ENG 011

• Explicit information - the ideas that are directly stated on the text.
• Implicit information - the ideas that are implied or not directly stated.
• What is a claim?

  It is the central point or the main argument of an author.
• Characteristics of a good claim:

  • It should be debatable or arguable. It should make a point about the topic.
  • It should express the writer's unique views about the topic.
  • It is not neutral. It asserts the writer's position about a particular issue or topic.
  • It should be clearly worded or specific.
  • It should be logical or rational.
• Claim of fact

  • it is a type of claim that can be verified as either true or false, no matter how difficult it is.
  • It normally tells "what is" and "what is not".
  • A well-argued claim of fact clearly states the main argument, defines vague and controversial terms.
  • It is supported with factual information, testimony, and observation.
  • It has sufficient, accurate, and recent evidence which are organized to emphasize the main argument.
• Claim of Value

  • This refers to evaluate statements that can be qualified.
  • They asserts which conditions are better, more important, or more desirable. It gives an idea or what is good or bad.
  • It is based on:
  • Philosophical beliefs
  • Aesthetic beliefs
  • Moral standpoint
• Claim of policy

  • It refers to statements that espouse for a specific action to be taken as solution to a particular problem.
  • It is an argument which asserts the implementation of a certain policy.
  • This is normally introduced by the modals "should", "must" or "outh to".
  • They are action-oriented claims that aims to provide alternatives, specific action plans, or recommendations to the usual societal problems or issues.
• Evaluating the author's claims:

  • Be sure that the claims are supported by strong arguments based on premises that are reasonable.
  • Be mindful of the author's approach in building his or her case.
  • Determine the evidence from the text. which supports the writer's claim. Check for facts, statistics, and resources cited by the writer in his or her text.
  • Distinguish facts from opinions.
  • For general or broad claims, look for more substantive evidence to prove the argument.
• Logical fallacies - errors in reasoning that invalidate an argument. As a critical reader, you have to identify and examine fallacies and manipulative language found in the text.

  Statement = Proposition

  Reasoning = Argument

  Evidence = Premises

  Claim = Conclusion
• Logical arguments - consists of statements, it begins with the premise and it ends with the conclusion.
• The fundamental goal of an argument is to prove the truth of the conclusion by means of the truth of its premises.
• Deductive argument - the truth if the premise is to prove the truth of the conclusion is certain. It can either be valid or invalid, it is solely determined by the structure.
• Inductive argument - the truth of the premise is supposed to prove that the truth of the conclusion is probable. It can either be strong or weak. If it is true, the probability is more than 50%.
• False dilemma/ false dichotomy - despite the presence of multiple possibilities an argument is one of only two options.

  Example:

  Either I continue always buying in online shopping or I'll stop working.
• Slippery slope - when a series of increasingly superficial and unacceptable consequences is drawn.

  
  

  Example:

  If dId not teach you logical fallacies, then you will never know that these fallacies exists.
• Complex question - the reader is expected to either accept or reject two or more points that are rolled into one at the same time.

  Example:

  Have you stopped beating your child?
• Appeal to force (ad baculum) - instead of reasoning, a threat is used to argue. It is committed when one appeals to force, often with subtlety, to cause the acceptance of a conclusion.

  Example:

  Lend me 5000 pesos or else I'll tell all your secrets to your mother.
• Appeal to pity (ad misericordiam) - pity is used instead of logical reasoning. It is committed when one appeals to pity, causing the acceptance of a conclusion.

  
  

  Example:

  Please don't arrest me. I have 10 children to feed and my parents are old and very sick.
• Appeal to consequences - to show that the belief is false, there is an unpleasant consequence of believing something.

  Example:

  I don't believe that my boyfriend is seeing other girls because if he did, we would break up and I'm not ready for it.
• Bandwagon - just because it is believed by the majority of things, an argument is considered to be valid.

  Example:

  Is a survey conducted, 9 out of 10 said that upon using this Korean glass skill set, the face became radiant.
• Appeal to person (ad hominem) - instead of attaching the ideas of the argument, you attack the character of the person.

  Example:

  I cannot accept your idea because, unlike me, you did not have your doctorate degree in Oxford university.
• Appeal to authority - occurs when a person is not actually a legitimate expert on the subject matter; occurs also when you assert your own expertise.

  Example:

  The fact in my article are correct because I have been a journalist for three decades already.
• Anonymous authority - the authority in the statement is not mentioned or named.

  Example:

  Athletes say that exercising can make you live longer.
• Hasty generalization - the sample is not significant or enough to support a generalization about a population.

  Example:

  Lee Da Hee, a foreigner from South Korea, is very impolite. Koreans are mean and rude.
• False or weak analogy - when a writer assumes that two concepts that are similar in some ways are also similar in other ways.

  Example:

  Love is like coffee. Bitter yet sweet.
• Accident - even if a general rule should be an exception, it is still applied to a situation.

  Example:

  You should not talk back to your brother no matter what; he is always right because he is older than you.
• Post hoc - A is the cause of B event. Then A happened before event B.

  Example:

  Shine said that whenever I sing it rains. Since I'm singing now, then it will rain after a while.
• Wrong direction - there is a reverse in direction between cause and effect.

  Example:

  Lung cancer leads to cigarette smoking.
• Complex cause - even when there are other factors which also contributed to the event, the explanation is reduced to one thing.

  Example:

  We were not able to create an advertisement for our class because we are only given three days to do it. The time was too short for us.
• Irrelevant conclusion - the argument that is supposed to prove something concludes something else instead.

  Example:

  The number of positive cases in our city is rising even if we are in ECQ.

  Therefore, we must lift ECQ.
• Strawman - the position of the opposition is twisted so that it is easier to refute.

  Example:

  You said that horoscope is not scientific, so why should we believe in it?
• Afforming the consequent - if argument A is true, then argument B is true.

  Example:

  If you are in a dating app, that means you are looking for a partner who is a foreigner. Therefore, if you marry a foreigner, that means you met him/her on a dating app.
• Denying antecedent - if argument A is not true, then argument B is not true.

  Example:

  If you did not finish college then you will not have a successful future. If your future is not successful you did not finish college.
• Inconsistency - the argument contradicts one another.

  Example:

  Anna is taller than Ely.

  Ely is taller than Elsa.

  Elsa is taller than Anna.
• What is an editorial?

  • It is an article or news story that represents the newspaper's opinion on an issue.
  • It is usually unsigned.
  • It reflects the majority vote of the editorial board, the governing body of the newspaper made up of editors and business managers.
  • It is built on an argument and tries to persuade readers to thing the same way they do.
  • It is meant to influence public opinion, promote critical thinking, and sometimes cause people to take action on an issue.
• Characteristics of an editorial:

  1. Introduction, body, and conclusion like other news articles.
  2. An objective explanation of the issue, especially complex issues.
  3. A timely news angle.
  4. It includes opinions from the opposing viewpoint that directly refute the same issues the writer addresses.
• Characteristics of an editorial:

  5. The opinions of the writer are delivered in a professional manner. Good editorials engage issues, not personalities, and refrain from name-calling or other petty tactics of persuasion.|

  6. Gives alternative solutions to the problem or issue being criticized. A good editorial should take a proactive approach to making the situation better by using constructive criticism and giving solutions

  7. A solid and concise conclusion that powerfully summarizes the writer’s opinion. Gives it some punch.
• To explain or interpret - Editors often use these editorials to explain the way the newspaper covers a sensitive or controversial subject.
• To criticize - these editorials constructively criticize actions, decisions, or situations while providing solutions to the problem identified. The immediate purpose is to get readers to see the problem, not the solution.
• To persuade - editorials of persuasion aim to immediately see the solution, not the problem. From the first paragraph, readers will be encouraged to stake a specific, positive action. Political endorsements are a good example of this.