Download - Bias week 10
Fine-tuningThis tutorial concentrates on:-The consistency of your line of argument-The support for your claims-The logic behind your arguments-Improving clarity and flow-Writing more concise sentences
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Supporting claimsEvidence that supports your claims should be:ClearAccurateRelevantCredibleSignificant
Critical thinking:Make sure that you clearly distinguish between
- facts and opinions
- certainties and uncertainties
both while you are reading and when you are writing.
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Logical fallacies:• Hasty generalisation (jumping to a conclusion, claim
based on too little evidence):• Commercials in favour of unhealthy food should be
forbidden, because they lead to a consumption-oriented society and subsequently to overweight .
• Oversimplification (linking 2 events as if one caused the other directly, whereas the causes may be more complex):
• Obesity leads to people becoming depressed. • Inappropriate appeal to the reader / inappropriate
tone• Obesity costs an unnecessary amount of valuable
health care time, time that could be better spent on curing other diseases.
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Relative clauses:There are two types of relative clauses:1.Defining relative clauses, in which the information that you give is essential2.Non-defining relative clauses, in which the information that you give is extra.Compare: My sister who lives in London is a musician.My sister, who lives in London, is a musician.
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Relative clauses:- Defining:By 4.30, there was only one painting
which /that hadn’t been sold. (essential, no comma)
- Non-defining:The train, which was already an hour
late, broke down again. (extra, commas used)
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Being concise:Concise: short and clear, expressing what needs to be said without unnecessary words(Advanced Learners’ Dictionary)
Typical examples of unnecessary words:
• really• quite• basically• totally• completely
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editingFinal check before submitting the paper:-Think of a good title-Argumentation check-Vocabulary check (formal English)-Grammar and spelling check (not everything is picked up by a computer!)-Bibliography-Consistent lay-out
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Candidate for a Pullet Surpriseby Mark Eckman and Jerrold H. Zar (1992)
(also known as “Ode to a spell checker”)
“I have a spelling checker.It came with my PC.It plane lee marks four my revueMiss steaks aye can knot sea…..
Candidate for a Pullet Surprise (continued)
…….Eye ran this poem threw it,Your sure reel glad two no.Its vary polished inn it's weigh.My checker tolled me sew…….
Candidate for a Pullet Surprise (continued)
…..A checker is a bless sing,It freeze yew lodes of thyme.It helps me right awl stiles two reed,And aides me when eye rime…………….”
Style Sheet (on BB-site)
-Font and font size.-The line spacing-The margins -paragraphing-Use of page numbers-Personal details, name of tutor, word count etc.-Title, footnotes, style of referencing Bibliography.
The title:Titles often contain one or more of the following elements:-a reference to the main topic-a reference to the aim of the author-a reference to the conclusion-the main topic as a question-a general statement which is then refined
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nominalisationAcademic writers frequently use the noun forms of verbs; rather than focusing on the action (verb) they focus on the concept (noun).
Water hyacinths are rapidly spreading into drainage systems and are restricting the rate at which the water flows.(=verb)The rapid spread of water hyacinths into drainage systems is causing restrictions in the rate of water flows.(=noun)
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Linguistic differencesLanguages differ in:
• Vocabulary• Syntax• Grammar
These are linguistic criteria
Rhetorical differences
- Sociologists and anthropologists: logic is a cultural phenomenon
- Diversity in culture leads to diversity in logic
- Logic is not a universal phenomenon- Logic is the basis of rhetoric, so
rhetoric is not universal either
Rhetoric and academic writing- English: thought patterns evolved from
Platonic Aristotelian thought (ancient Greece)
- Thought patterns are linear:- Paragraph starts with a topic sentence;- Subdivisions of topic statement;- Each subdivision supported by
examples/illustrations;- Goal: to develop idea in topic statement,
then relate that to rest of essay.