8/10/2019 How Well Do They Say It 3

1/36

How well do they say it?Clarity, Consistency and Structure

Chapter 5

Prepared by:

Ausima Sultan

8/10/2019 How Well Do They Say It 3

2/36

Introduction

There are six eatures to chec! oran ar"ument:

#$ Author%s position&$ Propositions and reasons

'$ A line o reasonin"

($ Conclusion5$ Persuasion

)$ *se o indicator and si"nal words

8/10/2019 How Well Do They Say It 3

3/36

Howe+er, on their own these eatures merelyhelp us to identiy whether an author is usin"an ar"ument$

They don%t tell us whether the ar"ument iswellstructured and consistent$

-y understandin" how an ar"ument isstructured, you can:

*se the structure o the ar"ument to ocus readin" Impro+e comprehension by understandin" how one

part o an ar"ument lin!s to another

8/10/2019 How Well Do They Say It 3

4/36

How Clear is the Author%sPosition?

Stating the point

Clarity is important to constructin" a "ood

ar"ument An ar"ument can present a "reat deal o an

interestin" inormation but their point o +iew,or position, becomes lost in the detail

I the author%s position is clear, then it is moreli!ely that their audience will "rasp what theyare tryin" to say, and ma!e an e.ort to ollowan ar"ument throu"h to the end

8/10/2019 How Well Do They Say It 3

5/36

In a "ood ar"ument, the author%s position

will be apparent throu"h a number omeans, such as:

The introductory sentences

The /nal sentences

The conclusion

The o+erall line o reasonin"

An o+erall summary o the ar"ument

Careul selection o acts so thear"ument is not lost

8/10/2019 How Well Do They Say It 3

6/36

Acti+ity

0ead the ollowin" passa"e$ 1or eachconsider:

Is the author2s position clear?

3hat ma!es the author2s positionclear or unclear?

8/10/2019 How Well Do They Say It 3

7/36

Passa"e #The brain o an elephant is /+e times lar"er than that

o humans$ Some people belie+e elephants are +eryintelli"ent but, e+en i that were true, are they really/+e times bri"hter than humans? -ut maybe we areloo!in" at this the wrin" way$ Ater all, is it air to

compare the brain si4e o a lar"e animal with that o asmall creature? Perhaps it is relati+e si4e that matters?Human brain wei"hs as much as &$5 per cent o bodywei"ht whereas elephant%s brain is less than hal o aper cent o their total body wei"ht$ Proportionally, the

brain o a human is ten times "reater than that o anelephant$ aybe it is the ratio o brain to body si4e thatmatters? I that were the case, then the shrew, with itshea+ier brain, would be bri"hter than humans andelephants and yet shrews do little more than eat$

8/10/2019 How Well Do They Say It 3

8/36

Answer

The author%s position is not clear$ It could be clari/ed, or example, by usin"

either the openin" sentences to introducethe ar"ument and6or the /nal sentences to

sum it up$ The author uses too many 7uestions without

pro+idin" answers to these$

There are many acts, but these do not helpclariy the position$

The author needs to pro+ide more "uidanceto the reader about the direction o the

ar"ument$

8/10/2019 How Well Do They Say It 3

9/36

Clarity and InternalConsistency

Important actor o presentin" a clearauthorial position is creatin" a consistentar"ument, so that all parts o the line o

reasonin" contribute to the conclusion 8othin" then contradicts or undermines

the main messa"e

Inconsistencies ma!e an ar"ument hard toollow, lea+in" the audience uncertainabout what that author is tryin" topersuade them to belie+e

8/10/2019 How Well Do They Say It 3

10/36

9xample #

Apples are "ood or your teeth$ Acidcorrodes$ Apples consist mainly o acidso they cant be "ood or teeth$

8/10/2019 How Well Do They Say It 3

11/36

The messa"e lac!s internalconsistency

The reader is let wonderin" whetherapples are "ood or your teeth or not

8/10/2019 How Well Do They Say It 3

12/36

Includin" pposin"Ar"ument

A stron" line o reasonin" will "i+e consideration toalternati+e points o +iew, includin" those whichappear to contradict the main ar"ument

A "ood ar"ument mana"es such apparent

contradictions by: ma!in" it clear throu"hout the line o reasonin" what

position it wants the audience to ta!e

a!in" it clear when it is introducin" an alternati+e pointo +iew

Counter ar"uments to show why the alternati+e point o+iew is less con+incin"

0esol+in" any apparent contradictions by showin" how themain ar"ument holds true

8/10/2019 How Well Do They Say It 3

13/36

Analy4e the 9xample &

Apples are better or your teeth thanre/ned su"ar snac!s$ Some people ar"uethat apples are an acid and that aciddama"es tooth enamel$ Howe+er, anyood, i let on the teeth, is bad or them$0e/ned su"ars are practically dama"in"

to teeth$ Compared with the su"arysnac!s most people eat, apples pro+ide amore bene/cial alternati+e and ha+e lon"been recommended by dentists$

8/10/2019 How Well Do They Say It 3

14/36

Analysis o the example

The ar"ument is internally consistent All reasons support the main ar"ument

The opposin" +iew is included but itsimportance is minimi4ed

ain ar"ument is stron" partly because it isworded in a more tentati+e way that it is easierto deend

It is easier to ar"ue that somethin" is more

bene/cial than rather than ma!in" an absolutestatement such as ; apples are "ood

8/10/2019 How Well Do They Say It 3

15/36

Precision

Imprecise words are common

cause o inconsistency

Example 3:Apples are "ood or your teeth and ha+e lon"been recommended by dentists$ It may seemstran"e that this is the case, "i+en that apples

consist o acid and acid corrodes enamel$Howe+er, the acid is relati+ely harmless> andcertainly apples are more bene/cial thanalternati+e snac!s made o re/ned su"ar, suchas sweets and ca!es$

8/10/2019 How Well Do They Say It 3

16/36

Analysis o example '

The ar"ument is relati+ely well structured and is

more consistent than example #

Howe+er, it is still not consistent:

The author2s openin" statement is ; apples are

"ood or your teeth=, howe+er, by the end o thepassa"e, the author is ar"uin" that the acid is;relati+ely harmless= and that apples are ;morebene/cial than alternati+e snac!s=$

An ar"ument about relati+e bene/ts is not thesame as the absolute statement that ;apples are"ood=,

so the messa"e is not internally consistent

8/10/2019 How Well Do They Say It 3

17/36

Acti+ity: InternalConsistency

0ead the passa"e:

Identiy whether the passa"e is :

A$ Internally consistent or,

-$ Inconsistent, and why

1or the inconsistency, consider howyou could adapt the passa"e toma!e it consistent

8/10/2019 How Well Do They Say It 3

18/36

Passa"e

All dru"s which enhance perormance shouldbe banned rom sport as they coner an unairad+anta"e on those who ta!e them$ Anyone

cau"ht ta!in" them should be automaticallybanned rom national and internationalcompetition$ Sportspeople who ta!e such dru"s

are not actin" in the spirit o air competition$

n the other hand, i someone needs dru"s onmedical "rounds, they should be allowed tocompete as they did not intend to cheat$

8/10/2019 How Well Do They Say It 3

19/36

Answer

Inconsistent

The author ar"ues that perormance enhancin"dru"s should be banned on the "rounds that they"i+e an unair ad+anta"e, not on whether someoneintended to cheat or not$

-y the end o the passa"e the ;unair ad+anta"e=ar"ument is replaced by ar"uments about medicalneeds and intentions

To be consistent:

The author should maintain the position that ta!in"perormance enhancin" dru"s is always wron",

r else ar"ue a more moderate position

8/10/2019 How Well Do They Say It 3

20/36

o"ical Consistency

In a clear and consistent ar"ument:

The reasons support the conclusion that theauthor draws rom them

3hen e+aluatin" an ar"ument we need tochec! whether the reasons "i+en by theauthor do indeed support the conclusion

3e need to chec! that the ar"uments adds

up

3hen we do this we are chec!in" orinternal consistency

8/10/2019 How Well Do They Say It 3

21/36

Sometimes:

Author lose trac! o their own ar"uments and

draw a conclusion that does not ollow rom thereason "i+en

There may not be "ood reasons or thear"ument and we may eel the author is

clutchin" at straws in the hope we wont noticethe lac! o lo"ic

Example:

There was a murder near the station last ni"ht$There are always youn" lads han"in" aroundthere$ ne o them probably did it$ The localcouncil should ban youn" people rom han"in"

around the station$

8/10/2019 How Well Do They Say It 3

22/36

In the example

The conclusion is that youn" people should be bannedrom han"in" around the station$ The reason "i+en tosupport the conclusion is that one set o youn" people is

oten ound near the station where murder too! place$

This reason does not support the conclusion becausethere is nothin" to shoe that:

Those youn" people did commit the murder 9+en i they did so, other youn" people would do the same

A "eneral ban on youn" people would pre+ent uture murders

This is partly a 7uestion o lac! o e+idence

Howe+er, it is also aulty reasonin", as the conclusion

does not ollow rom the reasons presented

Alternative conclusion: i the youn" people were in the+icinity when the murder too! place, they mi"ht ha+e seenor heard somethin" that would help sol+e the case$

8/10/2019 How Well Do They Say It 3

23/36

Acti+ity

0ead throu"h the ollowin" passa"e$ @ecidewhether it is lo"ically consistent or not$ i+e yourreasons:

The deepest part o the oceans are !nown as theabyssal 4one$ The bathyl 4one, which is that parto the abyssal 4one ound on the continental shel,is too deep e+en or li"ht to penetrate$ @espite

this absolute dar!ness, animal lie still thri+esthere$ Humans rom part o the animal !in"dom$As animals sur+i+e in the bathyl 4one, this pro+esthat we do not need li"ht in order to sur+i+e$

8/10/2019 How Well Do They Say It 3

24/36

Independent reasons and Boint

reasons

I an author "i+es two or more reasonsto support a conclusion, these may beeither:

oint reasons

Independent reasons

8/10/2019 How Well Do They Say It 3

25/36

9xample: oint 0easons

It is important that employers in -ritainacti+ely encoura"e older people to remainwithin the wor!orce$ 1irst o all, as thepopulation a"es, there wont be enou"hyoun" people enterin" the wor!orce tomeet the needs o the economy$ Secondly,the economy bene/ts rom the s!ills and

experience that older people ha+e accruedo+er their lie time$ oreo+er, older peopleoten ha+e rare s!ills and useul attitudesthat cannot be tau"ht or ac7uired 7uic!ly$

8/10/2019 How Well Do They Say It 3

26/36

The conclusion is in the /rst

sentence The reasons "i+en all relate to the

s!ills needs o the economy, and

support each other:There wont be enou"h youn" people to

do the wor!

lder people ha+e rele+ant s!ills andexperience

Their s!ills and attitudes are oten rareand diDcult to ac7uire

8/10/2019 How Well Do They Say It 3

27/36

Independent reasons

The author may use se+eral reasons to support

the conclusions, each may be +alid in its own ri"ht but ha+e

nothin" to do with the other reasons "i+en

Example:

It is important in -ritain acti+ely encoura"e olderpeople to remain within the wor!orce$ lderpeople oten ha+e rare s!ills and useul attitudesthat are wasted they lea+e the wor!orce early$

oreo+er, stayin" on lon"er in ulltime or parttime wor! is belie+ed to be "ood or the health$-esides, it is unrealistic to expect sa+in"s andpensions to be suDcient to meet the needs o

people retired or (E years or more$

8/10/2019 How Well Do They Say It 3

28/36

All the reasons support the ar"ument

but are independent to each other:The /rst is economic Frare s!illsG

The second relates to health concerns

The third relates to personal /nance It is useul to identiy whether each

separate reasons is suDcient in itsown ri"ht to support the ar"ument

ots o wea! reasons do not add upto a "ood ar"uments, as isdemonstrated in the example below$

8/10/2019 How Well Do They Say It 3

29/36

Acti+ity: independent and Boint reasons

For the passage, identify hether!oint or independent reasons areused to support the conclusion"

oun" people o+er the a"e o #) should

be allowed to +ote$ They pat taxes soshould ha+e a +oice on how their moneyis spent$ They can /"ht and die or their

country so should be entitled to ha+e a+oice in the country%s political process$ Ithey ha+e political obli"ations, theyshould also ha+e political ri"hts$

8/10/2019 How Well Do They Say It 3

30/36

Answer

oint reasons

The reasons are mutually supportin"o the ri"hts and responsibilities oyoun" people$

8/10/2019 How Well Do They Say It 3

31/36

o"ical rder

The line o reasonin", or the o+erallar"ument should lead orward with aclear direction, rather than hoppin"

rom one point to another in arandom way, or leadin" the audienceround in circles$

8/10/2019 How Well Do They Say It 3

32/36

9xample

Pets add to the 7uality o lie$ Anybene/ts outwei"h the costs$ Howe+er,they can destroy household urniture$

Stro!in" pets is thou"ht to reducestress$ Property +alues can be a.ectedby the odour animals lea+e behind

them in carpets and curtains$ anypeople /nd tal!in" to a pet helps themsort out personal problems$ Problemswith pets can be sorted out, so theyare not im ossible$

8/10/2019 How Well Do They Say It 3

33/36

The author could ha+e constructed a more

lo"ical ar"ument:

roupin" similar points to"ether

Presentin" reasons that support theirar"ument /rst, so as to establish a "oodcase or it

Considerin" opposin" reasons ater they

ha+e established their own case,demonstratin" why these are notsi"ni/cant or are less con+incin"

8/10/2019 How Well Do They Say It 3

34/36

@ealin" with poor lo"icalorder

I you are tryin" to ollow a Bumbledar"ument such as the one in theexample, it can help to order the

ar"ument or yoursel: As lists o ar"uments or% and

a"ainst%

As ar"uments that support theconclusion%

And ar"uments that do not support

the conclusion%

8/10/2019 How Well Do They Say It 3

35/36

8/10/2019 How Well Do They Say It 3

36/36

;Ta!e mass transportation$ oin" bac! to mar!ets i you ta!e aneconomics course, they tell you mar!ets o.er choices$ That2s partlytrue, but +ery narrowly$ ar!ets restrict choices, sharply restrict

choices$ ass transportation is an example$ ass transportation is nota choice o.ered on the mar!et$ I I want to "o home today, the mar!etdoes o.er me a choice between a 1ord and a Toyota, but not betweena car and a subway$

That2s Bust not one o the choices a+ailable in mar!et systems, and thisis not a small point$ Choices that in+ol+e common e.ort and solidarity

and mutual support and concern or others those are out o themar!et system$

The mar!et system is based on maximi4ation o indi+idualconsumption, and that is hi"hly destructi+e in itsel$ It2s destructi+ee+en or the human bein"s in+ol+ed it turns them into sociopathicindi+iduals$

-ut it also means that the !inds o thin"s that are needed or sur+i+alare out o the mar!et system li!e masstransportation$ That2s theorm o economic "rowth that could help preser+e the hopes orsur+i+al$ I don2t thin! that it was at all unrealistic or that to ha+e beendone> there was nothin" utopian about that$;

F8oam Choms!yG