Read an essay or article and annotate it to indicate the dif-ferent ways the author uses metacommentary. Use the tem¬plates on pp. 135-37 as your guide. For example, you may want to circle transitional phrases and write "trans" in the margins, to put brackets around sentences that elaborate on earlier sentences and mark them "elab," or underline sentences in which the author sums up what he or she has been saying, writing "sum" in the margins.
How does the author use metacommentary? Does the author follow any of the templates provided in this book word for word? Did you find any forms of metacommentary not discussed in this chapter? If so, can you identify them, name them, and perhaps devise templates based on them for use in your own writing! And finally, how do you think the author's use of metacommentary enhances (or harms) his or her writing?