling should be taught in schools. Does this sentence make sense to you?

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    If someone suggests that something is the case, that can mean merely that they put the idea forward for consideration, but if they argue that something is the case, they provide arguments supporting the assertion.
    – Michael Harvey
    Commented Dec 28, 2021 at 17:17
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    Heh. I'm tempted to suggest this question should be migrated to the politics stack.
    – Dan
    Commented Dec 28, 2021 at 18:30
  • @Dan because of the example? :D
    – Iolanta Chomag
    Commented Dec 29, 2021 at 10:19

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The original sentence:

(1) Some people think that smoking should be banned.

does not carry quite the same meaning as

(1A) it is suggested that smoking should be banned.

or

(1A) it is argued that smoking should be banned.

nor do (1A) and (1B) gave the same meaning. As this comment points out, 1A means just that someone has offered the idea, while 1B means that someone has offered a justification of the idea. Beyond that, (1A) and (1B) are both in the present tense, which should mean that the suggestion or argument comes along with the statement, or has just been made. If the intended meaning is that the idea is generally out there, it might be better to sue "has been. Specifically:

  • (1C) It has been suggested that smoking should be banned.
  • (1D) It has been argued that smoking should be banned.

But why would one want to rephrase (1)? None of (1A) through (1D) seem improvements to me. (!A) does not say who thinks this, but it makes that clear. The others hide that by the use of the passive voice. The passive voice is not always poor writing, but this seems to me the kind of use that gained it a poor reputation.

Also, (1) indicates that some people have an opinion, it could be reporting the results of a poll. (1A) through (1D) are discussing proposals put forward, not just thoughts.

As to the second example:

(2A) It is sometimes suggested that parents should teach their children about the importance of recycling, while others believe recycling should be taught in schools.

is reasonably clear in my view, but I don't see it as an improvement on

(2) Some people think that parents should teach their children about the importance of recycling. Others believe recycling should be taught in schools.

Why would you think it should be rephrased in this way?

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    Thank you very much for a detailed answer! In fact, I do not think that the sentence should be rephrased in this way, that is why I posted my question — to confirm my doubts. This is an example from an essay. The essay introduction should include the topic of the essay. Paraphrasing is one of the ways to introduce the topic. I agree that the paraphrased sentence in the example looks awkward. So, I think it would be better to say something like "Some people believe" or "There is an opinion that ..."
    – Iolanta Chomag
    Commented Dec 28, 2021 at 18:22
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    @Iolanta Chomag I see. Thank you for clarifying that. I think your suggestions are good. I personally would favor "Some people believe", and it would be even better if there is a way to indicate who those people are.
    – David Siegel
    Commented Dec 28, 2021 at 18:32

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