A similar “they say / I say” exchange opens an essay about American patriotism by the social critic Katha Pollitt, who uses her own daughter’s comment to represent the patriotic national fervor after …

SAY with reported (indirect) speech: SAY with quoted (direct) speech: She said him about her vacation plans.

Derived from Graff and Birkenstein’s crazy-helpful They Say, I Say raff & Birkenstein, 2010). Think of them as moves in a video game or a sport--the better we get at the game or sport, the more …

Academic writing is a conversation. Expert writers use signal phrases when introducing ideas from other sources. Here are example templates you can use to introduce someone else’s ideas. With more …

They Say, I Say (Graff, Birkenstein, and Durst, 2012) shows students that “writing well means entering a conversation, summarizing others (they say) to set up one’s own argument (I say)” (xx).

They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing. New York: Norton, 2006.

Ebooks, available for both “They Say / I Say” and “They Say / I Say” with Readings, provide an enhanced reading experience. Convenient and affordable, the Norton ebooks can be used on any …