They Say/ I Say: Short Answers

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Exercise #2
In the introduction to They Say/ I Say: The Move That Matter in Academic Writing,
Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein provide templates designed to helps you enter not only the
world of academy thinking and writing, also to the worlds of civic discourse and work.
Specifically, Graff and Birkenstein argue that the types of writing templates they offer model
templates that helps you put those principles into practice. As the authors themselves put it they
make students more conscious of the rhetorical patterns that are key to academic success but
often pass under the classroom radar. Although some people believe that the use of templates
promotes passive learning in students, Graff and Birkenstein insist that the students will never
learn on their own the key that improve the intellectual move that their templates represent. In
sum, then, their view is that templates helps students to think and teach them about rhetorical
moves in writing.
I have mixed feelings about templates and Graff and Birkenstein point of view. In my
view, the types of templates that the authors recommend helps people to do better arguments and
works. For instance I think that they dot let you learn for yourself and do the things they way
that you like more. In addition, they helps students view things from other perspective. Some
might object, of course, on the grounds that templates stifle the creativity in students. Yet I
would argue that you need to think by yourself and use templates for reference or to learn but not
always. Overall, then, I believe templates are a good tool to learn to write from others
perspectives.

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Exercise #1
a. Our experiments suggest that are dangerous levels of chemical X in the Ohio groundwater.
Many people assume that in Ohio they drink that water.
b. Some say that material forces drive history. On the other hand I think that the ideas drive
history.
c. They claim that male students often dominate class discussions. Ive always believed that are
females the ones that dominate class discussions.
d. People thought the film is about the problems of romantic relationships. When I say the film
did have romantic problems, but was most about how relationships interfere with studies.
f. Im afraid that templates like the ones in this book will stifle my creativity. But also I think
that they helps me to improve my writing and my perspective to see others point of view.