Customer Reviews

They Say, I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

My English 101 professor had us use this book to make our papers pop! Some may say that this book is elementary, but I think that it is perfect for those that were never taught how to build an argument in an essay/research paper. I find the templates useful, and I will use them until the ideas start to kick in naturally. This is an excellent book, and I will always have a copy on hand.

In `"They Say/I Say": The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing', Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein provide templates that are designed to help students in college and beyond formulate scholarly arguments.
Specifically Graff and Birkenstein argue that the types of writing templates that they offer provide a framework for the development of critical thinking skills. As the authors themselves put it "Perhaps the most distinctive feature of this book is its presentation of many such templates designed to help you successfully enter not only the world of academic thinking and writing but also the wider worlds of civic discourse and work".
Although some people believe that critical thinking and writing are more complex than any set of linguistic templates, Graff and Birkenstein insist that these deeper thought processes cannot be used without the means to express them in a clear, organized way.
For the most part I agree with their approach. In my view the types of templates that the authors recommend provide a good framework for constructing academic arguments. For instance this book review has been constructed using one of their templates! In doing so it has allowed me to put their approach to a practical test, which has proven to be worthwhile. Some might object on the grounds that I have used their words as my own, and therefore I am not being creative. Yet I would argue that the words that I have contributed are my own and have allowed me to express my own ideas.
Overall I believe that Graff and Birkenstein's approach is extremely useful and provides a simple framework upon which to build a critically thought out scholarly argument - an important point to make given the simplicity and ease of use of this "how to" manual.

This was on the 'optional' list for my Practical Criticism class, but the 3rd time the prof mentioned it during lecture, I decided to buy it. I found it very worthwhile, and curiously, reading templates about how other people share their opinions made me more confident about using a strong voice in my papers. I went from B+ and A- papers to A and A+ ones...and feel as though my papers are MORE my own.

It is a short book mainly about how to write argumentative essays. Easy to follow and full with great examples on how to represent and conclude an argument in writing, but also a little repetitive that's why I would give 4 stars.

Not too deep but it's worth the price. It teaches some really useful methods for writing "informal" essays and speeches. Especially useful if you're trying to break from the traditional "5-paragraph" essay style that you learn in grade school, since this format isn't really used in the real world.

I wish I could give this book to every student entering college. Graff does a wonderful job explaining that writers come into the world in the midst of conversations that are taking place. As a writer one must acknowledge the past conversation, insert information relevant to the discourse at a specific time and place and address a specific audience (the others in the conversation)- or bring others into the conversation by knowing what aspects the newcomers would be interested in. The templates in the book are also clever despite being formulaic.

I bought this as the required reading for my college English/writing and composition course, but still enjoy reading it because of the interesting way in which the authors talk about the topics in the book. If you want to become a better writer, or need to brush up on your essay writing skills for school, this book will definitely help.

CRITICS SAY TEMPLATE MAKE TO WRITE UNRIGINAL, OR DISTHOUGHTFULL. STUDENTS SHOULD THINK FOR SELFS.

IN MY OPINION BULLONEY. TEMPLATE MAKE ME BETTER WRITE AND GET GOOD GRADE. CRITICS JEZ H8RS.

P.S. I USE TEMAPLATE FOR REVIEW TO SHOW IT WORK.

I say that this book is amazing. It is clear and easy to read. It gives easy to understand advice that makes sense and can be adapted to any area of study. It's a must have for serious writers.

I teach a second semester advanced writing course in argument and I have found this book very useful in constructing lessons. I also gave it as a gift to two students who were particularly interested in writing. Learning academic writing style is particularly challenging in this era of purple prose blogs and Graff and Birkenstein give practical advice and useful templates that help students formulate their own brand of academic style. The concept of metatext is particularly helpful. As a bonus, the book is slim and inexpensive.