Response Paragraph

What is a Response Paragraph?

A response paragraph is a paragraph that you

express your own point of view about the ideas
that the author has suggested in the text.

It is similar to an opinion paragraph.

 Example 1 (Agree):
In the article “Middle Children and Their Position in the
Family” Dr. Kevin Leman states that the position of the children
in their family can affect the personality and behaviors of the
children. I strongly agree with the author. To begin with, as Dr.
Lemon states, “it is common knowledge that much of child’s
personality develops during childhood” (Leman, 1999, p.176).
That is, the first child in the family is generally born with a silver
spoon in his mouth and he is accustomed to live under spotlight.
The last child is generally a spoiled child who is always tolerated
and watched by the parents strictly. However, middle child is
generally out of fashion since he is seen as normal. Moreover, in
many cultures, the first and the last thing has special importance,
and this situation makes the middle children simple. Therefore,
middle children do not receive enough attention as much as
others. Some of them accept this situation and become shy,
passive and withdrawn. On the other hand, some of them make
extra effort to attract other people’s attention and become too
social, active and talkative. In brief, it is clear that position of the
children in the family is very significant in personality
development and middle child is the one who is affected most.
 Example 2 (Disagree):
In the article “Middle Children and Their Position in
the Family”, Dr. Kevin Leman claims that the position of
the children in their family can affect the personality and
behaviour of the children. I totally disagree with the
author. Firstly, since all parents approach each of their
children with equal love, compassion and care, it cannot be
the personality of the children that is affected in the way
the author argues. Actually, what is affected is their roles
within the family. As Leman (1999) puts forth, the first-
born is responsible for everything while the last-born is
comfortable. It might be also possible that the middle-born
does not have a distinctive place. However, this is all
about the roles of children within the family. Secondly, the
personality of children is shaped more by genetic factors
than by the position of them. For example, a first-born
might be a totally irresponsible person, or a middle-born
might be a person who is dominant and likes showing off.
In short, the character of children is determined mostly by
other factors than position of them in family.
 Example 3
Termination is an important aspect of the counseling process
because it marks the end of a relationship between a counselor and
client. According to Anthony and Pagano (1998), the termination
process can be a painful and emotional experience as clients can
often experience feelings of abandonment and hopelessness and
counselors can experience feelings of guilt. A client and counselor
relationship is at a deep level where the feelings and problems of
the client are being experienced also by the counselor through
empathic measures. As Davies (2005, p. 786) points out,
counseling “involves both participants in the psychoanalytic
process in a profoundly mutual, deeply felt, and deeply loving (at
times, hating) relationship”. Thus, termination of such a
relationship can be a life-altering experience. This is similar to the
termination of a relationship between close partners. Termination,
seen from this light, “stands as one of the very few moments in life
when we actively choose to permanently end such a mutually
loving relationship” (Davies, 2005, p. 786). Nevertheless, if the
termination “is marked by emotional honesty, respect for the
feelings of the other, and a gentleness that speaks to the
vulnerability of the moment” (Davies, 2005, p. 783), then the end
of the relationship can be seen positively, as a new beginning
where both parties learn to become more independent and grow as
individuals. Similarly, the termination of the counselor and client
relationship can also be seen in a positive light.
You must write:
1. Title of the text
2. Name of the author
3. Idea of the author
4. Your own point of view
5. Give evidence
6. Interpret your evidence in relation to your argument
7. Write a concluding statement
In Short…
It is similar to a mini-essay with evidence.

Your topic sentence (the first sentence) must state your

main idea, the author’s name and the title of the text.

State precisely and concisely what you are going to

argue, prove, or analyze about the text.
Some expressions

 I believe/feel/think that…
 To my mind/way of thinking…
 As far as I am concerned…
 In my opinion/view…
 I am totally against…
 I completely disagree with…
 It seems/appears to me that…
 I (completely) agree with/that...
Give evidence
1. Quotation / Citation
- Using the author’s ideas directly between
quotation marks “…”

2. Paraphrasing (Rewriting)
Paraphrasing is saying or writing a section of the
text using your own words - not quoting directly from
the book.
Quotation / Citation
Citation within the sentence:
e.g. Souza (1997) writes that “these spiraling human
demands for resources are beginning to outgrow the
earth’s natural resources” (p.31).

Citation at the end of the sentence:

e.g. “The key to building a sustainable society rests with
changing cultural attitudes among young people”
(Hawkins, 2006, p.188).
 Paraphrasing
Original: Leadership by birth order apparently holds for both genders.
Studies have found that female executives are much more likely to be
firstborns than later-borns.

Paraphrase: Not only firstborn men, but also firstborn women are more
likely to be executives than people who are later born (Koselka &
Shook, 1997).

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Original: It’s estimated that hunger and mulnutrition could be
eliminated globally for less than is spent on pet food in Europe and the
US.

Paraphrase: Knickerbocker (2004) notes that problems of famine could

be solved worldwide for less money than it costs people to feed their
pets in the US and Europe.
Example with Direct
Quotation
According to a report in the New England
Journal of Medicine, “Senior citizens who have
experienced acute chest pains at least twice in
the past six months often find themselves back
in the hospital within a month if they have not
sought professional treatment” (p.37).
Example with Paraphrase
According to a report in New England Journal
of Medicine, elderly patients who have
suffered chest pains two times in six months
should get medical treatment or they may
require serious medical treatment again within
thirty days (p.37).
 In addition to “according to”, you should use
common reporting verbs to add variety to
your writing
As Poundstone suggests, “Where possible, give a
good answer that the interviewer has never heard
before” (p.129).

In their study of online learning, Hiltz and Shea

(2013) conclude that many online courses “elicit
more active participation from students than does the
typical face-to-face source” (p.145).
 Common Reporting Verbs
Admit Insist Report
Agree Maintain Show
Concede Note Suggest
Conclude Observe Reveal
Disagree Point out Think
Explain Predict Warn
Find Propose Write
* Remember to Brainstorm!!!

* Remember to Interpret your Evidence!!!

* If you Agree, you need to agree all through

your paragraph; if you Disagree, disagree all
through your paragraph 
 Response Writing Checklist
Criteria Yes S No
     
Topic Sentence
Does it include the title of article, author’s name and the main idea?
     
Supporting Details
a) Are the supporting details included?
b) Does it avoid including unnecessary details?
     
Does the writer give evidence by using direct quotation or
paraphrasing?
     
Does the writer interpret the evidence?
     
Is there a logical organization and no repetition?
     
Is 90% of the grammar accurate?
     
Is the paragraph in the writer’s own words?
     
Is there a range of accurately used vocabulary and spelling?