They Say/ I Say CH 2

Words often used in list summaries:

"And then" "also" "in addition"

To argue persuasively, you must:

Be in dialogue with others

Those who only summarize may:

Lack confidence

Writers who make strong claims need to:

Map their claims (relative to those of other people)

Summaries often have:

No clear focus *"What X says" vs "What Y says"

The "believing game" was coined by writing theorist:

Peter Elbow

If you are unable to suspend your own beliefs, you are likely to produce:

Summaries so obviously biased that they undermine your credibility with readers

"List summaries"-

Summaries that simply inventory the original authors various points but fail to focus those points around any larger overall claim

Exception to the rule that "good summaries require a balance between what someone else has said and your own interests as a writer":

The satiric summary

An effective summary requires you to temporarily adopt:

The worldview of another

When summarizing it is important to align your:

They say and I say

Writers who summarize without regard to their own interests fall prey to:

"List summaries"

When a writer fails to provide enough summary, he or she falls prey to:

"The closet cliché syndrome"

When summarizing, try to avoid words like:

"They said" or "He said" or "They believe"

College level authors don't "say" or "discuss" things, but rather:

"Urge" , "emphasize" and "complain about"

Try using phrases such as:

"X totally misrepresented.."

Length of a good summary:

1 or 2 sentences

Verbs for expressing agreement:

Acknowledge, admire, agree, endorse, extol, praise, celebrate the fact that, corroborate, do not deny, reaffirm, support, verify

Verbs for making recommendations:

Advocate, call for, demand, encourage, exhort, implore, plead, recommend, urge, warn

Verbs for making a claim:

Argue, assert, believe, claim, emphasize, insist, observe, remind us, report, suggest

A general rule of summarizing:

Balance what the original author is saying with the writers own focus

A writer who fails to go back to what others have said ends up conversing with:

Imaginary others who are the products of his/her own biases and preconceptions

People often tend to ____________________________________ with their writing

Play it safe

A summary has to have a slant or spin that:

Prepares the way for your own claims

To write a good summary, you must be able to suspend:

Your own beliefs for a time and put yourself in the shoes of someone else

Summarizing others' arguments is:

Central to your arsenal of basic moves

Verbs for questioning or disagreeing:

Complain, complicate, contend, contradict, deny, deplore the tendency to, qualify, question, refute, reject, renounce, repudiate

The satiric mode can be an effective form of critique because:

It lets the summarized argument condemn itself without overt editorializing by you, the writer

2 extremes to summarizing:

1. Summarizing your own views but not what the article says 2. Those who do nothing but summarize

Why should we avoid using bland words?

Because it often fails to reflect accurately whats been said

Summarizing can be tricky because it means facing 2 ways at once:

Both outward (toward the author being summarized) and inward (toward yourself)

The ability to temporary suspend ones own convictions is a hallmark of good actors, who must:

Convincingly "become" characters whom in real life they may detest

A summary must be true to what the original author says while also:

Emphasizing those aspects of what the author says that interest you

When summarizing, it is your duty to represent what the text said and:

Exert a quiet influence

When entering into a conversation with others, it is important to:

Go back to what those others have said, and that you studied it closely and that you make sure not to confuse it with something you already believe

Adopting the view of another does not mean:

Ignoring your own view altogether

When you play the believing game well:

Readers should not be able to tell whether you agree or disagree with the ideas you are summarizing

Summarizing (in the book)-

Refers to any information from others that you present in your own words (including that which you paraphrase)

Think of a summary as a joint property-

Reflecting both the source you are summarizing and your own views

Some writers shy away from summarizing because:

They fear that devoting too much time to other peoples ideas will take away from their own

When summarizing and introducing a quotation:

Use vivid and precise signal verbs as often as possible

"The closet cliché syndrome"-

What gets summarized is not the view the author in question actually expressed but a familiar cliché that the writer mistakes for the authors view

The satiric summary-

When a writer deliberately gives his or her own spin to someone else's argument in order to reveal a glaring shortcoming in it

The "believing game" is:

When you try to inhibit the worldview of those who conversation you are joining- and whom you are perhaps even disagreeing with- and try to see their argument from their perspective.