They Say I Say1
STEAL THESE PHRASES!
INTRODUCING WHAT “THEY” SAY
Capturing Authorial Intention
X acknowledges that ______
X agrees that ______
X argues that ______
X reasons that ______
X illustrates that ______
X believes that ______
X denies/does not deny that ______
X offers evidence that ______
X reveals that ______
X proves that ______
X claims that ______
X demonstrates that ______
X emphasizes that ______
X celebrates the fact that ______
X questions whether ______
X reminds us that ______
X rationalizes ______
X defends ______
X urges us to ______
Introducing quotations
X states, “______.”
As the prominent philosopher X puts it, “______.”
According to X, “______.”
In her book, ______, X maintains that, “______.”
Writing in the journal ______, X complains that, “______.”
In X’s view, “______.”
X agrees when she writes, “______.”
As X explains in her essay ______, “ ______.”
MAKING WHAT “THEY” SAY SOMETHING YOU SAY
Explaining Quotations
Basically, X is saying ______
In other words, X believes ______
In making this comment, X argues that ______
X is insisting that ______
X’s point is that ______
The essence of X’s argument is that ______
X shows that ______
Adding Metacommentary
In other words, ______
But above all, ______
Incidentally, ______
COMMONLY USED TRANSITIONS
Cause and Effect
Accordingly hence
As a result it follows, then
consequently so then
since therefore
thus
Conclusion
as a result in short
consequently so
hence in conclusion, then
in sum, then thus
it follows, then to summarize
therefore
Comparison
along the same lines likewise
in the same waysimilarly
Contrast
although but
by contrast conversely
despite the fact that even though
however in contrast
nevertheless nonetheless
on the contraryon the other hand
regardlesswhereas
whileyet
Addition
also besides
furthermore in addition
in fact indeed
moreover so too
Concessions
admittedly although it is true that
grantedI concede that
of course naturally
to be sure
Example
after all as an illustration
consider for example
for instance this is shown
to take a case in point specifically
Elaboration
actually by extension
in short that is
in other wordsto put it another way
to put it bluntly to put it succinctly
ultimately
Naming the Naysayers
His audience of clergymen would probably disagree with his argument for ______
The middle-class men listening would likely disagree with X that ______
Americans of that era would be skeptical of the idea that ______
Here many feminists would probably object that ______
But social Darwinists would certainly take issue with the argument that ______
Biologists, of course, may want a dispute my claimed that ______
Nevertheless both followers and critics of Malcolm X will probably argue that ______
Although not all Christians think alike, some of them will probably dispute the claim that ______
Non-native English speakers are so diverse intheir views that it’s hard to generalize about them, but some are likely to object on the grounds that ______