"They Say / I Say": The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing (Third Edition)

This book rocked my world last quarter. Because of it, I feel I am a better writer. According to my professor, when I entered class I was one of the best students they had encountered (after teaching for nearly a decade). I write creatively as a hobby, and had several years competitive forensics under my belt so civil discourse has become second nature. This book has short and tolerable chapters that helped even an "advanced" student like myself improve their work. I couldn't imagine someone reading 5 chapters of this book and walking away at the same level of skill. It's impossible. This book explores more than just technique, they elaborate on reasoning. These days, with current trends in social media, folks often forget we are writing our comments, essays, and reviews for a PURPOSE. "They Say / I Say" brings the author back to that purpose and teaches the writer empathy in addition to giving guidance on how to transition, how to support your claims, and so much more. It's a treasure I purchased to keep with me for life - so I can look back on it every now and then. Get it. Stop thinking about it, and you could find yourself as grateful as I am today.

The book They Say, I Say is the book I wish I had had at the beginning of my own graduate studies. It is a practical book that demystifies academic writing through the provision of basic templates that help first-year college students grasp the structure of good academic argument. I see it not as a cheat-sheet or prescriptive form of instruction, but as a useful tool that uncovers the patterns that already exist in writing and turns them into techniques students can adopt. Within the templates there is still plenty of room for students to add in their own perspectives and apply critical thinking. Intuitive readers pick these moves up through reading, but even the best of us can use the kind of explicit help that Graff and Birkenstein's templates provide.The templates and lessons in this book unlock the secrets of good writing and argument for anyone interested in improving their written arguments.

Was a book I needed for a college class. It was delivered in a timely manner and helped with my class

I was given this book as a gift from my mentor during my first year of teaching high school, and haven't stopped using it since. I teach 8th grade at the moment, and this can easily be modified and used in middle and high school as well as college. It is the definitive text for argumentative writing. It has a collection of sentence stems/starters'templates for every circumstance (e.g. agreeing with a rebuttal) as well as a section devoted to transitions, verbs for making a claim, etc. It takes much of the guesswork out of writing an argumentative essay. We know that writing at the college level is expository or argumentative. This is the one book you need to get in order to write well. That's what I SAY. And that's what THEY SAY.

I would definitely recommend this book to anybody who is trying to write more effectively. My professor required us to purchase this book since it was used heavily throughout the semester, which i'm glad she did, because "They Say/ I Say" provides very helpful details/examples to help strengthen your writing. The title pretty much how the whole book is formatted. It begins with telling you the rights and wrongs then proceeds to explain how what "they say" can be worded. After reading the "they say" section of the text it'll move on to I say which is of course your reason of support or contradiction. Although this was used in a college course, most of the reading was structured to easily be able to understand. As this book included many 'how not to' examples I found myself relating to much of that category. Overall, I found this book very helpful and would recommend this book if you want to make your writing more effective especially in the argumentative side.

I bought this for a class. It's okay, but I'd rather read some good fiction, or nonfiction about something I'm really interested in. On page 192 they give 4 questions to ask when evaluating a work of literature. Those questions might work for highbrow literary experts, but they don't work for me. I evaluate a story based on whether the beginning establishes an objective, a strong middle where the characters attempt to achieve their goal, and an ending where the objective is achieved. If you like reading try some of my favorite fantasy and sci-fi authors: Richard Adams, Palo Bacigulupi, Suzanne Collins, Abe Evergreen, Diana Gabaldon, Hugh Howey, George Martin, Brandon Sanderson, John Scalzi, and Andy Weir. If you’re looking for good stuff to watch consider miniseries like The Astronauts Wives Club (2015), Band of Brothers (2001), Frank Herbert’s Dune (2000), Frank Herbert’s Children of Dune (2003), Into the West (2005), Lonesome Dove (1989), Manhattan (2014-2015), Return to Lonesome Dove (1993), Pride and Prejudice (1995), Taken (2002), and The 10th Kingdom (2000), which are all terrific because they have clear beginnings that establish an objective, then strong middles and conclusive endings where the goal is achieved, like a good novel. Other shows I’ve really enjoyed include Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009), Breaking Bad (2008-2013), Cowboy Bebop (1998), Downton Abbey (2010-2015), Firefly (2002), Game of Thrones (2011-2019), Granite Flats (2013-2015), The IT Crowd (2006-2013), Jericho (2006-2008), Lost (2004-2010), Merlin (2008-2012), The Prisoner (1967-1968), Rome (2005-2007), Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (2011), Spartacus: Blood and Sand (2010), Stargate: SG-1 (1997-2007), Stargate: Atlantis (2004-2009), Star Trek (1966-1969) and Star Trek Voyager (1995-2001). I didn’t list any contemporary series I’m following that don’t have an end date yet, not conducive to binge watching from beginning to finish.

fine

The authors provide great explanations and examples. The templates help me to organize my ideas. I recommend this book to anybody interested in writing.

This book is great. I have been reading it for a writing class and it has great little tidbits on how to make your writing better and great references to use in your work. Highly recommended.

この本の第4章を Advanced Research Writing の授業の reading assignment で読まされました。軽妙なわかりやすい説明が印象的だったので、マーケットプレイスで格安で入手して読んでます。一気に読み終えそうです。英語で論文を書く必要のある方には必携の参考書だと思います。頻繁に改訂版が出ているようなので、中古本がお手軽価格で手に入ると思います。^ ^

4 years of studying at undergrad and MA level and this book is the only one (out of manyyyyyy) that I used and used and scrawled all over! Would definitely say it helps for essay writing - especially in social sciences/argumentative essays. Used this book to help a friend studying economics and it was useful but not as much as it was for me.