1、Text CObjectivesUnderstanding the TextReview and Exercises33Assignment3ObjectivesUnderstand the most outstanding features of argumentative writing in structure and compositionPick up some ABCs of stylisticsAcquire some practical techniques in writing argumentationUnderstanding the TextI.Style of the
2、 Text Unlike text C in unit three,which is a piece of narration,this text is a piece of argumentation,which is different in several aspects from the former.That is,argumentation,as one of three popular genres in composition(narration,argumentation and exposition),has got some unique features.In this
3、 session we are going to analyze the typical ones that are well represented in text C.The main purpose of a piece of argumentation is to persuade the readers to agree with the writer on a certain point:to prove something or to disprove something.Most essays,reviews,editorials and academic papers are
4、 under this category.In order to get his or her stuff as persuasive as possible,the writer often achieves this effect by using some special devices.Well make an analysis of this text to work out a few representative rules that may serve us in our own writings of the same genre.Well focus our analysi
5、s on three respects:A.Syntactic features a.Length of sentences Legal documents,official documents and scientific papers contain a much larger proportion of long sentences than other categories of writing.The Preamble to the Charter of the United Nations,for instance,contains a single sentence over 1
6、70 words.Sentences in such documents are made long by the fact that statements and opinions have to be made very clear and explicit,with room for no misunderstanding or misinterpretation.Take text C:The whole article is made up of 815 words,which are distributed in only 37 sentences.On average,there
7、 are as many as 22 words in one sentence.This number well exceeds that of text C in unit three,which is a narrative.b.Variation of sentence types In this passage the writer makes a full use of three common types of sentence structures:simple,compound,and complex sentences,among which the latter two
8、make up the overwhelming majority.For example.Simple sentences:Undeniably,problems still exist.(P3,L2)But there is also progress.(P3,L4)Compound sentences:All these women exist today,and yet I wonder why more women of our generation do not realize the wealth of possibilities before them.(P3,L1)More
9、men are opting to stay home to take care of kids while their wives go off to work(P 4 L1)Complex sentences:It was not surprising when The New York Times ran an article about college womens talk on work-family balance a few weeks ago(P1,L1)To begin with,almost all the students in the interview and pe
10、rhaps the author herself seemed convinced that it is just too hard to manage a thriving career and a happy family at the same time(P2,L1)All these women exist today,and yet I wonder why more women of our generation do not realize the wealth of possibilities before them.(P3,L1)Yet even more alarming
11、is the fact that some of the students in the article suggested that children of working mothers simply do not turn out as well as those who live with a stay-at-home mom(P4,L2)Many young women today need to be reassured that they can indeed work and have a family.The challenge for men and women is to
12、 figure out where we belong on the work-family spectrum.(P7,L1)C.Sentence forms In fact,to create a tone powerful enough the writer brings a wide variety of sentence forms into use including declarative,interrogative,negative,inversed and emphatic structures.The skillful use of three most familiar e
13、mphatic structures may illustrate the point.For instance:“I have seen the difference between kids who did have their mother stay at home(P4 L3-4)it is not quantity,but quality that counts.(P4,L8)What is important is that we understand that these options exist,and that we make sure they really are av
14、ailable to everyone.(P7,L5-6)B.Lexical Devices When we say“the pen is mightier than the sword,”we really imply that words have power.A large vocabulary,alone,however,does not give one power with word.Its ones stock of vocabulary plus the knowledge of how to use words correctly and appropriately in t
15、he right place and to the right person that gives one the freedom and ability to influence with words.Just take“Ask someone to sit at table”for example.You may say:1).Please get seated!2).Sit down!3).Down to your seat!What decides the difference in addressing is just the status of the addressor and
16、the addressee and the social surroundings where the event takes place.For the convenience of our understanding,we may put them into three distinctive degrees in terms of formality.As you may have noticed,the first addressing is really so polite that we may mark it as formal;the second one can be heard anywhere,anytime and among any people though it smacks a lack of enough respect,so we mark it as informal;the third one obviously sounds a bit impolite but intimate and casual enough,so just colloq
