Paraphrasing

Yesterday, while I was looking for some materials on how to get a high score on IELTS Writing part, I've re-discovered paraphrasing. This is a great and creative way to re-write the exam's questions with using other words while keeping the same meaning. For me, this was always a complicated thing to do; however, now that I've discovered some helpful techniques, I will - for sure - do better with this paraphrasing thing!

- -  I think having too many commas in a single sentence is a bit messy looking (and also somewhat unprofessional), so I try to use them only when necessary.  But dashes - - do the same thing as commas do (generally), and they're not so much an eyesore.  Parentheses are used when you interject your own thoughts into what you're writing.  Dashes can do that, too, or you can use them when you're re-iterating or emphasizing something you've said.