In this task, you're given a sentence and your task is to generate a simplified sentence that focuses on lexical paraphrasing from the original sentence given in the input.
Q: the storm continued , crossing the outer banks of north carolina , and retained its strength until june 20 when it became extratropical near newfoundland.
A:
1 . the storm continued , crossing the outer banks of north carolina , and kept its strength until june 20 when it became extratropical near newfoundland.