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TheArgumentativeEssay,.Maincommunicativepurposesoftheargumentativeessay:Toconvinceorpersuadetoagreewithanopinion;todefendanopinion;toattackanopinionyoubelievetobemisguiding,untrue,orevil,.BasicfeaturesTheargumentativeessaymusttakeacontroversialissueforanopendebate,i.e.,theissuemustbearguable;Theargumentcannotbegeneralbelief;personalpreference;orfact,Twosidesaregenerallyinvolved:proponents(thoseinfavoroftheissue)andopponents(thoseagainsttheissue);Thethesismusttakeasideofanissue,andfrequentlyproposesacourseofaction;Theargumentativeessayarehighlypersuasiveandlogical(oftenexpressedwiththemodal“should”);Goodlogicistheheartoftheargumentativeessay.,.StrategiesforlogicalpersuasionBefullyawareofyouraudienceorreader;Asthepurposeofanargumentativeessayistoconvincethereaderofyourposition,youshouldaddressyourreaderbywritingobjectively,logically,andrespectfully.,TrytoidentifyandunderstandyouropponentspointofviewYoucannotjustpresentyourownopinioninargumentation.Thiscanneverconvincethereader.Youhavetoconsiderthepointofviewofyouropponents.,3.Usetwoformsoflogicalreasoning:inductionanddeduction.Induction（归纳）:theprocessofreasoningfromtheparticulardetailstothegeneralconclusion.Itinvolvesexaminingparticulardetailssuchasspecificcases,facts,orexamples.Theconclusionismadebasedontheevidencecomingfromthespecificdetails.,Deduction（演绎）:theprocessofreasoningfromthegeneraltothespecific.Itbeginswithageneralizationandisappliedinaspecificcase.Theconclusionisdrawnbasedonageneralization.,Deductioninvolvesathree-stepformofreasoningcalledSyllogism（三段论）:MajorPremise(theinitialgeneralization),MinorPremise(thespecificcase),andConclusion(theresultingstatement).Thisthree-stepformcanbeillustratedasfollows:MajorPremise:Dogsbark.MinorPremise:LittleBrownisadog.Conclusion:Therefore,LittleBrownbarks.,Tobemorespecific,themajorpremiseisageneralizationthatyouandyourreadercanbothagreeon,whetheritisagenerallyacceptedstatementorwhetheryouhavealreadyproveditearlierintheargument.Theminorpremiseisthepartthatyouneedtoproveinyourargument.,e.g.Iftheissueisaboutnuclearpowerplantconstruction,youmaytakethethree-stepformofreasoninglikethis:Majorpremise:Onlysafesourcesofenergyshouldbedeveloped.Minorpremise:Nuclearpowerplantsaresafesourcesofenergy.Conclusion:Therefore,nuclearpowerplantsshouldbeconstructed.（Notice:Somecomplexissuesrequiremorethanonepremisetobeproved.),Toavoidbeingillogicalinthisreasoningprocess,youneedtokeepthefollowingpointsinmind:Themajorpremiseandtheminorpremisemustbetrueiftheconclusionistobevalid;e.g.,Allpeopleliketosuffer.(MaP)Jonnyisaperson.(MiP)Jonnylikestosuffer.(C)Theabovereasoningprocessappearsillogicalsincethemajorpremiseisnotbasedonthetruth.,Themajorpremiseandtheminorpremisemustbesetuptofollowthecorrectlogicalorder;Thecorrectlogicalorderisasfollows:A=BAllautomobileshavewheels.C=AHondaisanautomobile.C=BTherefore,Hondahaswheels.,Anincorrectlogicalorderisasfollows:AllA=BAllautomobileshavewheels.C=BHondahaswheels.C=ATherefore,Hondaisautomobile.(Suchanillogicalordermakestheconclusioninvalid,forHondamightbeamotorcycleorawagon.),Thetermsinonepremisemustbeusedthesamewayintheotherpremise.Lookatthefollowingexamples:Somevegetarianseateggs.Johnisavegetarian.Johneatseggs.AllAmericansspeakEnglish.MaryisaSouthAmerican.MaryspeaksEnglish.,.PlanninganargumentativeessayWhenyouplananargumentativeessay,keepinmindthefollowingpoints:Theargumentativeessayshouldintroduceandexplaintheissueorcase;Theessayshouldofferadequatereasonsandsupportthereasonswithgoodevidence;,Theessayshouldrefuteopposingarguments.Thisisaveryparticularcharacteristicwhichdistinguishesargumentativeessaysfromexpositoryessays.Youmustnotonlypresentyourownpointofviewandproveit,butalsorefuteyouropponentsviewandprovethatyoursismorevalidorsuperior.,.Organizinganargumentativeessay(1)IntroductionTomakeagoodbeginningofsuchanessay,youshouldfirstintroducetheproblemandthethesistoclarifythecontroversialissuetoyourreader.Thenyoushouldprovidebackgroundinformation.,(2)ThedevelopmentalpartConfirmation(2-3paragraphs)andrefutation(1-3paragraphs)arerequiredindevelopingthemainpartoftheessay.Toconfirmyourpersonalpointofview,youneedtogivereasonstosupportyourthesis;,thereasonsmustbeconvincingevidencewhichisnormallyfromexamplesfactsauthoritativeorexpertopinionsstatisticalfindingspersonalexperienceorobservations,Torefuteopposingviews,youshouldconsideryouropponentspointofviewatthesametime;acknowledgethegoodpointsofopponentsviewsfirst,explainwhyyouropponentsviewsarenotgoodenough.,Indevelopingthemainpartoftheargumentativeessay,youmaychooseanypatternorcombinethepatternstofurtherdevelopthethesisaswedealwithcause-and-effectgenrewriting(description,narration,definition,classification,exemplification,causalanalysis,comparison&contrast,etc.),(3)TheConcludingpartTobetterconcludetheessay,youshouldrestateyourthesissummarizeyourmainpointsurgeyourreadertotakeactionpredictthefuture,.SometransitionalwordsandphrasesChronologicalorderfirstofall/first,afterthat/second,then/next,last/finallyExemplificationtoillustratethispoint,canbeillustratedasfollows,agoodcaseinpointisAdditionbesidesthat,apartfromthis,inaddition(to),furthermore,whatsmore,moreoverComparison&contrastlikewise/similarly,inthesameway,similarto,conversely/onthecontrary,incontrast(to),ontheotherhand,differentfrom,.SometypicalsentencepatternsforargumentationItcanbearguedthatPeopleargue/maintain/believethatSomepeopleargue/claimthatButmoreoftenthannot,thereverse/theoppositeisusuallythecase/true.Someassumethat,however,thisprovestobethecontrary/theopposite/theotherwayaround.Theyarerightin,butItistruethat,butitdoesnotnecessarilyfollowthat,Writingassignment:Hasmanafuture?Somepeopleholdtheviewthattheworldwillgetbetterdaybyday.However,asthefastdevelopmentofthemodernsocietyhasbroughtunprecedentedchallengestomankind,thislingeringquestioncontinuestoprovokedeepthought,reflection,doubtorevenfear.Somepeoplebelievethatifseverethreatslikenuclearweaponsandclimatechangeremainuncheckedmanslifewillbegreatlyendangeredand“thedoomsdayclockisonthevergeofstriking”.Discusswithyourpeersandwriteanargumentativeessaywithin600words.Havepeerreviewafteryoufinishyourwriting.Youmayrefertothepeerreviewchecklistinyourhandout(pp.350-351).Submityouressaynexttimefortheclass.,
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