Empoword

Part Three: Research and Argumentation 327 Readerly Signposts Signposts are phrases and sentences that guide a reader’s interpretation of the evidence you are about to introduce. Readerly signposts are also known as “signal phrases” because they give the reader a warning of your next move. In addition to foreshadowing a paraphrase, quote, or summary, though, your signposts can be active agents in your argumentation. Before using a paraphrase, quote, or summary, you can prime your reader to understand that evidence in a certain way. For example, let’s take the imaginary quote, “The moon landing was faked in a sound studio by Stanley Kubrick.” [X] insists , “The moon landing was faked in a sound studio by Stanley Kubrick.” Some people believe, naively, that “The moon landing was faked in a sound studio by Stanley Kubrick.” Common knowledge suggests that “The moon landing was faked in a sound studio by Stanley Kubrick.” [X] posits that “The moon landing was faked in a sound studio by Stanley Kubrick.” Although some people believe otherwise, the truth is that “The moon landing was faked in a sound studio by Stanley Kubrick.” Although some people believe that “The moon landing was faked in a sound studio by Stanley Kubrick,” it is more likely that… Whenever conspiracy theories come up, people like to joke that “The moon landing was faked in a sound studio by Stanley Kubrick.” The government has conducted many covert operations in the last century: “The moon landing was faked in a sound studio by Stanley Kubrick.” What does each signpost do to us, as readers, encountering the same quote? A very useful resource for applying these signposts is the text They Say, I Say , which you may be able to find online or at your school’s library. "Signpost Blank" b y Karen Arnold is in th e Public Domain, CC0