Making your argument flow
Learning Skills Group
Overview of this workshop
This module will focus on:
1.  Setting up and maintaining arguments
2.  Making your text coherent
3.  Using cohesive devices to link ideas
COPYRIGHT © LEARNING & TEACHING CENTRE
I LEARNING SKILLS GROUP 2015
2
1] Setting up and maintaining arguments
Task 1: Read the two texts given and identify:
•  main arguments
•  evidence for supporting the arguments
In what ways are the arguments presented differently
in these two texts?
COPYRIGHT © LEARNING & TEACHING CENTRE
I LEARNING SKILLS GROUP 2015
3
Multinational corporations are companies that have branches in many countries. They are becoming more
and more important in the world economy. This essay will examine the role of multinationals in the oil and automobile
industries, and in forestry and fishing. It will show that these companies have a generally negative effect on the
environment.
Transnational corporations are responsible for roughly 50 percent of all greenhouse gases (Robinson, 2001),
mostly as a result of their role in the extraction and use of fossil fuels. The automobile industry is a major cause of
environmental damage. The rapid increase in the number of fossil-fuel burning automobiles increases the carbon
dioxide load in atmosphere, thus increasing the severity of global warming.
Fishing had become big business and over-fishing is causing a rapid decline in the world’s fish stocks.
Multinational companies such as Pescanova were involved in the destruction of the North Atlantic cod fishery.
According to the FAO, ‘Nearly 70 percent of the world’s conventional fish stock are either fully exploited, severely
overtaxed, declining or recovering’ (cited in Robinson, 2001). Furthermore, high-tech fishing boats are wiping out
traditional fishing communities.
Another example of the negative impact of multinational companies on the environment is forestry.
Robinson (2001) points out that in many countries, corporations rapidly deplete resources in one area and then move
on to another, leaving a trail of devastation in their wake.
It is therefore clear that multinational corporations have a negative impact on the environment, both because of
their role in oil And automobile production and because of their involvement in fishing and forestry.
Text A COPYRIGHT © LEARNING & TEACHING CENTRE
I LEARNING SKILLS GROUP 2015
4
Multinational corporations are companies that have branches in many countries. They are becoming more and more
important in the world economy. Oil is produced by multinational corporations, and most cars are produced by
international companies such as Honda and General Motors. Corporations also play an important role in forestry and
fishing. Nowadays, fishing has become big business and over-fishing is causing a rapid decline in the world’s fish stocks.
According to the FAO, ‘Nearly 70 percent of the world’s conventional fish stock are either fully exploited, severely
overtaxed, declining or recovering’ (cited in Robinson, 2001). Furthermore, high-tech fishing boats are wiping out
traditional fishing communities.
Transnational corporations are responsible for roughly 50 percent of all greenhouse gases (Robinson, 2001). The
automobile industry is a major cause of environmental damage. The rapid increase in the number of fossil-fuel burning
automobiles increases the carbon dioxide load in atmosphere, thus increasing the severity of global warming.
Another example of the negative impact of multinational companies on the environment is forestry. Robinson (2001)
points out that in many countries, corporations rapidly deplete resources in one area and then move on to another,
leaving a trail of devastation in their wake.
It is therefore clear that multinational corporations have a negative impact on the environment. Global businesses
need to work hard to improve their environmental performance so that natural resources are saved to hand on to our
grandchildren. Automobile manufacturers, fisheries and forestry are the main multinational industries that cause
pollution. Regarding this matter, the FAO, WTO and UN should try to solve these problems and protect the world from
globalization and pollution.
Text B COPYRIGHT © LEARNING & TEACHING CENTRE
I LEARNING SKILLS GROUP 2015
5
Multinational corporations are companies that have branches in many countries. They are becoming more and more
important in the world economy. (Background) This essay will examine the role of multinationals in the oil and automobile
industries, and in forestry and fishing. (Outline). It will show that these companies have a generally negative effect on the
environment. (Thesis statement)
Transnational corporations are responsible for roughly 50 percent of all greenhouse gases (Robinson, 2001), mostly as a
result of their role in the extraction and use of fossil fuels. The automobile industry is a major cause of environmental
damage. (Argument1) The rapid increase in the number of fossil-fuel burning automobiles increases the carbon dioxide
load in atmosphere, thus increasing the severity of global warming.
Fishing had become big business and over-fishing is causing a rapid decline in the world’s fish stocks. (Argument2)
Multinational companies such as Pescanova were involved in the destruction of the North Atlantic cod fishery. According to
the FAO, ‘Nearly 70 percent of the world’s conventional fish stock are either fully exploited, severely overtaxed, declining
or recovering’ (cited in Robinson, 2001). Furthermore, high-tech fishing boats are wiping out traditional fishing
communities.
Another example of the negative impact of multinational companies on the environment is forestry. (Argument3)
Robinson (2001) points out that in many countries, corporations rapidly deplete resources in one area and then move on to
another, leaving a trail of devastation in their wake.
It is therefore clear that multinational corporations have a negative impact on the environment (Restate thesis statement)
both because of their role in oil and automobile production and because of their involvement in fishing and forestry.
(Summary of arguments)
Text A COPYRIGHT © LEARNING & TEACHING CENTRE
I LEARNING SKILLS GROUP 2015
6
Multinational corporations are companies that have branches in many countries. They are becoming more and
more important in the world economy. Oil is produced by multinational corporations, and most cars are produced by
international companies such as Honda and General Motors. Corporations also play an important role in forestry and
fishing.
Nowadays, fishing has become big business and over-fishing is causing a rapid decline in the world’s fish stocks.
According to the FAO, ‘Nearly 70 percent of the world’s conventional fish stock are either fully exploited, severely
overtaxed, declining or recovering’ (cited in Robinson, 2001). Furthermore, high-tech fishing boats are wiping out
traditional fishing communities.
Transnational corporations are responsible for roughly 50 percent of all greenhouse gases (Robinson, 2001).
The automobile industry is a major cause of environmental damage. The rapid increase in the number of fossil-fuel
burning automobiles increases the carbon dioxide load in atmosphere, thus increasing the severity of global warming.
Another example of the negative impact of multinational companies on the environment is forestry. Robinson (2001)
points out that in many countries, corporations rapidly deplete resources in one area and then move on to another,
leaving a trail of devastation in their wake.
It is therefore clear that multinational corporations have a negative impact on the environment. Global businesses
need to work hard to improve their environmental performance so that natural resources are saved to hand on to our
grandchildren. Automobile manufacturers, fisheries and forestry are the main multinational industries that cause
pollution. Regarding this matter, the FAO, WTO and UN should try to solve these problems and protect the world from
globalization and pollution.
Text B COPYRIGHT © LEARNING & TEACHING CENTRE
I LEARNING SKILLS GROUP 2015
7
Deductive argument (Text A)
•  present position
•  provide evidence
•  come to a conclusion
Inductive argument (Text B)
•  present a number of reasons
•  come to a conclusion
COPYRIGHT © LEARNING & TEACHING CENTRE
I LEARNING SKILLS GROUP 2015
8
How do readers follow a deductive argument?
Statement of position
evidence 1
evidence 2
evidence 3
Re-statement or modification
of position
COPYRIGHT © LEARNING & TEACHING CENTRE
I LEARNING SKILLS GROUP 2015
9
Which method of presenting an argument is better?
COPYRIGHT © LEARNING & TEACHING CENTRE
I LEARNING SKILLS GROUP 2015
10
Both methods are useful but… Deductive:
-explicit argument (clear position put
at the beginning)
-reader not familiar with this method
may find it repetitive
Inductive:
-implicit argument
(position not state until conclusion,
readers have to infer and may have
different interpretations)
-reader not familiar with this method
may feel disoriented and confused
*lecturers in English- speaking
universities are more familiar with
deductive argument structure
(Brick, 2012)
COPYRIGHT © LEARNING & TEACHING CENTRE
I LEARNING SKILLS GROUP 2015
11
2] Making your text coherent
What is coherence?
Effective writing should make sense and logical (i.e., coherent).
A coherent text is a piece of writing that is logically consistent
and shows a unit of thought. It develops a logical structure
from the introduction through the content sections to
the conclusion.
COPYRIGHT © LEARNING & TEACHING CENTRE
I LEARNING SKILLS GROUP 2015
12
Coherence
Look at this text. Does it make any sense to you?
I like ea(ng pineapple. There is a ball in this box. Why don’t you go out and have some fresh air. COPYRIGHT © LEARNING & TEACHING CENTRE
I LEARNING SKILLS GROUP 2015
13
Coherence (macro level)
Text structure:
Some ways to organise your ideas coherently:
1.  General à specific
2.  Problem à solution
3.  Compare à contrast
4.  Cause à effects
5.  More important à less important
COPYRIGHT © LEARNING & TEACHING CENTRE
I LEARNING SKILLS GROUP 2015
14
Coherence (micro level)
Paragraph structure
Topic sentence summarises main idea
(usually the first sentence in a
paragraph) Supporting sentences develops the idea in the topic sentence
with evidence and/or examples Concluding sentence •  summarises main points
•  comments on evidence
•  links to next paragraph
(optional)
COPYRIGHT © LEARNING & TEACHING CENTRE
I LEARNING SKILLS GROUP 2015
15
Task 2:
Read paragraph 3 in Text A again.
1.  Can you identify the topic sentence and supporting
sentences in this paragraph? How did the writer develop
the main idea in the topic sentence?
2.  Is there any concluding sentence? If not, can you write
one for this paragraph?
3. Do you think Text A is coherent? Why/why not?
COPYRIGHT © LEARNING & TEACHING CENTRE
I LEARNING SKILLS GROUP 2015
16
3] Using cohesive devices to link ideas
What is cohesion?
Cohesion is the grammatical and lexical links within a text
that hold a piece of writing together and give its meaning.
It refers to the linkage of ideas between sentences and
between paragraphs.
Two possible ways to show connections in a text:
A. grammar and B. vocabulary
COPYRIGHT © LEARNING & TEACHING CENTRE
I LEARNING SKILLS GROUP 2015
17
A. Grammar 1.  use of linking words (e.g., in addition, and, however,
as a result) See Table 1 in handout.
2. use of reference words:
• 
demonstrative pronouns (e.g., this, these, that, those)
• 
definite article ‘the’
• 
pronouns (e.g., he, his, they, their, we, our)
COPYRIGHT © LEARNING & TEACHING CENTRE
I LEARNING SKILLS GROUP 2015
18
Task 3: Can you identify the use of grammatical cohesive
devices in the following sentences? Circle all the devices.
The number of tellers was reduced in ABC bank last month.
As a result, customers had to wait much longer for banking
services. This situation is not ideal and the bank needs to
consider various ways to solve the problem. Otherwise,
it may lose its customers.
COPYRIGHT © LEARNING & TEACHING CENTRE
I LEARNING SKILLS GROUP 2015
19
The number of tellers was reduced in ABC bank last month.
As a result, customers had to wait much longer for banking
services. This situation is not ideal and the bank needs to
consider various ways to solve the problem. Otherwise,
it may lose its customers.
COPYRIGHT © LEARNING & TEACHING CENTRE
I LEARNING SKILLS GROUP 2015
20
B. Vocabulary
1.  repetition of words (may be in different forms such as
verb, noun, adjective or adverb e.g., act, action,
active, actively)
2. use of synonyms (resources – materials, salary – wages)
3.  word chains – a sequence of different words related to
the same topic
COPYRIGHT © LEARNING & TEACHING CENTRE
I LEARNING SKILLS GROUP 2015
21
Task 4: Read the text given (Brick, 2012, p.196).
1.  Can you identify two sets of vocabulary chains, one refers
to ‘research’ and the other to ‘children’ and ‘teens’?
2. Identify the grammatical cohesive devices used by
the writer.
COPYRIGHT © LEARNING & TEACHING CENTRE
I LEARNING SKILLS GROUP 2015
22
a. One of the 100 or so empirical studies is a longitudinal study of TV’s
effects on children and teens in the real world that took more than ten
years to complete.
b. Some 3200 young people – a sample of elementary school children
and a sample of teenage boys – were surveyed over a three-year period
from May 1970 through December 1973.
c. All of these children lived in two mid-western cities.
d. One of the reasons that the study took so long to complete was that
the results were weak and inconsistent and therefore difficult to
interpret.
e. No matter what was examined, the data for elementary school
children – and also for teens – showed little effect-size numbers.
f. Based on this result, our conclusion was that any effect of watching
television violence on children’s aggression either did not really exist or
was very small.
COPYRIGHT © LEARNING & TEACHING CENTRE
I LEARNING SKILLS GROUP 2015
23
Using order of information to link sentences
Which of the texts below do you like the best? Why?
Mary went home.
Dinner was eaten by her.
Her partner prepared it.
COPYRIGHT © LEARNING & TEACHING
CENTRE I LEARNING SKILLS GROUP
2015
Mary went home.
She ate dinner.
It was prepared by her
partner.
24
Order of information
GIVEN (KNOWN)
NEW
Mary went home.
Mary went home.
Dinner was eaten by her.
She ate dinner.
Her partner prepared it.
It was prepared by her partner. Writing that does not follow this pattern can seem ‘choppy’.
COPYRIGHT © LEARNING & TEACHING
CENTRE I LEARNING SKILLS GROUP
2015
25
References
Brick, J. (2011). LING316 Second language teaching and learning Brick, J. (2012). Academic culture: A student’s guide to studying at university. Sydney: Na7onal Centre for English Language Teaching and Research, Macquarie University. COPYRIGHT © LEARNING & TEACHING CENTRE
I LEARNING SKILLS GROUP 2015
26