Paraphrasing a paragraph is different than paraphrasing a sentence or phrase. In some ways, it’s more difficult, but in others, it’s easier. Knowing how to paraphrase a paragraph takes more than just changing a few words; you need to rewrite multiple sentences and understand the rules for citation, syntax, and avoiding plagiarism.

In this guide, we explain everything you need to know about paraphrasing a paragraph. We discuss steps, tips, and techniques, plus we share an example to illustrate exactly how to paraphrase a paragraph.

What does paraphrasing a paragraph entail?

Paraphrasing a paragraph is rewriting the ideas from a paragraph written or said by someone else in your own words and style. The points remain the same, but you restate the meaning with new, original writing.

When you want to use another person’s ideas in your own work, you typically have two choices: direct quotes or paraphrasing. Direct quotes work best if you like the original wording, but if you use too many quotations, your writing may become hard to read. Academic writing flows more naturally when you strike a balance between paraphrasing and direct quotes. Alternating paraphrases and quotations is an essential part of how to write a research paper. Keep in mind that both paraphrases and direct quotes require citations.

5 steps for how to paraphrase a paragraph

1 Read the source paragraph thoroughly

Don’t jump into rewriting a paragraph. First, take time to review the original carefully. Read and reread the paragraph until you’re sure you understand each part. Otherwise, you may misinterpret something in your paraphrase, or forget to include it completely.

2 Identify the key points, words, and ideas

Once you’re familiar with the source paragraph, consider which parts—whether it’s abstract ideas or specific terminology — you want to include in your rewrite. If your topic is slightly different from the source topic, only include the parts relevant to what you’re writing about.

3 Rewrite the paragraph from memory using different vocabulary and syntax

Replacing words with synonyms is a main strategy for paraphrasing, but it’s not sufficient on its own. You also need to change the syntax—the order that words come in. Because paraphrasing usually involves moving around a lot of words, be careful that you don’t inadvertently change the original meaning.

One advantage of paraphrasing a paragraph instead of a sentence is that you can sometimes change the order of the sentences. Paragraph structure typically uses a topic sentence (introduction) and a conclusion sentence, but the sentences in the middle can be rearranged except where the order matters, as with step-by-step instructions or logical progressions.

You can set apart your version even more by combining or splitting up some sentences. Look for clauses that can become standalone sentences or that you can attach to a different sentence.

Get rid of phrases or even entire sentences that aren’t related to what you’re writing about. Editing your paraphrases like this also makes your writing stronger by focusing only on your topic. If you plan on removing parts, paraphrasing a paragraph makes more sense than quoting it, because this lets you avoid using ellipsis breaks, which makes some quotes hard to read.

4 Review to ensure you restate the meaning correctly

When you move and change words, you may inadvertently introduce technical missteps, including grammar and spelling mistakes. Use Grammarly to check your paraphrase for clarity, conciseness, and correctness.

5 Use a citation to avoid plagiarism

Even though you’re using original words and your own writing style, you still need to include a citation. That’s because the phrasing may be your own, but the ideas are not.

Citing paraphrased text usually involves parenthetical citations, a type of in-text citation that puts the author’s last name in parentheses, along with the page number, year of publication, or both. Different formatting styles, such as APA, MLA, and Chicago, all have different rules for citations, so check our guides for the one you’re using.

In addition to the in-text citation, you also need to include a full citation at the end of your work, in the bibliography section. The formatting for your full citation also depends on the formatting style. Use Grammarly’s citations generator to help you instantly add citations to your papers.

Paraphrasing a paragraph example

Original paragraph

A human being is a part of the whole, called by us “Universe”, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest — a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security.

—Albert Einstein,Condolence letter to Rabbi Robert Marcus over the loss of his daughter

Paraphrased version

What we call the “universe” connects everyone, but our individual experiences are still separated from each other. However, this sense of isolation is just an illusion that limits our worldview to only what is familiar to us. We can dispel this illusion by showing empathy to all humans, animals, and nature as a whole, even what is new and unfamiliar. This may be a lofty or even impossible goal, but even just attempting it is a good start to embracing the unity of the universe and, consequently, finding inner peace. (Einstein, 1950).

Tips and techniques for paraphrasing a paragraph

We’ve covered the most effective techniques for paraphrasing a paragraph. As a reminder, they’re summarized below.

• Add or remove sections—You can make an idea unique by adding new parts that weren’t in the original or removing parts that aren’t related to your topic.
• Replace words with synonyms—When people think of paraphrasing, they usually think about using synonyms, different words with the same meaning.
• Switch the part of speech—A part of speech (or “word class“) refers to the function of a word, like a noun, verb, adjective, etc. Changing the part of speech, such as turning a verb into a noun, is a great way to rewrite an idea without losing its meaning.
• Change the sentence structure—In addition to moving parts of the paragraph, you can also move parts of individual sentences, like swapping the position of phrases or using a different subject.

While these techniques have been proven effective, they still take time to learn. Keep in mind that Grammarly’s free paraphrasing tool can give you a few different recommended paraphrases. And once you’ve got a draft, you can rewrite with AI to polish it.

Common Paraphrasing Mistakes

• Not altering the words sufficiently
• Changing the meaning
• Forgetting to cite the source

Paraphrasing a Paragraph FAQs

How much should I change when paraphrasing a paragraph?

Ideally, you want to change as much as you can when paraphrasing a paragraph. More than just individual words, try to rethink the entire paragraph as a whole and create a whole new structure. Aim to restate the meaning in your own style to stay consistent with the rest of your writing.

What are some techniques to help rewrite paragraphs?

The most common paraphrasing technique is to replace some words with synonyms, but this is not enough on its own. It’s best to rearrange the order of sentences, as well as combining and separating some of the originals. You can also add new ideas, or get rid of some that aren’t related to your topic.

Do you need citations when paraphrasing a paragraph?

Even though you’re changing the words, you also need a citation when paraphrasing a paragraph. Paraphrases usually use a parenthetical citation within the text and a full citation in the bibliography at the end.

The post Paraphrasing a Paragraph: An Easy Step-by-Step Guide appeared first on Grammarly Blog.

Research papers rely on other people’s writing as a foundation to create new ideas, but you can’t just use someone else’s words. That’s why paraphrasing is an essential writing technique for academic writing.

Paraphrasing rewrites another person’s ideas, evidence, or opinions in your own words. With proper attribution, paraphrasing helps you expand on another’s work and back up your own ideas with information from other sources while retaining your own writing style and tone.

In this guide to paraphrasing, we explain how to strengthen your research papers through the art and craft of paraphrasing. We discuss the rules of ethical paraphrasing and share paraphrasing tips to help you get started. We even provide a few paraphrasing examples to illustrate how to do it yourself.

Why should you paraphrase in a research paper?

There are a few reasons research writers rely on paraphrasing in their papers:

• It shows comprehension. Paraphrasing requires you to understand ideas well enough to write them in your own words, so it not only helps you pass on information but also can help you learn and retain it.
• Paraphrasing other research or another writer’s work allows you to make valuable connections between ideas. Crediting your sources ethically and according to standards shows professional collaboration and respect.
• Paraphrasing can transform dense academic language into clearer or more modern text. Research writers employ it to make important information more understandable to a wider audience.
• Paraphrasing can increase the readability of your paper and make impactful direct quotes stand out.

When should paraphrasing be used in a research paper?

Paraphrasing is best used in concert with other research writing techniques, such as direct quotes and summaries. Here are instances when paraphrasing is appropriate for your research paper:

• Opt for paraphrasing when you can explain the same concept in plainer language or with less jargon.
• Paraphrasing works best when you need to share background information. Save direct quotes for striking statements and opinions. Rely on your own words to set the stage or provide context.
• Similarly, methodology from published studies generally doesn’t require direct quotes. Consider rewriting this contextual information in your own words.
• Paraphrasing also works well when you’re reporting key results from other research. You might restate the results by paraphrasing the main findings and then use a direct quote to share opinions about the value gleaned from the research.

Paraphrasing vs. quoting and summarizing

Unlike summarizing, paraphrasing uses roughly the same amount of detail as the original work but adjusts the language to demonstrate comprehension or make the text more understandable. Summarizing, in contrast, shortens the information to only the most important points.

While paraphrasing uses your own phrasing, quoting transcribes someone else’s words exactly, placing them in quotation marks so the reader knows someone else said them.

Direct quotes work best when you’re dealing with striking statements or opinions or when you want the tone of the original work to shine. Opt for paraphrasing when you can convey the same information in plain language. Sometimes, placing a direct quote in a sentence would lead to an error in subject-verb agreement or pronoun agreement, so paraphrasing works better in that case. Paraphrasing can also help modernize outdated wording, such as gendered language.

Generally, your writing will have the most readability and engagement if you strike a balance between paraphrasing and direct quotes.

Common paraphrasing mistakes

Writers risk committing plagiarism or losing clarity when they commit the following common paraphrasing mistakes:

• Substituting synonyms but not otherwise changing the phrasing
• Altering the original meaning
• Failing to add citations within the text and in the bibliography

Tips for paraphrasing successfully in your research paper

Try to rewrite from memory

It can be difficult to reword a passage when you’re staring at it. Sometimes it can help to jot down notes about a passage and then try to rewrite the same sentiment from scratch. This forces your brain to think creatively because you can’t just copy the passage verbatim.

Focus on meaning, not just vocabulary

Paraphrasing is more than just swapping out words for their synonyms; you need to completely rewrite a sentence in your own style. Pay close attention to what the original author is trying to say as a whole, rather than focusing on the individual words. You may find yourself changing phrases or clauses. You may even come up with a way to restate the whole idea in a clearer or more concise way.

Change or update the language

Use synonyms to replace the essential words of an original passage with other words that mean the same thing, such as using “scientist” for “researcher,” or “seniors” for “the elderly.” You can also pay special attention to modernizing and broadening the language, such as for more gender inclusivity. This is a common approach to paraphrasing, although it’s not sufficient on its own.

Edit the sentence structure

Editing the sentence structure by rearranging the order of certain phrases and clauses or combining or breaking apart sentences is another strategy for paraphrasing. But if you do this, be careful not to overuse the passive voice.

Sometimes, you can rephrase a sentence by changing the parts of speech, such as converting a gerund into an operative verb or turning an adjective into an adverb. This strategy depends on the wording of the original passage, so you may not always have the opportunity.

Often, using only one of these techniques is not enough to differentiate your paraphrase from the source material. Try combining a few of these techniques on the same passage to set it apart.

Use transition phrasing

Some introductory and transitional phrases let your reader know you’re about to paraphrase an existing work. This tactic has the added benefit of helping you rewrite key findings by recasting the sentence structure with a new subject. Here are a few examples:

• Research shows that . . .
• A recent study found that . . .
• According to [author]’s analysis . . .
• Thanks to [source], we now know that . . .

Avoid patchwriting

If you don’t change enough of the original, it leaves “patches” of the source text that are easily identifiable to anyone who’s read it. This is known as patchwriting, and it’s a big problem with paraphrasing. Double-check to see if your paraphrase is unique enough with our free plagiarism checker.

Use ethical paraphrasing tools

Use Grammarly’s free paraphrasing tool to quickly paraphrase text with the help of generative AI. Paste the text into Grammarly to get options for how to paraphrase it instantly, then use our citations generator to get the proper attribution.

Learn about other aspects of research paper writing by browsing Grammarly’s research paper guides and resources.

Paraphrasing examples

Paraphrasing a research paper to avoid plagiarism

Plagiarism refers to claiming another person’s ideas or words as your own. Paraphrasing alone is not enough to avoid plagiarism—if the words are different but the ideas are the same, you have to do more. That’s why citing paraphrases is not just morally right, it’s also a mandatory part of how to write a research paper, regardless of the research paper topic.

In academic writing, paraphrases typically use parenthetical citations, a type of in-text citation that places the author’s last name in parentheses, along with the year of publication or page number. Parenthetical citations are placed at the end of a passage, before the ending punctuation.

Additionally, you need to include a full citation for any source you use in the bibliography section at the end of the research paper. A full citation includes all the necessary details the reader needs to track down the source, such as the full title, the publication year, and the name of the publisher.

The information to include in both parenthetical and full citations depends on which formatting style you’re using: APA, MLA, or Chicago. Refer to our guides to learn more about how to properly cite your paraphrasing in whatever style you prefer.

If you’re still having trouble citing paraphrases, you can use our free citation generator to save time.

How to paraphrase for a research paper FAQs

When should you use paraphrasing in research writing?

If you want to use someone else’s ideas in your research paper, you can either paraphrase or quote them. Paraphrasing works best when the original wording has room for improvement or doesn’t fit in with the rest of your paper. Quoting is best when the original wording is already perfect.

What techniques can you use for paraphrasing practice?

The most common paraphrasing technique is using synonyms to replace some of the original words. That only gets you so far, though; also consider rearranging the sentence structure, adding/removing parts of the original, or changing some of the parts of speech (like turning a verb into a noun).

Do research paper paraphrasing rules change for different citation styles?

The rules for paraphrasing are always the same—but the rules for citations change a lot between styles. Review the citation guidelines for the formatting style you’re using, whether APA, MLA, or Chicago.

Can I paraphrase sources with no named author, like websites?

Yes, you can paraphrase websites, but ensure they are reputable. And you still need to cite the source according to the citation guidelines.

What’s the best way to integrate paraphrased information smoothly in my paper’s flow?

Transitional phrases can help you introduce paraphrased information. Try using language such as:

• Research shows that . . .
• A recent study found that . . .
• According to [author]’s analysis . . .
• Thanks to [source], we now know that . . .

Use paraphrasing alongside other writing devices, such as direct quotes or summaries, to help your paper flow naturally.

Is it acceptable to paraphrase content from my own previous papers?

Yes, you can paraphrase your other content, unless your academic institution has a policy against it. You should still cite the original source material, even though it is your own work.

The post Paraphrasing for Better Research Papers: A Step-by-Step Guide appeared first on Grammarly Blog.

Most sources for academic writing are articles: news articles, journal articles, magazine and blog articles, and more. To use information from articles in your own writing, it’s helpful to know how to paraphrase an article effectively.

Paraphrasing, or rewriting information in your own words, is an essential tool in a writer’s toolbox. It comes in handy when you want to demonstrate understanding, transform dense text into plain language, adjust the tone, or build on another person’s work.

In this guide, you’ll find everything you need to know about paraphrasing an article, including the best techniques and step-by-step instructions on how to do it. It can be difficult to reword articles if you’re not used to paraphrasing, so this guide will help you get started.

How to paraphrase an article

A paraphrase is a restatement of someone else’s ideas with new wording. You basically take what another person wrote or said, and then rephrase it in your own words. As a writing technique, paraphrasing allows you to build on what an author wrote to draw your own conclusions or extend their train of thought.

Paraphrasing is used as an alternative to direct quotes, which copy another person’s words exactly without changing anything. The best approach is to combine paraphrasing and quotations so your content flows naturally.

Paraphrasing does not require quotation marks because it uses new wording. Quotation marks are used to set off direct quotes, so the reader knows that particular passage was written by someone else.

The important thing to remember when paraphrasing an article is that paraphrases still need citations (as do quotations).

Article paraphrasing techniques

Rewriting articles in your own words is not as easy as it sounds. Take advantage of some of these tried-and-true strategies from our guide on paraphrasing to reword articles:

• Synonyms: Replace words with different words that mean the same thing.
• Sentence structure: Rearrange the order of clauses and phrases or use new subjects and verbs.
• Tone: Adjust the tone for a different audience or to make the tone more straightforward.
• Sentence structure: Combine multiple smaller sentences into one, or break up a large sentence into two or three.
• Change the structure: Turn prose into bulleted lists, or create headers to make the content scannable and easier to understand.

If you’re struggling to differentiate your paraphrasing from the original, you can always get assistance from AI. Use Grammarly’s free paraphrasing tool to have generative AI provide paraphrasing options.

Paraphrasing an article example

Original article

Taken from “Learning academic vocabulary with digital flashcards…” by Zahra Zarrati et al.

This study systematically evaluates the comparative efficacy of digital flashcards on mobile and computer platforms versus traditional paper-based flashcards in augmenting academic vocabulary knowledge development among Iranian undergraduate university students. […]

The results demonstrated statistically significant learning gains in vocabulary knowledge across all groups, with the smartphone group showing the most pronounced improvements. The performance of this group notably surpassed that of the laptop group and the control group, underscoring the superior efficacy of mobile devices in facilitating academic vocabulary learning.

These findings illuminate the potential of mobile-assisted language learning tools in academic settings and suggest a differential impact of device type on vocabulary acquisition. The broader implications of these outcomes for the design and implementation of technology-enhanced language learning strategies are discussed.

Article Paraphrasing

A recent study of Iranian college students tested which kind of flashcards improved vocabulary most: smartphones, laptops, or paper cards. While all forms of flashcards were proven to help in learning vocabulary, the winner was undoubtedly smartphone flashcards. The advantage of mobile devices in learning with flashcards outperformed other digital flashcards such as on laptops, as well as the control group of paper flashcards.

The results of this study demonstrate the value of mobile devices as a learning tool and suggest we use smartphones more often in education, at least where language learning is concerned.

What are the benefits to paraphrasing an article?

Paraphrasing can simplify complex writing.

Perhaps your source material is particularly dense or written for subject matter experts. Paraphrasing an article can make the information easier for a wider audience to understand by translating complex concepts into plain language.

It allows you to highlight the most relevant aspects of your source material.

One advantage of paraphrasing is that you can choose which information to use and which to leave behind. That means you only need to mention what’s relevant to your topic. For example, let’s say you’re writing a paper on solar panels and want to reference an article about general sustainable energy. You only need to paraphrase the parts of the article about solar panels, instead of including irrelevant information.

You can improve the word choice or tone.

Paraphrasing gives you the opportunity to modernize content and make information more understandable to a new or different audience. By changing the wording or adjusting the tone, you might illuminate ideas that otherwise would be lost to outdated language. The wording in the original source isn’t always perfect. Sometimes the terminology is different from what you’re writing, or sometimes the language is outdated, even offensive. Other times, the original phrasing may just be plain awkward. In these cases, it’s better to rewrite the article passage in your own words, according to your own writing style.

It strengthens your vocabulary and writing skills.

Paraphrasing is a valuable skill to develop as a writer and thinker. Rewriting information in your own words can help you understand the source material on a deeper level. Research even shows that doing so will help you remember it. Paraphrasing also helps you flex your vocabulary because it requires finding synonyms and new ways of phrasing things.

Citations for paraphrasing an article

Most paraphrasing and quoting of an article use parenthetical citations, which place the author’s surname in parentheses after the passage, along with the year of publication or page number. Place the parenthetical citation after your paraphrase, but put it in front of the ending punctuation.

The formatting of the parenthetical citation, as well as what information to put in it, depends on whether you’re using APA, MLA, or Chicago styles. Each style has their own rules and guidelines for proper citations, so double-check Grammarly’s guides to make sure you’re writing your citations correctly.

In addition to the in-text citation, you also need to write a full citation for each source and place them in the bibliography at the end. Similar to parenthetical citations, the formatting for a full citation depends on whether you’re using APA, MLA, or Chicago styles.

Citations can be confusing, especially if you have to switch between styles for different assignments. To save time, you can use Grammarly’s free citation generator to help create citations for you.

We even have citation generators, customized for APA or MLA formats, specifically for articles:

• Free APA citation generator for articles
• Free MLA citation generator for articles

5 steps for how to paraphrase an article

1 Read the source article thoroughly.

The first step in rewriting an article is to choose which passages you want to paraphrase. Look closely for points that support the topic you’re writing your own paper about. Remember to only include relevant information.

2 Try rewriting the article by memory.

One helpful strategy for paraphrasing an article is rewriting the passage from memory. Rather than looking at the original, rewriting it from memory forces you to come up with new ways to say the same message.

Try doing it without notes the first time so your mind has to fill in the blanks that you’re missing. You can then go back to your notes to make sure that all of your information is accurate and to add anything that you forgot.

3 Check that your article rewording is different enough.

After writing a rough draft of your article paraphrase, review the original source to check that you changed enough. You want to avoid what’s called “patchwriting,” where the paraphrase is too close to the original and the reader might recognize “patches” of it. This is also a good opportunity to verify that you got all the information correct.

4 Revise your content.

Be sure to revise your article paraphrasing to make sure it’s clear and consistent, and avoids plagiarism. The easiest way to ensure that your work is original is to use Grammarly’s free plagiarism checker. If the rewording of your article can pass a plagiarism test, it’s good to move forward. If not, go back to the paraphrasing strategies described above and revise it even more.

5 Add the citations.

Make sure you’re using the correct citation format for your style, whether it’s APA, MLA, or Chicago. With article paraphrasing, most often you will use a parenthetical citation after the passage.

Paraphrasing an Article FAQs

Is it plagiarism to paraphrase articles?

If you paraphrase articles before putting them in your own writing, that’s a good first step to avoid plagiarism—but it’s not enough. You need to be sure to paraphrase articles and add a proper citation.

When should you reword articles instead of quoting them?

If the article passage already has the perfect wording, a direct quote would work better than a paraphrase. However, if the original wording could benefit from an update because the language is outdated or the terminology is different from the rest of your paper, paraphrasing is a better option.

Where should I provide citations when paraphrasing an article?

If you’re using a parenthetical citation, place it at the end of the paraphrased passage but before the ending punctuation, such as a period or comma. You can use more than one citation in the same sentence, as long as they’re correctly inserted after their related section.

Should I paraphrase an entire article or just the relevant parts I plan to use?

You only need to paraphrase relevant information. Omit parts of the article that aren’t related to your paper.

What percentage of the paraphrased article should be in my own original writing?

There is no exact percentage. You should aim for changing the sentence structure and as many words as possible, while retaining the original meaning. Even though you may repeat words that are in the original content, the sentence structure and language should be markedly different and reflect your writing voice.

Where should I provide citations when paraphrasing an article?

When paraphrasing an article, you need to provide in-line citations and in your bibliography or reference list. Refer to APA, MLA, and Chicago style guidelines to determine how to cite your source.

Can I edit quotations from the original article in my paraphrasing?

Direct quotations should not be edited, but you can use ellipses to omit irrelevant information. If the quote includes a misspelling, include it as is but add [sic] in brackets. If words are missing from the direct quote that render it unclear, you can add the words, such as a subject or verb, within the quotation but place them in brackets to denote that they were added for clarity.

The post Improve Your Understanding: How to Paraphrase Articles appeared first on Grammarly Blog.

Paraphrasing poetry is a common creative and academic exercise that helps you gain a greater understanding of the art form. Paraphrasing, or rewriting, a poem is often necessary for essays, research papers, exams, or other academic writing to analyze or demonstrate an understanding of the original work.

Poetry is deceptively complex for typically consisting of such short texts. Words and punctuation are used economically, and devices like syllable count, sound, and rhyme often play bigger roles than in other writing. Knowing how to write a poem takes a certain skill, and paraphrasing a poem is no different.

Capturing the essence of a poetic verse is no easy task, so in this article, we explain how to paraphrase a poem and offer techniques, tools, and examples to get you started.

What is paraphrasing poetry?

Paraphrasing a poem is rewriting poetry in your own words while paying attention to word choice, rhythm, rhyming, and other poetic devices.

There are two ways to paraphrase a poem:

• Describe the poem in detail using prose or nonpoetic text to give readers a sense of what the original is like. Students employ this method of paraphrasing for academic writing assignments that call for both direct quotes and paraphrased prose in order to analyze a poem.
• Rewrite the poem line by line or stanza by stanza in a poetic style, retaining the ideas, themes, and structure of the original but using new words or metaphors. Paraphrasing a poem in this way can teach aspiring poets about advanced techniques and acts as a helpful creative practice.

No matter which method you use, you still need proper citations if you’re using someone else’s ideas—even if you use your own wording.

Summarizing poems vs. paraphrasing poems

When summarizing poems, you take the entire work or large portions of the work and describe them concisely. For example, a two-page poem could be summarized in just a few sentences. Conversely, a paraphrase of a poem is roughly the same length and uses the same level of detail as the portion you’re rewriting.

Paraphrasing a poem example

Original poem

“Hope” (aka “‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers”), by Emily Dickinson

“Hope” is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul, And sings the tune without the words, And never stops at all, And sweetest in the Gale is heard; And sore must be the storm That could abash the little bird That kept so many warm. I’ve heard it in the chillest land, And on the strangest sea; Yet, never, in extremity, It asked a crumb of me.

Prose paraphrase

In the first stanza, Dickinson compares the concept of hope to a bird, relentlessly singing, and sitting atop our soul rather than a tree. The second stanza continues the analogy, demonstrating the tenacity of hope by describing the rare type of storm that could silence this bird while underscoring the positive effects hope has had on numerous people. The third and final stanza concludes in the first-person point of view, as the author admits she too feels hopeful and expresses a seeming sense of gratitude that hope is effortless and free (Dickinson, 1891).

Poetic paraphrase

Hope is like a happy bird and to our souls it tends. It sings bird songs and melodies and that singing never ends [. . . ] (Dickinson, 1891)

Why paraphrasing a poem is different from other paraphrasing

Regardless of what type of poetry you’re paraphrasing, you have to pay close attention to the details. Paraphrasing poetry takes more than just swapping out words with synonyms—you also have to account for tone, mood, and even the sounds or number of syllables.

While other paraphrases focus more on word choice and order, paraphrasing poetry benefits from focusing on abstract elements like tone or atmosphere. Try to isolate the overarching meaning of the original poem and identify its key themes, metaphors, and other literary devices.

Step-by-step guide to paraphrasing a poem

1 Read the poem multiple times for full understanding.

Before you start rewriting poems, it’s crucial to know them inside and out. Read and reread the poem to learn all you can about it, particularly its literary elements and structure. It also helps to take notes that you can use later.

2 Outline the major literary elements.

As you read the poem, try to identify the literary elements the poet uses: themes, events, imagery, metaphors, motifs, structure, etc. These literary devices will come in handy when you begin paraphrasing.

3 Rewrite or describe the poem from memory.

It can be difficult to get started with paraphrasing, especially when the original is right next to you. One helpful strategy is to rewrite or describe the poem from memory. This challenges you to come up with brand new phrasing to describe the poem because you probably won’t remember the original word-for-word.

4 Reread the poem and add missing parts or fix inaccuracies.

Rewriting from memory can help jump-start your creativity, but it shouldn’t be the final product. Chances are you missed some key parts from the original or perhaps made some minor mistakes that require fixing. In either case, take another look at the poem to find any issues with your paraphrase.

If you’re having trouble with certain parts of the rephrasing, you can also turn to Grammarly’s AI rewrites for suggestions on new phrasing. Grammarly’s free paraphrasing tool takes any excerpt under 500 characters and offers a few paraphrasing options for inspiration.

5 Revise the paraphrased poem.

Just like with other writing, the final step is to revise and proofread your work. Use Grammarly to check for clarity, conciseness, correct grammar, and more.

Paraphrasing a poem FAQs

Do you need to keep the same structure when paraphrasing poetry?

No, you can paraphrase a poem in prose writing, without worrying about lines, rhyming, or stanzas. However, rewriting poems line by line is a great creative writing practice, although it’s not necessary to do in formal writing.

How do you indicate the original lines or stanzas when rewriting poems?

If you are paraphrasing a single line in a poem, you can refer to it by its line number. Stanzas are a little trickier since they’re not usually numbered, but you can still state directly which stanza you’re referring to, as in “the second stanza” or “stanza 2.”

How do you cite sources when rewording poems?

Whether you’re rewriting poems, describing them, or quoting them directly, you need both an in-text citation and a full citation. The in-text citation is typically a parenthetical citation with the author’s name, date of publication, or page number placed in parentheses at the end of the passage. The full citation goes in the bibliography at the end of the work.

The post A Guide to Paraphrasing Poetry, With Examples appeared first on Grammarly Blog.

An epistolary novel entails a type of writing that tells stories through letters and other documentation, putting the reader into the head of one or more characters. This technique allows for a creative approach to developing plot, allows the author to adopt multiple perspectives, and sets the stage for innovative characterization.

What is an epistolary novel?

An epistolary (pronounced eh-PI-stuh-lair-ee) novel is one where the story is told through written communication. Usually this means letters, but it can also include documents, diary entries, newspaper clippings, and any other form of written communication. “Epistolary” comes from the Latin word “epistola,” meaning “letter.” This form of narrative writing gained popularity in the 18th century, and it includes some famous novels such as Frankenstein, Dracula, and The Color Purple. The epistolary style is still used in literature, but oftentimes through text messages, email chains, blogs, notes, and social media posts rather than letters.

The history of epistolary novels

Since the letter predates the novel, it was common for writers to include letters as part of their narratives when novels first emerged in the 16th and 17th centuries in Europe. One of the first notable epistolary novels was called Love-Letters Between a Nobleman and His Sister, which was published anonymously beginning in 1684 and which has been attributed to Aphra Behn, a groundbreaking woman writer. This narrative explored historical events and themes of love, scandal, and politics through letters.

The word “epistolary” appeared in English around the 1740s to describe literary works composed of letters, which coincided with the surge in popularity of epistolary novels such as Samuel Richardson’s Pamela, published in 1740. Often considered one of the most influential epistolary novels, Pamela explores themes of ethics and psychology through stream-of-consciousness-style writing in letters.

The epistolary form continued to thrive during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, with notable examples including Les Liaisons dangereuses (Dangerous Liaisons) by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, published beginning in 1782, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s The Sorrows of Young Werther, published in 1774. In the 19th century, epistolary novels decreased in popularity, but out of this time period came the famous stories of Frankenstein, first published in 1818, and Dracula, in 1897.

Elements of epistolary writing are still widely used today. They incorporate documentation and intimate diary entries into storylines to give readers new perspectives on the characters and plot.

Why do authors write epistolary novels?

There are a few reasons an author might use epistolary writing to tell their story:

• Epistolary novels offer multiple first-person points of view.
• Readers are given a deep sense of intimacy and authenticity through exposure to the characters’ innermost thoughts.
• Readers must be actively engaged in the story to understand how the characters’ communications—and the supporting documents when those are presented—are building a plot.
• Epistolary novels are great for exploring historical and cultural events in a narrative through firsthand accounts.

How do you write an epistolary novel?

Writing a book is not an easy feat, and writing an epistolary novel can be especially challenging. It requires careful word choice, a deep understanding of character building, and substantial historical and cultural knowledge. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Explore formats

To write an epistolary novel, experiment with different formats. If your story involves a crime, you could consider using police reports and court documents to develop its characters and scenes. If you want to explore a character’s emotional state in more depth, you could try writing journal entries or email exchanges between close friends. If you want to emphasize pop culture in your book, you could use a combination of blogs, social media posts, reviews, and text messages to string together a story. If you’re writing about a scientist’s latest discovery, you could include footnotes, reports, and field notes among your means of storytelling. Maybe letter writing is perfect for the plot you’re building. If that’s the case, you should experiment with a combination of short- and long-form letters from all of the different characters you plan to include.

Give every character a unique voice

In order to pull off a narrative that relies heavily on the point of view of various characters, it is imperative that each character bring a distinctive voice to the story. Focus on making their unique personalities shine through in their communication with other characters. Be descriptive:

• Do they use any specific phrases, references, or sign-offs in their letters?
• What is their personal background?

As you build your characters, you can start developing a voice that is unique to each.

Make it feel authentic

Make your epistolary novel feel authentic by ensuring that your characters are distinctive, flawed, and expressive in ways that are particular to them. Incorporate references to historical events, societal norms, and cultural practices to ground the narrative and immerse your readers in a specific setting or time period. Maybe your story takes place in a time before Grammarly existed, and they have a few grammatical errors in their letters to others. All these distinctions can bring your characters to life and make them feel more real.

Epistolary novel examples

There are a few notable classics that are written as epistolary novels. Below are a few.

Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley (1818)

The story unfolds through letters exchanged, as well as the personal accounts of Dr. Frankenstein and the monster he creates.

Dracula, by Bram Stoker (1897)

Stoker’s classic novel is presented in the form of letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. The varied perspectives build suspense as characters chronicle their experiences with the iconic Count Dracula.

84, Charing Cross Road, by Helene Hanff (1970)

In this book, letters are exchanged between the author, Helene Hanff, a writer in New York, and the staff of a London bookshop. The letters cover a period of twenty years, creating an endearing story about a friendship that develops through a shared love for books.

The Color Purple, by Alice Walker (1982)

This Pulitzer Prize–winning novel unfolds through letters written by the main character to God and later her sister. The letters reveal the main character’s struggles and personal evolution, exploring topics of race, gender, love, and resilience.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky (1999)

This emotional, contemporary novel is told in a series of letters addressed to “Dear friend,” an unnamed character to whom Charlie, the main character, confesses his most private insecurities.

Many popular contemporary novels use epistolary elements, such as The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood, Daisy Jones & the Six, by Taylor Jenkins Reid, and The Silent Patient, by Alex Michaelides. While they are not written in the traditional epistolary fashion, they include personal accounts through documents or scripts that bring authentic and nuanced perspectives to them.

In The Handmaid’s Tale, readers are led to believe that they’re reading a novel written in first person, as the main character, Offred, recounts her thoughts, feelings, and experiences. However, you discover in the epilogue that the entire novel is a transcript of an audio recording Offred created long ago that is being analyzed by scholars at an annual conference who are trying to understand the era of the handmaids. This is an epistolary novel, but as a reader, you don’t know that until the very end.

Similarly, in Daisy Jones & the Six, the novel is actually written as a transcript from a documentary, which aims to understand each character’s perspective on how their band rose to fame and what happened in the end.

In The Silent Patient, we get glimpses of a character’s thoughts and perspectives through journal entries that her psychiatrist reads. These entries piece together a story that would otherwise be unknown, since that character is choosing to remain silent about events her psychiatrist is attempting to learn about. The novel is mostly a first-person account of the psychiatrist’s perspective with these journal entries sprinkled throughout, so it doesn’t necessarily qualify as an epistolary novel but certainly explores elements of one.

As those examples show, many books use epistolary novel elements to add complex layers of storytelling to a plot and introduce new perspectives to readers.

Epistolary novel FAQs

What is an epistolary novel?

An epistolary novel is a literary work consisting typically of letters, but sometimes including documents, newspaper articles, diary entries, and other forms of written communication. The plot of an epistolary novel unfolds through written exchanges between the characters, giving readers a uniquely intimate and authentic perspective.

What are the benefits of an epistolary novel?

Epistolary novels provide an immersive experience for the reader, forcing them to piece the story together as it unfolds through various perspectives. Epistolary novels can be particularly illuminating when they deal with historical events, because the reader gets a firsthand account of the language and societal norms of that time period.

What are some examples of epistolary novels?

Some famous examples of epistolary novels are Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley; Dracula, by Bram Stoker; and The Color Purple, by Alice Walker.

The post What Is an Epistolary Novel? Definition and Examples appeared first on Grammarly Blog.

Most academic writing draws on information from other sources—especially books. But filling a paper with too many quotes can confuse the reader, so the best alternative is paraphrasing book content: rewriting book excerpts in your own words without losing the original meaning.

Paraphrasing book passages isn’t as easy as it sounds. It can be a chore to think up new wording for what’s already written, not to mention avoiding plagiarism by citing it properly. Below, we explain how to paraphrase a book, pointing out when to do it and sharing some simple steps. We’ll even look at some book paraphrasing examples and how to cite your paraphases.

How to paraphrase a book

When you paraphrase anything, books included, you take someone else’s writing or speech and reword it to make it new. We paraphrase to add originality (and avoid overusing direct quotes). But paraphrases still require a proper citation in addition to changing the words in order not to be considered plagiarism.

Keep in mind that paraphrases do not use quotation marks because the wording is different and therefore not a quote.

Paraphrase a book vs. summarize a book

In our guide on paraphrasing vs. summarizing, we explain that paraphrasing is when you rewrite small excerpts, whereas summarizing is when you explain something long or complex in a concise way.

Both involve using different words than the original, but the scope is different. Paraphrases are around the same length as the source, whereas summaries are always much shorter than the original. For example, summarizing a chapter, book, or series in a few sentences makes more sense than paraphrasing them in an equally lengthy text.

When to paraphrase a book

Basically, you should paraphrase a book passage if you want to share the details of another source in your own work. If you want to share a broad idea or theory rather than specific details, a summary might work better.

To avoid plagiarism when using another person’s ideas, you must either paraphrase or quote directly (both require a citation). Quotes work best when the original source is already worded perfectly, but be careful of putting too many direct quotes into your writing, as it can get confusing for the reader. Paraphrases work best alongside quotations so that you don’t overuse either.

Paraphrasing book content examples

Paraphrasing book passages in 3 steps

1 Identify which passages you want to paraphrase

The advantage of citing other sources is that you don’t need to repeat everything, only the parts relevant to your own topic. So before you begin paraphrasing, the first step is choosing which passages you want to include.

Typically, you’re looking for details that support your own argument. These details could be hard data or eloquent opinions—anything that bolsters your own idea. But don’t only consider passages that agree with your argument; sometimes including opposing points of view can help you better explain your argument and convince the reader.

2 Rewrite the text in your own words

Once you’ve selected your passages, you can begin the actual paraphrasing. Rewriting book excerpts involves changing the original wording without changing the meaning. This isn’t always easy, so take advantage of these reliable paraphrasing techniques:

• Sentence structure—You can rearrange the structure of a sentence to make it new and different, such as replacing the subject or changing the order of the clauses.
• Editing—You only need the parts of the book that relate to your idea, so feel free to remove unnecessary details or add in new parts for context.
• Synonyms—Synonyms are different words with the same meaning, making them a viable strategy for paraphrasing book content.
• Parts of speech—If you can’t find synonyms, you can sometimes change the part of speech (also known as word class), such as turning a verb into a noun.
• Paraphrasing tool—Online resources like our free paraphrasing tool can generate a few AI rewrites to help you paraphrase a book and come up with different wording.

These strategies are not mutually exclusive, so you can combine them to distinguish your paraphrase from the original source.

3 Add a citation

Most of the time when citing paraphrases we use a parenthetical citation, usually with the author’s surname in parentheses and a full citation in the bibliography at the end. However, details about what information and in what format depends on the style. Review the guidelines for how to cite books in APA, MLA, or Chicago to ensure that you’re following the right rules.

If you’re having trouble, try our free citation generator, which automatically creates a citation after you enter a source.

How to paraphrase a book FAQ

Do you need quotations when paraphrasing book content?

No, if you’re paraphrasing, you don’t need quotation marks. You’re using your own words, which means it’s not a direct quote. You do, however, still need a citation.

Where do you put the citation when paraphrasing book passages?

Generally, you place parenthetical citations at the end of the paraphrase, before any conclusive punctuation like a period or comma. APA, MLA, and Chicago all have very particular rules about how to cite a book, so review the guidelines for the format you’re using if you are unsure.

What are some tips on how to paraphrase a book?

Only paraphrase the parts of the book related to your topic—you don’t want to rewrite the entire book. Using synonyms and changing the parts of speech can help differentiate your paraphrase from the original, but you can also rearrange the sentence structure and remove some parts entirely.

The post Paraphrasing Books: A How-To Guide for Retelling Key Concepts appeared first on Grammarly Blog.

Gone are the days when employees worked one job for forty years and then retired. Nowadays, career changes are expected over the course of a long working life. Employees pivot, try new roles, or go back to school to learn a new trade all the time. Some even leave the workforce to pursue long-held dreams, like enrolling in culinary school or becoming a flight attendant.

If you’re leaving your job because you’re changing your career, you will have to inform your employer by writing a resignation letter. Read on for why it’s important to write an amicable and compliant resignation letter and for tips on how to do that.

Understanding resignation letters for a career change

A resignation letter for a career change is an official letter to your manager and company stating your intention to leave your job because you’re embarking on a new line of work. It’s important for companies to have this document as a legal record of the timeline of your departure.

Resignation letters are also an important way for employees to leave their roles on a polite and friendly note, which is important in order to secure a positive reference in the future. Even if you’re exiting the industry, it’s always important to have former employers who can vouch for your character and work ethic.

How far in advance to notify employer

You should give your employer ample notice of your intention to resign due to a career change. Companies usually expect at least two weeks’ notice, and more time is usually appreciated if your timeline allows for it. The more senior you are at a company, the more notice you should provide so you can pass on managerial responsibilities and institutional knowledge. Check your employment contract to see if it includes a specific notice mandate. Some executives are bound by their contract to give at least three or six months notice before they resign, for example. Not heeding the notice period in your contract may sour the goodwill between you and your employer or make you vulnerable to legal action.

During this notice period, you and your employer will prepare for your transition away from the team. You will also need to finish as much of the work you’re currently doing and prepare your offboarding documents during this time.

Crafting your letter of resignation due to career change

Your resignation letter for a career change should be written in the form of an official business letter. It should be concise and written in a professional tone—an AI-powered writing partner like Grammarly can help you check for these elements. Your resignation letter should include:

• The date
• Name of the company
• Name of the person you’re addressing the letter to (your immediate manager)
• A formal statement of your intent to resign
• Your intended last day of work
• Appreciation for the company and the opportunities you’ve had there
• An offer to help with the transition
• Your name

Your letter can be as long as you’d like, as long as you address the points above. In other words, you don’t need to go into detail about what your career change is or what you’ll be doing after you leave the company. However, if you have a good relationship with your manager and colleagues, you may choose to disclose a few details in the interest of fostering a good relationship.

Example resignation letter due to a career change

To get you started, we prompted Grammarly to write an example of a resignation letter due to a career change using generative AI. Grammarly’s AI resignation letter generator immediately drafted a letter, and then we asked it to make the letter shorter and sound more empathetic. The result below is for you to work from, or you can try giving Grammarly your own prompt with more personal information and guidance on the tone you’d like to strike.

[Your Name]

[Your Address]

[City, State, Zip Code]

[Email Address]

[Phone Number]

[Today’s Date]

[Recipient’s Name]

[Company Name]

[Company Address]

[City, State, Zip Code]

Dear [Recipient’s Name],

I am writing to let you know that I have decided to resign from my position as [Your Position] at [Company Name], effective [Last Working Day, with Date].

I am grateful for the opportunities that I have had while being a part of the [Company Name] team and appreciate the support and guidance that you and my colleagues have provided me with during my time here.

I will ensure a smooth transition during my remaining time and do everything that I can to complete all outstanding work and assist in any way possible, including training my successor.

Thank you for the valuable experience that I have gained here. I wish you and the team all the best for the future.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

Tips for your resignation letter for a career change

A resignation letter for a career change does not have to disclose anything beyond the basic points, such as your last day of employment. However, if it feels authentic to you, your letter could also serve as a farewell message to colleagues. Below are some tips to help you craft a resignation letter that’s compliant with company requirements and also allows you to showcase your gratitude.

Use proper letter formatting

Make sure that your resignation letter includes the name of your direct manager, the name of your company, and the date and is signed with your name. If you have your own personal letterhead, write your resignation letter on that.

Choose the appropriate channel of communication

Your company may have a preferred communication channel for submitting your resignation letter—either through email or an internal portal, for example. Ask your manager or an HR representative if there’s a protocol for filing these letters and be sure to follow it.

Write in a formal and respectful tone

Your resignation letter is one of the last pieces of business writing you will submit at this workplace. As such, it should be written in a professional and formal tone. Grammarly’s tone detection feature can help you ensure you’re hitting the right note.

Proofread your letter

You don’t want to submit any piece of writing at work that has typos, and your resignation letter shouldn’t be any different. When proofreading your letter, you should also ensure it doesn’t ramble or go off on tangents. Grammarly can help you proofread your resignation letter for clarity, concision, and tone, as well as for correct grammar and punctuation.

Do not criticize the job or industry

Given you are leaving a job to make a career change, you may be tempted to disclose what made you feel frustrated or less-than-satisfied about your current job or industry. Do not do that in your resignation letter. You will likely need a positive reference from your former boss, no matter what industry you’re pivoting into, and insinuating that you disliked working with them for whatever reason does nothing to help you secure that.

Share how you intend to help with the transition

Listing some of the actions you will take to facilitate a transition of responsibilities shows your employer that you have thought about the situation and that you are committed to helping them. Your offboarding may involve crafting a handoff memo that has links to documents and files needed to do your job. It can also include training others who will be taking over parts of your role. Ask your manager what else you could help with during the transition.

FAQs on resignation letter due to career change

How should I communicate my resignation due to a career change to my employer?

You should communicate your resignation through a short resignation letter. This letter should include the last day of your employment, the name of your immediate boss and company, and an offer to assist the company with the transition of your tasks and responsibilities. It does not need to include details about your career change.

How can I ensure a smooth transition when resigning due to a career change?

You can ensure a smooth transition by providing a few weeks’ notice and assisting your boss with transferring your projects and responsibilities to your colleagues. You should also attempt to complete any projects you are currently in the middle of working on.

How can I use AI to help with writing a resignation letter for career change?

You can use Grammarly’s resignation letter generator to generate a draft or outline of your letter. Then let Grammarly’s strategic writing feedback on tone, conciseness, clarity, and more help you revise your letter. Grammarly’s built-in proofreading can ensure your final draft is polished.

The post How to Write a Resignation Letter for a Career Change appeared first on Grammarly Blog.

Paraphrasing might seem like a way of avoiding plagiarism, but it can be considered a form of plagiarism if you don’t cite the original source. Citing paraphrases involves more than just mentioning the author’s name. Each formatting style—APA, MLA, or Chicago—has its own particular rules about how to cite paraphrased information, and these contrasting styles can be confusing.

Below, we review the rules for citing paraphrases in MLA, APA, and Chicago formats. We’ll break down the guidelines and share a paraphrase citation example or two for each style so you can see how to do it yourself.

How to cite a paraphrase

Paraphrasing is when you restate someone else’s text or speech in your own words, keeping the original meaning. There are two challenges to doing this. One, which we’ll come back to in a minute, is that you have to cite a source, even though you’re not quoting it directly. The other challenge is that it’s not always easy to find a new way of saying what your source already said. Need help with that? In addition to the techniques mentioned in our paraphrasing guide, you can also check out our free paraphrasing tool, which lets you paste in up to 500 characters of text and then suggests a few different paraphrases for you to choose from.

One important point. You don’t need quotation marks if you are paraphrasing. Quotation marks are only for direct quotes, where you copy the original source’s wording exactly.

Now, back to the other challenge we mentioned. When you paraphrase, in order to avoid plagiarism, you need to include a citation. Citing a paraphrase in writing usually involves adding the author’s name and other information in parentheses next to the passage. This is called an in-text citation or parenthetical citation. Sometimes footnote or endnote citations can be used instead.

In academic writing, the formatting of an in-text citation and the information to include depend on the style you’re following: APA, MLA, or Chicago. Each style has its own unique rules, though there are some similarities between them. Below, we discuss the rules of citing paraphrases, based on which style you’re using.

Here’s another essential point. Along with creating an in-text citation or a footnote or endnote citation, you also need to add a full citation for the source in the bibliography at the end of your writing. Full citations usually include details about the publication, such as the publishing company or internet URL. Which details to include and in what order again depends on the formatting style. You can read all about that in our APA, MLA, and Chicago guides linked above. And you can use our free citation generator to help you along.

Citing paraphrases: APA

The APA format uses an author-date system for citing a paraphrased passage. This involves placing the author’s surname (last name) and the year of publication in parentheses, separated by a comma. An APA-style in-text citation for a work with two authors would look like this:

(Bell & Offen, 1983)

The in-text citation should occur at the end of the passage, but before the concluding punctuation: at the end of a sentence before the period, or at the end of a clause before the semicolon or comma.

If you mention either the author’s name or the year of publication in the words of your own text, known as a narrative citation, you can omit that information from the APA paraphrasing citation. In narrative citations that mention only the author, put the year in parentheses after the author’s name instead of the end of the passage. This may sound complicated, but it’ll be more clear if you look at some examples.

APA paraphrasing citation example

Researchers recently discovered that Kundalini yoga improved cognition and memory in several older women at risk for Alzheimer’s disease (Lavretsky, 2024).

In a 2024 study, researchers discovered that Kundalini yoga improved cognition and memory in several older women at risk for Alzheimer’s disease (Lavretsky).

The research team of Dr. Helen Lavretsky (2024) recently discovered that Kundalini yoga improved cognition and memory in several older women at risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

In a 2024 study, the research team of Dr. Helen Lavretsky discovered that Kundalini yoga improved cognition and memory in several older women at risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

Citing paraphrases: MLA

Paraphrase citing in MLA uses the author’s surname in parentheses, but with the page numbers instead of the year of publication. There is no comma to separate them, so numbers in MLA in-text citations generally refer to a page.

If you mention either the author or the page in the text—a narrative citation—you can omit that information from the citation. This is more common with the author than the page number, so in MLA papers you will often see only the page number in parentheses.

MLA paraphrasing citation example

Someone whose words and actions are not genuine, but instead represent those of another person, is considered to be an “artificial person” (Hobbes 113).

Someone whose words and actions are not genuine, but instead represent those of another person, is considered to be what Hobbes calls an “artificial person” (113).

Citing paraphrases: Chicago

The Chicago style provides for two different systems of citing sources. We’ll briefly describe each, but you don’t necessarily get to take your pick. If you’re writing for school, you’ll probably be told which system to apply. One is called the author-date system; it’s commonly used in the sciences. The other, known as the notes-and-bibliography system, is more often used in the humanities. Bear with us—this can be complicated!

The author-date system calls for using brief, in-text citations and giving full details in a reference list. The in-text citation is like APA but slightly different. You give the author’s last name followed by a space (but no comma) and the year of publication; then you add a comma and the page number if one is needed.

In the notes-and-bibliography system, you simply put a superscript number in your text (after the punctuation ending your paraphrase), and you provide the relevant citation information in a footnote or endnote. Footnotes go at the bottom of the page; endnotes go in a separate section after the main body of your text. Under this system, you can either:

• Give all the needed details in the notes (a full citation the first time you reference that source, but a short form for later references) and omit a bibliography, or
• Give concise information in the notes (the author’s surname, an abbreviated title of the source, and the relevant page numbers) and give a full citation in a bibliography.

Chicago paraphrasing citations example

The first ruler to create a navy as we know it today was Minos of Crete, who used his to control what he called the Hellenic Sea, today known as the Aegean Sea (Thucydides 1972, 37).

The first ruler to create a navy as we know it today was Minos of Crete, who used his to control what he called the Hellenic Sea, now known as the Aegean Sea.¹

1. Thucydides, The History of the Peloponnesian War, 37.

How to Cite a Paraphrased Text FAQs

Do I have to cite a source if I paraphrase and don’t directly quote?

Yes, in formal writing like research papers you still need to cite a source after you paraphrase its message. You need to include both an in-text citation, such as a parenthetical citation, as well as a full citation in the bibliography at the end of your work.

What are the differences in citing a paraphrase between MLA, APA, and Chicago styles?

MLA, APA, and Chicago styles can all use in-text citations, also known as parenthetical citations. For APA and Chicago, this includes the author’s last name and the year of publication, whereas in MLA it includes the author’s last name and page number. Chicago also has the option of using footnotes or endnotes instead of a parenthetical citation.

Where does the citation go when citing a paraphrase?

In-text or parenthetical citations appear at the end of the passage before the concluding punctuation. For example, you could put them at the end of a sentence before the period or at the end of a clause before the semicolon or comma. For footnotes and endnotes, the superscript number appears at the end of the passage after the punctuation.

The post Decoding Academic Integrity: Mastering the Art of Citing Paraphrased Texts appeared first on Grammarly Blog.

When you paraphrase a sentence, you rewrite another person’s idea to restate the meaning in your own words. Otherwise, you could be copying someone else’s work or using too many quotes. Keep in mind that even when you paraphrase, you still need to cite the original source.

Below, we explain all about how to paraphrase a sentence. We discuss paraphrasing techniques, citations, syntax, and what constitutes plagiarism, and we even share some examples of paraphrasing a sentence.

What is paraphrasing a sentence?

Paraphrasing is a technique of saying someone else’s ideas in your own words so that you restate the meaning without copying. It’s a way to build on other people’s data or concepts, but it’s important to cite the original source, particularly in academic writing; otherwise, it’s considered plagiarizing.

Paraphrasing a sentence is applying this writing technique to a single sentence. While you can paraphrase an entire paragraph, research paper, or even book, paraphrasing a standalone sentence is quite useful for relaying an individual detail or piece of information from another source (that you must cite).

Examples of paraphrasing a sentence

How to paraphrase a sentence in 4 steps

1 Understand the meaning of the sentence you want to paraphrase

To restate a sentence’s meaning, you first need to understand that meaning. Take a close look at the sentence you want to rewrite and make sure you know what the original source is trying to say. If there are any unfamiliar words, phrases, or colloquialisms, look them up in a dictionary.

Also, consider how important the original wording is. If the word choice or phrasing of the source adds to its meaning, as in poetry or eloquent writing, you can opt to use a quote instead of a paraphrase. Quotations let you copy the original wording exactly by placing the text inside quotation marks, which lets the reader know you didn’t write it.

Quotations work better than paraphrasing if the wording of the original source is already perfect. However, if you fill a paper with too many quotes, it becomes difficult to read, so it’s best to alternate between paraphrasing and quoting for the sake of the reader.

2 Use paraphrasing techniques to rewrite the original sentence

Paraphrasing can be difficult—sometimes it’s easier to say something original than reword what someone else already said. If you’re having trouble, there are some tried-and-true techniques for paraphrasing that usually help.

You can read more details about these techniques in our main guide to paraphrasing. For a quick glance, we summarize those techniques here:

• Use synonyms—One of the easiest paraphrasing techniques is to simply replace some of the original words with different words that mean the same thing.
• Change the word class or part of speech—Changing nouns to verbs, adjectives to adverbs, and so on, is a smart way to rewrite a sentence without losing its meaning (although some words cannot be changed this way).
• Rearrange the sentence structure—If changing the words is too difficult, you can also change the order of the sentence, such as by using a different subject or switching the clauses.
• Adding or removing parts—One of the best ways to make a sentence original is to add some new original parts or take away some parts that aren’t relevant to what you’re writing.
• Use a paraphrasing tool—AI rewrites can help if you’re struggling. Our free paraphrasing tool allows you to paste in any text up to 500 characters, and it will suggest a few different paraphrases for you to choose from.

Often it’s good to use more than one of these strategies simultaneously to further differentiate your paraphrased sentence from the original.

3 Double-check the syntax to make sure you restate the meaning

Syntax refers to the order that the words are arranged in, and it makes an enormous impact on meaning. Paraphrasing tends to mix words around, so it risks jumbling the meaning. After paraphrasing a sentence, read it again carefully to check that the original meaning is still intact.

For starters, make sure the paraphrased sentence is grammatically correct, following the standard rules. Additionally, confirm that all the components are in the right place, such as the subject, verb, objects, and any other phrases. (Running your paraphrased sentence through Grammarly is a quick way to validate it has no mistakes!)

Pay particular attention to the placement of adjectives, adverbs, and other modifiers—these should go next to the words they modify to avoid the common mistake of misplaced modifiers.

4 Add a citation

Even when paraphrasing a sentence, you still need citations for the original sources. These not only tell the reader that you’re using someone else’s ideas, but also give them the information they need to find that source if they want to check it out on their own.

Most citations for paraphrased text involve a parenthetical citation, which contains the author’s last name in parentheses, along with either the publication year or page number, depending on which formatting style you’re using. The citation is placed after the paraphrased passage but before the ending punctuation (such as a period or semicolon). You can learn more about citations in our guide on how to cite a paraphrase.

Common paraphrasing mistakes

Not changing enough to avoid plagiarism

One of the hardest parts about paraphrasing a sentence is changing enough to both avoid copying and not lose the original meaning. This can be a tricky balancing act, especially if you have to keep some of the wording.

To double-check whether you’ve changed enough, you can use our free plagiarism checker. Just paste your paraphrase, and our checker will tell you if it passes or if there’s still too much of the original.

Regardless, always include a citation of your original source.

Distorting the meaning

Likewise, changing up the words and sentence structure can accidentally change the meaning. That’s fine if you want to write an original sentence, but if you’re trying to convey someone else’s idea, you need to make sure your rewrite adequately describes it.

Review your paraphrase to confirm that all the words are used correctly and are placed in the right order for your intended meaning. If you’re unsure, you can ask someone to read it for you to see how they interpret the passage.

Forgetting the citation

Some people think that if you put an idea into your own words, you don’t need to cite where it came from—but that’s not true. Even if the wording is your own, the ideas are not. That means you need a citation.

If you have a bunch of paraphrased sentences together from the same location in a source, you need only one citation at the end of the passage. Otherwise, you need a citation for each paraphrased sentence from another source in your writing, without exception. Use our free citation generator to help you quickly create full or in-text citations.

Paraphrasing a sentence FAQs

How much should I change when paraphrasing a sentence?

Generally speaking, you want to change as much as possible without losing the original meaning. This can be difficult though, as some words are necessary and must be reused. In this case, you can rearrange the sentence structure or add something new to differentiate your paraphrase from the original.

What are some techniques I can use to help rewrite sentences?

Some of the most common paraphrasing techniques include using synonyms, changing the part of speech, rearranging the sentence structure, and adding or removing content. These techniques can also be used together to help set apart your paraphrase.

When do I add citations for paraphrasing sentences?

You need a citation after every sentence that uses someone else’s ideas. If you have a bunch of paraphrased sentences together from the same location in a source, you need only one citation at the end of the passage.

The post How to Paraphrase a Sentence Effectively, With Examples appeared first on Grammarly Blog.

A thesis statement explains the main point of a piece of writing, so naturally, other sources on the same topic would want to mention it. Ideas build on one another, and if your argument depends on someone else’’s data, opinions, or theories, you should mention the original (along with citing it as the original source). That’s why paraphrasing thesis statements is so common in academic writing.

In this guide, we explain how to paraphrase a thesis statement, discuss the best strategies for restating a thesis claim in your own words, and share some examples.

How to paraphrase a thesis statement

Paraphrasing a thesis statement is restating the main topic of another piece of writing in your own words. We paraphrase other people’s ideas to use them in our own works, whether as supporting evidence, background context, or a conflicting point of view. Because thesis statements encompass the central points of larger and more complex works, restating the thesis claim is more convenient than going over every detail. In order to avoid plagiarism, please note that it’s important to include a citation of the original source even when putting those ideas into your own words.

Identifying thesis statements

The first step in paraphrasing thesis statements is always identifying them in the source. A thesis statement is a single sentence that succinctly sums up the main point of the work, such as the topic of an essay or the hypothesis of a research paper.

Typically, thesis statements come in the introductions of academic writing, as well as in abstracts. They’re usually placed in the first paragraph as a way to prepare the reader for the rest of the writing.

Paraphrasing thesis statements

Once you’ve identified the thesis statement in your source, try to rewrite it in your own words. Restate the thesis claim using original phrasing to differentiate it from the original. You do not need quotation marks when you rewrite thesis statements because you’re using your own words.

However, you still need a citation when paraphrasing thesis statements. Even though you changed the wording of the ideas, the person who came up with those ideas still deserves credit. Typically, the citation includes placing the author’s last name in parentheses after the statement, but the specific details change depending on the formatting style you’re using.

If you’re having trouble, you can use some reliable paraphrasing techniques to help:

• Use synonyms. Replace some words with different words that mean the same thing.
• Change the word class or part of speech. Modifying the part of speech, such as turning a verb to a noun, is a good way to change the words without changing their meaning.
• Rearrange the sentence structure. If no synonyms are available, you can try moving the phrases or clauses around in a different order, breaking up the thesis statement into multiple sentences, or changing the subject, active verb, or other sentence components.
• Add or remove parts. When paraphrasing, don’t be afraid to edit; you can omit parts that aren’t relevant to your work, or add new parts to give better context for what you’re trying to say.
• Try a paraphrasing tool. AI rewrites can help you reword thesis statements; paste fewer than 500 characters into our free paraphrasing tool and it automatically paraphrases the text with a few different options.

Feel free to use more than one paraphrasing strategy to set your wording apart from the original. Don’t forget to use the proper research paper thesis format for your genre.

Example of paraphrasing thesis statements

When to paraphrase thesis statements

Literature reviews and other explanations of sources

Paraphrasing thesis statements comes in handy when writing literature reviews, which outline the main ideas in the sources used for academic writing. Likewise, anytime you need to explain a source, you can restate its thesis claim so the reader understands what it was about.

Applying general ideas from other sources to your own work

If the conclusion of another piece of work is an important building block or piece of evidence in your own idea, you can simply rewrite the thesis statement to get your readers up to speed. It’s a lot more convenient than having to explain the step-by-step processes the original source took to arrive at its outcome.

Comparing/contrasting viewpoints on topics

One of the most effective strategies for convincing a reader of your point of view is to address conflicting points of view and discuss why your ideas are better. Instead of devoting too much of your writing to competing ideas, you can paraphrase their thesis statements so the reader knows their opinion and its justification.

Common mistakes with paraphrasing thesis statements

Patchwriting

Patchwriting is when you attempt to paraphrase something but don’t change it enough. Think of it as a failed attempt at paraphrasing. To successfully rewrite thesis statements, you must change it enough to make it unique. Patchwriting a thesis statement won’t be enough to pass a plagiarism checker.

Incorrectly identifying the thesis statement

Sometimes the thesis statement is not easy to find, or another piece of information distracts the reader from the main point of the writing. This can lead to misinterpreting the main idea of the source, or “missing the point.” If you can’t find an adequate thesis statement at the beginning of an academic work, check the conclusion—the thesis statement is usually repeated there.

Forgetting the citation

Just because you’re using your own words doesn’t mean the ideas are yours. You still need to use proper citations when you paraphrase or else it’s plagiarism. The proper format for how to cite a paraphrase depends on the style—APA, MLA, or Chicago—so double-check the citation guidelines for the one you’re using. And don’t forget the source’s full citation in the bibliography section at the end.

Paraphrasing a thesis FAQs

Do you use quotations when paraphrasing thesis statements?

Restate the thesis claim using original phrasing to differentiate it from the original. You do not need quotation marks when you rewrite thesis statements because you are using your own words.

Where does the citation go when you rewrite thesis statements?

Typically, the citation includes placing the author’s last name in parentheses after the statement, but the specific details change depending on which citation style you’re using: APA, MLA, or Chicago.

When should you quote or reword thesis statements?

Paraphrasing thesis statements is generally preferred over quotations because the wording remains consistent with the author’s style throughout the rest of the piece. It also alleviates the risk of overusing direct quotations. However, if the original source’s wording is already perfect, a quote can work well.

The post Paraphrasing Thesis Statements: A Strategic Skill appeared first on Grammarly Blog.