Yes/ No / Okay, But

Three Ways to Respond

Disagree --- and Explain Why
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 ______.

Agree --- But with a Difference
Templates for Agreeing
· I agree that ______ because my experience ______ confirm 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 to thought may be interested to know that it basically boils down to ______.
Templates for agreeing with one view while challenging another
· I agree that ______, a point that needs emphasizing since so many people believe ______.
· If group X is right that ______, as I think they are, then we need to reassess the popular assumption that ______.

Agree and Disagree Simultaneously
Templates for Agreeing and Disagreeing Simultaneously
· Although I agree with X up to a point, I cannot accept his overall conclusion that ______.
· Although I disagree with much that X says, I fully endorse his final conclusion that ______.
· Though I concede that ______, I still insist that ______.
· X is right that ______, but she seems on more dubious ground when she claim that ______.
· While X is probably wrong when she claims that ______, she is right that ______.
· Whereas X provides ample evidence that ______, Y and Z’s research on ______ and ______ convinces me that ______ instead.

“I’m of two minds” or “mixed feelings”

· 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 ______.
· My feelings on the issue are mixed. I do support X’s position that ______, but I find Y’s argument about ______ and Z’s research on _____ to be equally persuasive.