They Say, I Say Templates for Agreeing and Disagreeing

They Say, I Say Templates for Agreeing and Disagreeing From They Say, I Say by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein

They Say I Say (Use quotation marks if you copy the wording; always use the author’s name or the “Title” if no author is given)

Signaling these are someone else’s views Explaining Quotations  X offered a harsh critique of ______ Basically, X is saying ______. for______.  In other words, X believes ______.  Many people assumed that  In making this comment, X argues that ______. ______.  X acknowledges that ______.  X is insisting that ______.  X argues that ______.  X’s point is that ______.  X believes that ______.  X denies/does not deny that ______. Agreeing  X claims that ______.  X is right that…  X complains that ______.  I agree because…  X concedes that ______.  I completely agree with X because…  X emphasizes that ______.  X insists that ______. Disagreeing, With Reasons  X observes that ______.  I think X is mistaken because she overlooks  X questions whether ______. ______.  X refutes the claim that ______.  X’s claim that ______rests upon the  X reminds us that ______. questionable assumption that ______.  X reports that ______.  I disagree with X’s view that ______ X suggests that ______. because…  X urges us to ______.  X contradicts herself/can’t have if both ways. On one hand she argues ______.  According to X, “______.” But on the other hand, she also says  In X’s view, “______.” ______.  By focusing on ______, X overlooks Tying in another They Say the deeper problem of ______.  X agrees, saying, “______.”  My own view, however, is that…  X disagrees when he writes,  However, it is simply not true that… “______.”  X agrees that ______. Agreeing and Disagreeing Simultaneously  X complicates matters furter when he  Although I agree with X up to a point, I writes, “______.” cannot accept his overall conclusion that ______.  Although I disagree with much that X says, I fully endorse his final conclusion that ______.  Though I agree that ______, I still insist that ______.