When talking about what others have said (for example the book review by Coates) there are a number of ways one might want to respond. Always tell the reader your overall approach first, so she knows how to interpret the subtleties of your argument. This material comes from chapter 4 of "They Say, I Say" . 51,52,54,56, 58,60,62.

Three Ways to Respond

TEMPLATES FOR DISAGREEING, WITH REASONS

• I think X is mistaken because she overlooks __________ .
• X's claim that __________ rests 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 ________. But on the other hand, she also says __________ .
• By focusing on _________ , X overlooks the deeper problem of ____________ .
• X claims __________ , but we don't need him to tell us that. Anyone familiar with ________ has long known that _____________ .

TEMPLATES FOR AGREEING

• I agree that ___________ because my experience ____________ confirms it.
• X is surely right about __________ because, as she may not be aware, recent studies have shown that ____________.
• X's theory of ___________ is extremely useful because it sheds insight on the difficult problem of ________.
• I agree that _________ , a point that needs emphasizing since so many people believe ___________.
• Those unfamiliar with this school of thought may be interested to know that it basically boils down to _____________ .

TEMPLATES FOR BOTH AGREEING AND DISAGREEING

• Stressing diassagreement - NO, BUT ...
  1. Although I agree with X up to a point, I cannot accep his overall researth that __________ .
• Stressing Agreement - YES, BUT ...
  1. Although I disagree with much that X says, I fully endorse his final conclusion that _____________ .
  2. Though I concede that _________, I still insist that ____________ .
  3. X is right that ____________, but she seems on more dubious ground when she claims that _________ .
  4. While X is probably wrong when she claims that __________, she is right that _____________ .
  5. Whereas X provides ample evidence that _________, Y and Z's research on _________ and ____________ convinces me that __________ instead
• Mixed Feelings - IM OF TWO MINDS ...
  1. 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 _____________.
  2. My feelings on the Issue are mixed. Ido support X's position that _________, but I find Y's argument about ___________ and Z's research on _________ to be equally persuasive.

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