Argument structure
Disciplines > Argument > Argument Structure Premise | Conclusion | Inference | See also Arguments are the basis of persuasive communication. They are combinations of statements made that are intended to change the minds of other people. All arguments have structure, which can be either deliberately designed or may be discovered through analysis. Premise A premise (or premiss) of an argument is something that is put forward as a truth, but which is not proven. It is hot in here. This is a beautiful car. The people of this town are angry. If you want to attack another person's argument, you can challenge the truth of their premises. As premises are the building blocks of the argument, there may well be two or more premises in any argument. Conclusion The conclusion (or claim) is the statement with which you want the other person to agree. We need to get out. You should buy this car. The new housing should be sited elsewhere. Inference If we don't do something, the peasants will revolt. See also
Using the Academic Word List
Introduction This site will help you expand your academic vocabulary using the Academic Word List (the AWL). All students, home students and overseas students, need to learn the technical vocabulary of their field. Of course the basic vocabulary of English is also important for academic learners. How can you use the AWL? You can try learning some words from the list every day, but it is better to study the words in context, so that you understand how they are used. Data was collected by the International Labour Office on hourly rates of pay in fifty different occupations, and on consumer prices for a sample of household items in about 100 countries. You can use the AWL Gapmaker to create tests for yourself. Background The AWL was created by Averil Coxhead in New Zealand. To create the AWL, Coxhead first of all made a corpus i.e. a computerised collection, of over 400 written academic texts, equalling about 3.5 million words in total. return to the top of the page
Randomly Awesome Words
Three ways to persuade
Disciplines > Argument > Three Ways to Persuade Ethos | Pathos | Logos | See also Aristotle, perhaps the most famous arguer, described three routes to change the mind of the other person. Ethos Ethos uses trust, and focuses first on the speaker. showing the speaker as a person of integrity and good character. Reputation The reputation of a person depends on their past, and what is known and spoken about them. Leveraging reputation often means reminding others of your illustrious past, perhaps through stories of your successes, of how you have helped others and been able to see the truth where others have not. Character Character paints you as a three-dimensional human, even with a few flaws (though these should not be important to the audience). Credibility Credibility, depends both on expertize and how this is portrayed. To use credibility, position yourself as an expert. Pathos Pathos appeals to the emotions of the listener, seeking to excite them or otherwise arouse their interest. Logos
The Ten Most Revealing Psych Experiments
Psychology is the study of the human mind and mental processes in relation to human behaviors - human nature. Due to its subject matter, psychology is not considered a 'hard' science, even though psychologists do experiment and publish their findings in respected journals. Some of the experiments psychologists have conducted over the years reveal things about the way we humans think and behave that we might not want to embrace, but which can at least help keep us humble. That's something. 1. The Robbers Cave Experiment is a classic social psychology experiment conducted with two groups of 11-year old boys at a state park in Oklahoma, and demonstrates just how easily an exclusive group identity is adopted and how quickly the group can degenerate into prejudice and antagonism toward outsiders. Researcher Muzafer Sherif actually conducted a series of 3 experiments. 2. The prisoners rebelled on the second day, and the reaction of the guards was swift and brutal. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
50 Most Challenging Words
Back in 2010 The New York Times published a list of 50 fancy words that most frequently stump their readership. The New York Times 50 Fancy Words (defined and used) 1. I am glad your inchoate proposals for integrating the company were not accepted this time, thus saving us face. 2. Anderson’s profligacy cost him his job and its better you tighten up your belt before you go the same way. 3. Mr. 4. Every major war on this planet were followed by many years of austerity. 5. The firm’s profligate spending only hastened its downfall. 6. Humpty Dumpty’s antics remain a constant source of baldenfreude for children and adults alike. 7. His ludicrous attempts at mimicry in the office only earned him the opprobrium of his colleagues. 8. The millionaire technocrat and his cronies were publicly derided for being apostates, after they were exposed of polluting the environment while purporting to have spent large sums for water conservation. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25.
PIE Paragraphs
Body paragraphs are the paragraphs between your introduction and conclusion, the ones in which you demonstrate your points. They are the meat of your essay. Strong body paragraphs do the following things: stay on a single topic open with a topic sentence, a sentence that says the main point of your paragraph give concrete examples with descriptive detail to demonstrate your main idea in the paragraph explain how the examples relate to your main point end with a statement about the main point, not on some detail from the example One common way of explaining body paragraph structure is using the image of a pie, or PIE structure. You might notice that this structure is very similar to the structure of an essay. learn more about essay structure The following paragraph from an essay about kickboxing has been divided into its PIE elements. This page was created by Karin Spirn.
Cengage Learning - InfoTrac College Edition
12 Awesome Language Resources for the Word Nerd
I’m an unabashed word nerd. I majored in English and have been a high school English teacher for almost 30 years. I run an online program helping homeschoolers develop writing skills, and I manage this wordy blog and a wordy Facebook page. I have become, over the years, something of an expert on grammar and usage, but it’s not due to any particular cleverness on my part. I have simply learned how to ask good questions and find reliable answers. Here are a dozen of my favorite resources. I own three fat dictionaries, and on just about every word question, I consult all three. The first Webster’s Dictionary was published in 1928. The last unabridged dictionary published by Merriam-Webster is their rather controversial Third New International Dictionary of the English Language that was published in 1961. In the meantime, they keep revising their abridged but useful Collegiate Dictionary–now in it’s 11th iteration. I particularly like the many usage notes included in this Dictionary.
Top 10 things to do before you hand in your essay
10. Spellcheck. It's obvious but often overlooked. Run the grammar checker too. 9. Proofread. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1.
