They Say I Say, By Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, And Russel Durst

Graff and Birkenstein believe to become an effective writer on would start off with what “They are saying”. After you state the they say you can introduce your viewpoint/ argument so it can give the reader an idea of what you’re writing about. I like the idea of using the “they say” technique. Especially when writing an argumentative essay this strategy gives your essay more credibility. It gives the reader of sense that you can acknowledge a point of view even it opposes your own. Graff and Birkenstein also suggest to summarize the they say. Summarizing helps you understand the information better without

What is academic writing? If you were to ask a majority of first year college students what academic writing is I am definite that an inadequate amount will be able to give you the correct definition, while some like myself may not even have a clue as to what academic writing is. Since taking English 101 and being assigned the readings, They Say/ I Say and Rhetorical Approaches I was able to comprehend the meaning of academic writing for the better of my understanding. According to Purdue University academic writing is, “Rules and practices that may be organized around a formal order or structure in which to present ideas, in addition to ensuring that ideas are supported by author citations in literature.” Also the text in They Say/I Say reads, “For us, the underlying structure of effective academic writing ---and of responsible public discourse---resides not just in stating our own ideas but in listening closely to others around us, summarizing their views in a way that

I’ve made it through Part 1 of They Say I Say, and I have to say that it’s one of the most readable writing texts that I’ve ever read. It’s not as good as Anne Lamott’s Bird By Bird, but that’s my all-time favorite. The authors lay the foundation of the book’s premise that good argumentative writing begins with a reaction to (or acknowledgement of) existing arguments. The start of the section featured an anecdote about a presenter’s lauding of Dr. X’s research. The authors (who were in the audience) appreciated the information, but there was the nagging “So what?” question. The authors go on to suggest that much of the academic writing assigned to students reflects scenario.

In chapter 4 of They Say I Say, Graff, Birkenstein, Durst focus on the strategies in offering the writers’ response to the other’s idea. Generally, the three most common attitudes of response are agreement, disagreement and combination of the former two attitudes. Since a disagreement to someone’s idea means a new argument in the essay, authors claim that the writer who shows a disagreement to someone’s idea should continue providing a reason or explanation. Equally, writer who shows a combination attitude to someone’s idea should continue stating the part that he/she disagree and the reasons of this attitude. Besides the strategies, authors also provide the templates in clearly responding the “they say”.

The preface and the introduction are broken in subparts with the preface starting by the narration of how the book was intended, put together and evolved in the 2nd edition, and who participated in the process. In the consequent subparts, authors introduce a rhetorical tool named “they say/ I say” around which the book will progress, authors elaborate on the usefulness of the templates and defend the use of the first pronoun “I” through the direct explanations and by answering to the critiques. The authors argue that use of templates will introduce the unseasoned writers to rhetoric techniques that they will be able to modify and expand on its own as they become more savvy writers. In Addition, authors suggest that the prohibition of the first pronoun “I” will not eliminate the subjectivity from the text but will hinder the learning of the mentioned pronoun’s proper use. The preface is finalized by reminding that the book is intended to teach logical principles of the argument by the practice of discussion.

In the introduction to "They Say/I Say": The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing, Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein provide templates designed to give students a taste of the language and patterns that sophisticated writing requires. These templates focus writers' attention on what is being said while also helping them to focus on rhetorical patterns. Specifically, Graff and Birkenstein argue that the most effective writing template they offer is the "they say_____, I say_____" formula. This formula expresses personal ideas ("I say") in response to another person or group ("they say"). This is the underlying structure of effective academic writing. It prompts students to progress in their writing in ways they might have not otherwise done. As the authors themselves put it, "listening closely to others and summarizing what they have to say can help writers generate their own ideas." Although some people believe that templates stifle creativity, Graff and Birkenstein insist that

Scholarly writing is no different from all other writing, except, beside it having a purpose and having an audience like any other writings, scholarly writing is evidence-based (Laureate Education, 2012). It is important, since the scholar-practitioner write for a specific audience, that his or her material be free of personal opinion, assumption, and bias. When writing a scholarly material, a scholar-practitioner has to be objective in tone, write clearly, concise, produce a mechanically correct writing that contains evidence-based material.

Writing is a difficult, complex and laborious activity. There are areas that need work to be done and get better at. Scholarly writing is directly tied to critical thinking, one need to improve on its critical thinking skills to be able to write clearly, concisely and precisely. This well help in presenting thoughts in a cohesive and logical sequence while being specific. One will work hard to do away with overlong sentences and try to make every sentence a complete thought. Another area that will need some improvement is paragraphing, one will learn how to begin each paragraph with a topic sentence then followed by supporting sentences that illustrate, explain, or clarify main point. In doing this, the coherence, unity and emphasis (CUE)

Scholarly writing is a process that requires practice to develop this skill. Hatcher (2011) purports that scholarly writing is root in ideology. This style of writing is multi-faceted; it requires a level of formality, the use of of active voice with the intention to eliminate passive voice, and when writing sentences the character should precede the action. According to (Types of Scholarly Writing, n.d.) this style of writing serves to advance knowledge within a particular field and adds new insights to extend, challenge or expand what is known. The wording should be carefully selected, sentences should be concise and written in third third person. The appearance of scholarly writing is usually structured in the sections, abstract, keywords, introduction, literature review, methodology, result, conclusion, and references.

Writing is an amalgamation of different conventions stuck together in an organized manner in order to convey a point. All papers that are written must have clear theses, a clear, consistent organization, proper tone and style, as well as supporting details and evidence. In addition to overarching ideas like these, papers must include small scale conventions such as conciseness in sentences and ideas, strong topic sentences that relate to the thesis, coherence and readability, and proper wording. These conventions are seen in my writing throughout the semester, however the effectiveness and the proper use of these could be called into question.

Write a 200 - to 400 - word paragraph to explain how purpose, audience, tone, and content impact academic writing. Be sure to use the three components of a good paragraph covered in this week’s readings. (Chapter 6, Section 2.3)

In Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace, Joseph Williams discusses and explains how to write in a clear and concise manner. Throughout lesson five and nine, Williams details the importance of cohesion, coherence, and concision. All three of these aspects add to the clarity, grace, and comprehension of academic writing. In lesson five, Williams focuses on effectively connecting sentences to ensure understandability and organization (65). It is vital that writers avoid connecting sentences without the use of transitions, to safeguard against having broken, shifting, and unorganized sentences that confuse the reader (65). Further, Williams elaborates on the arrangement of words in the sentences, specifically focusing on how writers begin and end sentences (65). Writers must make certain that their

Over the past three weeks, I've found that my outlook on writing has significantly evolved since Assignment 1.0. Originally, I had thought that the aim of academic writing was "to clearly and thoroughly argue a specific point of view or present scholastic finding in an organized, professional fashion." I suppose then that I used the word "scholastic" as an umbrella for all things related to academia. However, after reading, discussing, and comparing multiple articles and journals by various authors, I've changed my opinion as to what "academic writing" means to me.

The article sets an academic tone for the intended audience of academic writers. They benefit from the insight and tips to better articulate

Henning, E., Gravett. S., van Rensburg, W. (2005). Finding your way in Academic Writing. Pretoria: Van Shaik.