Speaker 1: What's up everyone, welcome back to Level Up, your source for writing and communication advice on Grammarly's YouTube. Ever wondered how and when to paraphrase something? Oh, you did? Good thing, because I have you covered in this episode. But before we get going, subscribe to this channel and give this video a like if you find the content helpful. Or to paraphrase, help us help you out. Let's get things started with a definition. Paraphrasing takes an original passage and uses different words or phrases to express the same thing. Paraphrasing is also an important communication technique in research papers, where you want to avoid copying an original source word for word. Learning how to paraphrase can take practice, so let's use this video to explain how to do it well. A paraphrase always uses unique wording, something you come up with that's different from the original source. You may be wondering, why should I bother paraphrasing when I can just quote the primary or secondary source? Well, paraphrasing comes with a variety of benefits, like it helps you do these six things. 1. Improve word choice. Paraphrasing allows you to flex your personal writing style, giving you the chance to pick your own words or phrases while keeping the core of the message the same. 2. Change subject matter. Paraphrasing is very useful if you like the wording of the original passage, but want to change the subject to apply to something else. 3. Avoid plagiarizing. Rewriting someone's text without changing the words is plagiarism. If you want to repeat a sentiment or cite another person's research, you have to at least put it in your own words or quote it directly. 4. Avoid overusing quotes. Sentiments are great when the author said it best themselves, but use too many quotes and you're essentially just copying someone else's work. 5. Avoid problematic language. Occasionally, the language in a direct quote won't fit what you're writing. Often this is a mechanical mistake, such as a partial quote with the wrong subject-verb agreement or gender pronoun. Other times, it could be insensitive or outdated language. 6. Shorten lengthy quotes. Paraphrasing works wonders when you need to condense a long, verbose quote to make it more digestible. 7. Sometimes people confuse paraphrasing and summarizing. So what's the difference? Summarizing deals with the big picture, such as an entire body of work or complete chapter, while paraphrasing deals with specific passages, from a few words to a few paragraphs, but nothing terribly lengthy. Here's an example. For more ways to use paraphrases and examples, visit the Grammarly blog for an even deeper dive on the topic. Another pro tip on the subject, download Grammarly to use the plagiarism checker, which checks your writing against online texts to flag any instances of unoriginal wording. Writing with Grammarly helps you avoid plagiarism and get better grades in the process. That's all for this paraphrase-focused episode of Level Up. But before you go, make sure you visit Grammarly.com to see how you can download free communication assistance today. Thanks for watching. See you all very soon.