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The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing
Insights and Templates from the book by Gerald
Graff and Cathy Birkenstein

Think about an activity that you do particularly well
– Playing a sport
(basketball, football, field hockey, tennis)
– Playing an instrument
(piano, guitar, flute)
– Artwork (drawing, painting, ceramics)
– Everyday activities
(driving a car, brushing teeth, tying shoes)

Performing this activity depends on:
• Having learned a series of complicated moves
• Practice and repetition
Same applies to writing:
Accomplished writers rely on established moves for communicating sophisticated ideas.

Entering the Conversation
Best Academic Writing
• Deeply engages in some way with other people’s views
• “write the voices of others into your text”
• You enter a conversation, using what others say (or might say) as a launching pad or sounding board for your own ideas.

Entering the Conversation
• In the real world we make arguments because someone has said or done something (or perhaps not said or done something) and we need to respond
• Ex.
– “I can’t see why you like the Lakers so much.”
– “I agree: it was a great film.”
– “That argument is contradictory.”

Entering the Conversation
• Without other people’s opinions there would be no reason to challenge , agree with , or otherwise respond –there would be no reason to argue at all.

Entering the Conversation
– Logical
– Well-supported
– Consistent
– *ALSO, you must find a way to enter a conversation with others’ views–with something “they say”

Entering the Conversation
• If your argument doesn’t identify the “they say” you are responding to, then it probably won’t make sense:
• What you are saying may be clear to the audience, but why you are saying it won’t be
– Example: “The characters in The Sopranos are very complex.”

Entering the Conversation
• Your own argument–the “I say” moment of your text– should always be a response to the arguments of others.
• Ex.
– “Some say that The Sopranos presents caricatures of Italian
Americans. In fact, however, the characters in the series are very complex.”

Entering the Conversation
– She argues______, and I agree because_____.
– Her argument that ______ is supported by new research showing that _______.

Entering the Conversation
– While she argues ______, I disagree because_______.
– The argument he proposes, while persuasive, is inaccurate because______.

Entering the Conversation
– He claims that _______, and I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, I agree that ______. On the other hand, I still insist that_______.
– Although I grant that ____, I still maintain that _____.

To Paraphrase Or To Quote,
That Is The Question
• Paraphrase: “translates a short passage from a source into the writer’s own words” (372 Writing Arguments).

To Paraphrase Or To Quote,
That Is The Question
• When to paraphrase:
– When wanting to use specific information from a brief passage in the source
– When you do not want to interfere with the flow of your own writing by inserting a quote
– *Be sure to avoid original writer’s grammatical structure and syntax.

To Paraphrase Or To Quote,
That Is The Question
• What to remember when paraphrasing:
– Suspend your own beliefs for a time by putting yourself in the position of the author whose passage your are paraphrasing, so as not to misrepresent their message
– Keep in mind your own argument so it fits into your own agenda
– Use signal verbs that fit the action:
• “urge,” “emphasize,” “insist”

To Paraphrase Or To Quote,
That Is The Question
• When to Quote:
– When quoting will strengthen your own argument
– Comes from a respected authority
– When summarizing an opposing/alternative view and want to use brief quotations to illustrate accuracy
– To give readers a sense of the source’s voice
– To analyze the writer’s choice of words or metaphors

To Paraphrase Or To Quote,
That Is The Question
• What to remember when quoting:
– Quote relevant passages
– Frame every quotation (insert it into a “quotation sandwich”)
• Statement introducing it as top slice of bread
• Explanation following it as the bottom slice of bread

To Paraphrase Or To Quote,
That Is The Question
• Templates for Introducing Quotations (top slice of bread):
– X states, “______.”
– In X’s view, “_______.”
– According to X, _____.”

To Paraphrase Or To Quote,
That Is The Question
• Templates for Explaining
Quotations(bottom slice of bread):
– Basically, X is saying ______.
– In other words, X believes _______.
– In making this comment, X argues that
______.

• Movie:
• Genre:
• Criteria of a Good _______ film:
• My opinion:
– (this film is / is not a good _____ film.)

• Opposing view:
– Reasons they give
• Your response:
– “(Movie Reviewer’s Name) claims the movie_____ is/does _______. While this appears true, overall the film _______.”
– “Although _____ suggests the film _____ is
______, when considering _____ it becomes obvious that ________.”