CHAPTER 11:(Entering Class Discussion)
The single most important thing you need to do when joining a class discussion is to link what you are about to say to something that has already been said.
-I really liked Aaron's point about the two sides being closer thanthey seem. I'd add that both seem rather moderate.
-I take your point, Nadia, that_____. Still,.......
-Though Shelia and Ryan seem to be at odds about ______, they may actually not be all that far part.
Change topics:
-So far we have been talking about the characters in the film. But isn't the real issue here the cinematography?
-I'd like to change the subject to one that hasn't yet been addressed.
Extra steps to help listeners follow your train of thought:
-When you make a comment, limit yourself to one point only though you can elaborate on this point;
-use metacommentary to highlight your key point so that listeners can readily grasp it:
--In other word, what I'm trying to get at here is ________.
--My point is this: __________.
--My point, though, is not _______, but ________.
--This distinction is important because __________.
Chapter 12:(Reading for the conversation)
Questions:
-What is the author's argument?
-What other argument(s) is the writer responding to?
-Is the writer disagreening or agreening with something, and ifso what?
-What is motivating the writer's argument?
-Are there other ideas that you have encountered in this class or elsewhere that might be pertinent?
Reader need to be alert for any changes in voice.
You have to start by locating the writer's thesis and then imagine some of the arguments that might be made against it.
Chapter 1:(Starting with What Others Are Saying)
Things speakers need to talk about:
-not only his or her thesis is, but also what larger conversation that the thesis is responding to.
-explain what he or she is responding to(delaying this explanation for more than one or two paragraphs in a very short essay.
Remember when you are entering a conversation and therefore need to start with "what others are saying," as the title of this chapter recommands, and then introduce your own ideas as a response.
Standard templates:
-A number of sociologists have recently suggested that X's work have several fundamental problems.
-It has become common today to dismiss ___________.
-In their recent work, Y and Z have offered harsh critiques of _______ for ____________.
Standard views:
-Americans have always believed that individual effort can triumph over circumstances.
-Conventional wisdom has it that ____________.
-Common sense seems to dictate that __________.
-The standard way of thinking about topic X has it that ________.
-It is often said that __________.
-My whole life I have heard it said that __________.
-You would think that __________.
-Many people assume that __________.
Another way to introduce the views you're responding to as your own:
-I've been always believed that museums are boring.
-When I was a child, I use to think that __________.
-Although I should know better by now, I cannot help thinkingthat ___________.
-At the same time that I believe _________, I also believe ________.
Implid and assumed what they said:
-Although none of them have ever said so directly, my teachershave often give me the impression that education will open doors.
-One implication of X's treatment of ___________ is that ________.
-X apparently assumes that __________.
-While they rarely admit as much, ________ often take for granted that ____________.
Templates for opening a debate:
-In discussion of X, one controversial issue has been __________. On the one hand, __________argues _________. On the other hand, ________contends __________. Others even maintain _________. My own view is _________.
-When it comes to the topic of ________, most of us will readily agree that __________. Where this agreement usually ends, is on the question of _________. Whereas some are convinced that ________, others maintain that ___________.
Return sentences:
-In conclusion, then as I suggested earlier, denfenders of _______ can't have it both ways. Their assertion that _______ is constradicted by their claim that _________.
Chapter 2:(The Art of Summarizing)
A summary ->
(i)at once be true to what the original author says
(ii)emphasize those aspects of what the author says that interest you
they say<=>I say (should match)
balance between they said<=>I said
Templates for introducing summaries and quotations:
-She advocats a radical version of the juvenile justice system.
-They celebrate that fact that ________.
-__________, he admits.
Verbs for making a claim:
-argue -assert -believe -claim -emphasize -insist -obeserve -remind us -report -suggest
Verbs for expressing agreement:
-acknowledge -endorse -admire -extol -agree -praise -celebrate the fact that -corroborate -do not deny -reaffirm -support -verify
Verbs for questioning or disagreeing:
-complain -complicate -contend -contradict -deny -deplorethe tendency to -qualify -question -refute -reject -renounce-repudiate
Verbs for making a recommandations:
-advocate -call for -damand -encourage -exhort -implore -plead -recommend -urge -warn
Chapter 3:(The Art of Quoting)
keys to produce this sort of integration:
-choosing quotation wisely with an eye to how well they support a particular part of your text
-surrounding every major quotation with a frame explaining whose words they are, what the quotation means, and how the quotation relates to your own text.
Templates for introducing quotations:
-X states, " not al steroids should be banned from sports"
-As the prominent philosopher X puts it, " _______".
-According to X, "___________'.
-X himsef writes, "__________'.
-In her book, ___________, X maintains that "___________'.
-Writing in the journal Conmmentary, X complains that "________"
-In X's view, "__________'.
-X agrees when she writes, "________".
-X disagrees when he writes, "_________".
-X complicates matters further when she writes, "________"
Templates for Explaining Quotations:
-Basically, X is warning that the proposed solution will only make the problem worse.
-In other words, X believes _________.
-In making this comment, X urges us to _______.
-X is corroborating the age-old adage that ______.
-X's point is that ________.
-The essence of X's argument is that ________.
Chapter 4
Templates for Disagreeing, with Reasons
-X is mistaken because she overlooks resent fossil discoveries in the South.
-X's claim that ________ resets upon the questionable assumption that _______.
-I disagree with X's view that _________ because, as recent research has shown, ______.
-X contradicts herself/can't have it both ways. On the one hand, she argues __________. On the other hand, ________.
-By focusing on _________, X overlooks the deeper problem of ______.
Templates for Agreeing
-I agree that diversity in the study body is educationally valuable because my experience at Central University confirms it..
-X is surely right about _________ because, as she may not be aware, recen studies have shown that _________.
-X's theory of ______ is extremely useful because it sheds light on the difficult problem of _________.
-Those unfamiliar with this school of thought may be interested to know that it basically boils down to __________.
Boil down to template:
-I agree that _________, a point that needs emphasizing since so many people still believe ________.
-If group X is right that ________, as I think they are, then we need to reassess the popular assumption that ________.
Templates for Agreeing and Disagreeing Simultaneously:
-Although I agree with X up to a point, I cannot accept his overriding assumption that religion is no longer a major force today.
-Although I disagree with much that X says, I fully endorse his final conclusion that __________.
-Though I concede that ________, I still insist that ___________.
-X is right that ________, but she seems on more dubious groundwhen she claims that _________.
-While X is probably wrong when she claims that ________, she isright that _______.
-Whereas X provides ample evidence that ________, Y and Z's research on ______ and _______ convinces me that ________ instead.
-I'm of two minds about X's claim that ________. On the one hand, I agree that _________. On the other hand, I'm not sure if _______.
-My feelings on the issue are mixed. I do support X's position that ________, but I find Y's argument about _______ and Z's research on _______ to be equally persuasive.
Chapter 5 Distinguish What You Say from What They Say
Templates for Signaling Who is Saying What In Your Own Writing:
-Although X makes the best possible case for universal, government-funded health care, I am not persuaded.
-My view, however, contrary to what X has argued, is that ______.
-Adding to X's argument, I would point out that _______.
-According to both X and Y, _________.
-Politicians, X argues, should _______.
-Most atheletes will tell you that ________.
told not to use "I":
-X is right that certain common patterns can be found in the communities.
-The evidence shows that ________.
-X's assertion that ________ dose not fit the facts.
-Anyone familiar with _______ should agree that.
Chapter 8
Transitions
Addition:also, and, besides, furthermore, in addition, indeed, in fact, moreover, so too
Example:after all, as an illustration, for example, for instance, specifically, to take a case in point, consider
Elaboration:actually, by extension, in short, that is, in other words, to put it another way, to put it bluntly, to put it succintly, ultimately
Comparison:along the same lines, likewise, in the same way, similarly
Contrast:although, nevertheless, but, nonetheless, by contrast, on the contrary, on the other hand, despite, conversely, regardless, even though, wheras, however, while yet, in contrast
Cause and effect: accordingly, as a result, consequently, hence, since, so, then, therefore, thus
Concession:admittedly, although it is true, granted, naturally, of course, to be sure
Conclusion:as a result, consequently, hence, in conclusion, in short, in sum, therefore, thus, to sum up, to summerize
Chapter 10
