Review:
They Say I Say By Gerald Graff & Cathy Birkenstein
overall review score: 4.5
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
score is between 0 and 5
They Say / I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein is a highly regarded guide designed to improve students' and writers' ability to craft compelling academic arguments. It emphasizes the importance of engaging with what others have said and provides practical templates and rhetorical strategies for integrating sources, making writing more persuasive and coherent.
Key Features
- Provides templated sentence structures to aid in developing scholarly writing
- Focuses on the importance of engaging with other arguments effectively
- Highlights strategies for summarizing, contrasting, and responding to ideas
- Emphasizes clarity, paraphrasing, and attribution in academic writing
- Includes numerous examples and worksheets to practice key concepts
Pros
- Excellent resource for students learning academic writing conventions
- Clear and accessible language suitable for beginners
- Practical templates help reduce writer's block and improve flow
- Encourages critical thinking by emphasizing engagement with sources
- Widely used in educational settings, indicating proven effectiveness
Cons
- Some readers may find the templated approach somewhat formulaic if overused
- Lacks in-depth coverage of more advanced or specialized writing genres
- Focuses primarily on academic contexts, less applicable to creative or informal writing