They Say, I Say, Ch. 4 &5

The first few chapters in the book They Say, I Say deal primarily with the "They Say" aspect of writing. In chapter four however, we delve in to the "I Say" portion, and more specifically, three ways to respond. Chapter 4 is titled appropriately, "Yes/No/Okay, But" which are the said ways in which the chapter recommends to respond to the "They Say" portions from the first few chapters.

In chapter 4 there is an emphasis on responding with the three basic tactics: agreeing, disagreeing, or some combination of both. This applies both to reading and writing, as the reader should establish a position early, so as to not confuse the audience about your conclusions. Throughout the chapter there are also many templates to help us become comfortable with these types of responses.

In chapter 5, the issue of discernability is addressed, as the purpose of this chapter is to distinguish what you say, from what they say. The chapter deals primarily with the determination of who is saying what in the texts we read.