They Say, I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing
Exercises
1) Write a summary (3-5 sentences) about an issue you strongly protest and another summary (3-5
sentences) in which you strongly advocate the issue (same issue). Give both summaries to a
classmate or two, and see if they can tell which position you really endorse. If you’ve succeeded,
they won’t be able to tell.
2) Find a published piece of writing that quotes something that “they say.” How has the writer
integrated the quotation into his or her own text? How has he or she introduced the quotation,
and what, if anything, has the writer said to explain it and tie it to his or her own text?
3) Look at something you have written for one of your classes in which you have quoted sources
(i.e. synthesis essay, research paper, or DBQ). How have you integrated the quotation into your
own text? How have you introduced it? Explained what it means? Indicated how it relates to
your text? In addition to answering these questions, if you haven’t done all of these things,
revise your text to do so.
4) Look over something you’ve written that makes an argument (i.e. argument essays or research
paper). Check to see if you’ve anticipated and responded to any objections. If not, revise your
text do so. If so, have you anticipated all the likely objections? Who, if anyone, have you
attributed the objections to? Have you represented the objections fairly? Have you answered
them well enough, or do you now need to qualify your own argument?
5) Look over something you’ve written yourself. Do you indicate “so what?” and “who cares”? If
not, revise your text to do so. You might use the following template to get started.
My point here (that ________) should interest those who __________. Beyond this limited
audience, however, my point should speak to anyone who cares about the larger issue of
_____________.
If you have done this successfully, provide your example of the “so what”/”who cares” factor.