Argumentation and Persuasion “Most of us know someone who enjoys a good argument” John Langan
Argumentative Writing Reading and Writing I Ivan Vasquez - Bryan Marín University of Quíndio
Argumentative Writing Porpuse! “Most of us know someone who enjoys a good Argument. Such a person usually challenges any sweeping statement we might make. “Why do you say that?” he or she will ask. “GIVE YOUR REASONS” our questioner then listens carefully as we state our case, waiting to see if we really do have solid evidence to support our point of view. Such questioner may make us feel uncomfortable, but we may also fell grateful to him or her for helping us clarify our opinions.”
Your ability to advance sound and compelling arguments is an important skill for everyday life. You can use persuasion to make a point in a class discussion, persuade a friend to lend you money, an talk an employer into giving you a day off from work. Learning about persuasion based on clear, logical reasoning can also help you see through the sometimes faulty arguments in advertisements, newspapers articles, political speeches, and the other persuasive appeals you see and hear every day.
In this section, you will be asked to argue a position and defend it with a series of reasons. You are in a general way doing the same thingmaking a point and then supporting it-with al the essays in the book. The difference here is that, in a more direct and formal manner, you will advance a point about which you feel strongly and seek TO PERSUADE YOUR READERS TO AGREE WITH YOU.”
John Langan
Structure of an Argurmentative Essay According to John Legan in his book College Writning Skills, third edition, thiese are
Such preliminary work is vital: to do a good paper. You must
the following steps to write an argumentative paper:
think and plan and prewrite. In addition to preparing brief outlines, you may also find that other prewriting techniques are
1.
2.
Take several minutes to think about the comments. Which one in partiular
useful. You may, variously, want to freewrite, brainstorm, and
are you for or against- and why?
make up lists .
On a sheet of paper , make up a brief outline of support for your position on one of the comments.
3.
1.
Decide in what order you want to present your
This initial thinking and outlining that you do is the key to preparing a solid
paragraphs. Often, emphatic order (in which you end
paper. Your goal should be to decide on a position for which you can
with the most important reason) is an effective way to
provide the most convincing evidence.
organize an argument, for the final reasonis the one your reader is most likely to remember.
The writer of the next model essay on computers was originally asked to
2.
take a position
Provide as mant convincing details as possible. For example, in the computer essay, the writer includes
For or against the use of computersin the classroom. After a good deal of
such supportive details as the following:
thinking, he came up with the f ollowing brief outline:
“If I write too much [on the computer], I have to scroll
back
and forth, since not everything can fit on the screen at once.” I am against the use of computers. Don´t help me plan a paper
“I spend half of my time hunting and pecking for the proper
Are complicated to use
letters on the keyboard.”
Ÿ Take up teacher´s time “I sat here the other day watching the class trying to write on
4.
While he had not yet written his first drafft, he had alreay done the most
computers, and my impression was that 75 percent of what the
important work on paper.
teacher did involved computers rather than writing.”
Next, decide how you will develped each of your three supporting points. Make up brief outlines of the three points. Here, for example, is what the
3.
author the computer essay did:
As you write, imagine that your audience is a jury that will ultimately believe or disbelieve your argument. Have you presented a convincing case?
Don’t help me plan a paper:
Do you need more details? If you were on the jury,
Like to scribble.
would you be favorably impressed with this
Use margins.
argument?
Circle details on different pars of paper.
4.
See whole thing at once.
the four bases of unity, support and, coherence, and
Are complicated to use: Sign out software. Get machine started. Wait for help. Type Slowly. Take up teacher’s time: Helps students use computers.
As you are working on the drafts of your paper, keep
sentence skills in mind. 5.
Finally proofread the next-to-final draft of your paper for sentence-skills mistakes, including spelling.
Punctuation
Quotation Marks (“ “) The two main uses of quotation marks are:
1. To set off the exact words of a speaker or writer 2. To set off the titles of short words QUOTATION MARKS TO SET OFF THE EXACT WORDS OF A SPEAKER OR WRITER. Use quotation marks when you want to show the exact words of a writer or speaker.
Ben Franklin wrote, “Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, half shut afterward. Hint: Commas and periods at the end of a quote always go inside quotation marks. QUOTATION MARKS TO SET OFF THE TITLES OF SHORT WORKS Title of short works are usually set off by quotation marks, while titles of long works are underlined. Use quotation marks to set off the titles of such short works as articles in books, newspaper, or magazine; chapter in a book; short stories, poems and songs. Quotation marks: The article “The toxic tragedy” Underline: In the book Who is Poisoning America? OTHER USES OF QUOTATION MARKS
1. To set off the special words or phrases from the rest of the sentence. I have trouble telling the difference between “principal” and “principle” 2. To mark off a quotation between a quotation. For this purpose, single quotes are used (‘’) Ben Franklin said, “The noblest question in the world is, ‘what may I do in it?’”
COLON ( : ) The colon is a mark of introduction use. Use the colon at the end of a complete statement to do the following:
1. Introduce a list. My little brother has three hobbies: playing computer games, racing his Hot Wheels cars all over the floor, and driving me crazy. 2. Introduce a long quotation. 3. Introduce an explanation There are two ways to do this job: the easy way and the right way. SEMICOLON ( ; ) The semicolon signals more of a pause than the comma alone but not quite the full pause of a period. Use semicolon to do the following:
1. Join two complete thoughts that are not already connected by joining a word such as and, but, for or so The chemistry la blew up; professor Thomas was fired. 2. Join two complete thoughts that include a transitional word such as however, otherwise, moreover, furthermore, therefore or consequently. I cut and raked the grass; moreover, I weeded the lawn Sally finished typing the paper; however, she forgot bring it to class 3. Mark off items in a series when the items themselves contain commas. This fall I won’t have to work on Labor Day. September 7; Veteran´s Day, November 11; or Thanksgiving Day, November 26. DASH ( -- ) A dash signals a degree of pause longer than a comma but not a complete as a period. Use the dash to set off words for dramatic effect. I suggest – no, I insist -- that you stay for dinner. HYPHEN ( - ) Use hyphen in the following ways:
1. With the two or more words that act as single unit describing a noun. A white-gloved waiter then put some snails on their table. 2. To divide a word at the end of a line of writing or typing. Al though it had begun to drizzle, the teams decided to play the championship game that day. PARENTHESIS ( ) Use parenthesis to do the following:
1. Set off extra or incidental information from the rest of sentence. The chapter on drugs in our textbook (pages 142-178) contains some frightening. 2. Enclose letters or numbers that signal items in series. Three steps to follows in previewing a textbook are (1) study the title, (2) read the first and last paragraphs, and (3) study the headings and subheadings.
CITING The main purpouse of documentation (of citing sources used in a research paper) is to give credit for ideas,information and actual phrasing that you borrow from other writers. You cite sources in order to be honest and to lend authority to your own writing. You also include citations to enable your readers to find more extensive information than your paper furnishes, in case they become engrossed in your subject and want to read some of your sources in full. We are all troubled occasionally about when a citation is necessary . I can say with authority that you must include a citation for:
1. All direct quotations 2. All indirect quotations 3. All major ideas that are not your own 4. All essential facts, information, and statistics that are not general knowledge especially anything controversial.
REFERENCING When referring to a case for the first time, give its full name exactly as it appears in the report. subsequent references a case can be referred to by a shortened name, E.G. Murphy v brentwood district council and can be referred to as the murphy case. If you give full details of the case in the text, you do not need to repeat the references Examples:
1. Campbell v Mirror Group Newspapers Ltd [2004] 2 all ER 995 2. Rees v United Kingdom (1987) 9 EHRR 56
Bibliography 1. 2. 3. 4.
1A Crash Course in composition – Mcmahan Elizabeth (1989,119) The Complete Guide to Referencing and Avoiding Plagiarism – Neville Colin (2010,132) Sentence Skills – Langan John (1998, 167-168, 189, 190) College writning skiills - Langan, John ( 203- 216)
Ivan darioVasquez Feijo Bryan Marin Universidad del Quindio 2015-1