ARGUMENTATIVE PARAGRAPH

- support of the thesis statement / development of the main idea - an enumeration of arguments/ reasons

- most common enumerators: reason, argument SAMPLE PARAGRAPH:

Going abroad to study or to live is not always a pleasure. Anybody can have difficulties trying to adapt to the customs and traditions of the new country. In fact, facing unpleasant situations makes the difference between a brave person and a coward. There are three reasons why a person should try to get assimilated into the new culture. First, it has been demonstrated that the culture shock doesn’t last forever. After a period of time, the discrepancy between cultures will appear smaller. The second reason is that struggling with all kinds of problems will conduct to a greater final satisfaction. Finally, a person who adapted to a new culture will be a bridge connecting the two cultures. This is an important step in the attempt of understanding the differences and the similarities. (Martin)

TASK 6: Analyze the sample paragraph and write the required information in the blank spaces:

Topic sentence – key words: ________________________________________________ Enumerator(s): ___________________________________________________________ Listing signals: ___________________________________________________________

TASK 7: Write your own argumentative paragraph, providing at least three arguments for the topic sentence below:

Crime problem can be controlled by applying stiffer and stricter laws. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

II. COMPARISON AND CONTRAST

DEFINITION: Comparison = similarity / Contrast = difference 1. Focus on comparison

In a paragraph based on comparison, the information is rendered in order to show the likeliness and similarities between the two elements of the comparison (as stated in the topic sentence). Differences are omitted, the focus being on common points.

SAMPLE PARAGRAPH:

Are you aware of the striking similarities between of the two most popular U.S. presidents, Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy? A minor point is that the names Lincoln and Kennedy both have the same number of letters. Both men had their elections legally challenged. Lincoln and Kennedy are both remembered by their sense of humor, as well as for their interest in civil rights. Lincoln became president in 1860; Kennedy in 1960. Lincoln’s secretary was Mrs. Kennedy; Kennedy’s secretary was Mrs. Lincoln. Neither man took the advice of his secretary not to make a public appearance on the day on which he was assassinated. Lincoln and Kennedy were both killed on a Friday in the presence of their wives. Both assassins, John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald have fifteen letters in their names, and both were murdered before they could be brought to trial. Just as Lincoln was succeeded by a Southern Democrat named Johnson, so was Kennedy. And finally, the same caisson carried the bodies of both men in their funeral procession.

TASK 1: Use the following table in order to analyze the sample paragraph:

ELEMENTS OF COMPARISON COMPARATIVE STRUCTURES

Structures used for pointing similarities:

• Adjectives and prepositions: exactly/ almost/ practically the same…as,

somewhat/rather very/quite similar to, like

• Conjunctions: both…and, neither…nor, not only…but also

• Predicative structures: to closely/greatly resemble, to have

things/features/aspects/characteristics/qualities/attitudes in common, there are certainly many/several/two similarities

• Connectives: similarly, correspondingly, likewise, in the same way

2. Focus on contrast

In a paragraph focused on contrast, the elements of the comparison are dealt with from the point of view of their differences.

SAMPLE PARAGRAPH:

According to the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung, every person’s personality can be placed somewhere on a scale running from extreme extroversion (an outgoing personality) to extreme introversion (a withdrawn personality). The typical extrovert is particularly fond of people and people- oriented activities: he or she is sociable, likes parties, has many friends, needs to have people to talk to, and does not like reading or studying alone. The typical introvert, on the other hand, is a quiet, retiring sort of person, introspective, fond of books rather than people. Unlike the extrovert, who craves excitement, takes chances and is generally impulsive, the introvert shuns excitement, takes matters of everyday life with proper seriousness, and likes a well-ordered mode of life. Whereas the extrovert tends to be aggressive and loses his or her temper easily, the introvert tends to keep his or her feelings under control, seldom behaves in a n aggressive manner, and does not lose his or her temper easily. The introvert is more reliable and less optimistic than the extrovert, the extrovert may often be subject to criminal or psychopathic behavior, in contrast to the extrovert, who may exhibit neurotic tendencies. A further difference between the two involves the ability to remember. Studies have tended to show that the extrovert learns faster than the introvert, but, in the end, remembers last.

TASK 2: Use the following table in order to analyze the sample paragraph:

ELEMENTS OF CONTRAST CONTRASTIVE STRUCTURES

Extrovert Introvert on the other hand

Fond of people, likes parties, sociable

Prefers books to people, is quiet and retiring

Risk-taking

Expression of feelings, aggression

Reliability, optimism

Ability to remember

Structures of contrast:

• Adjectives: comparative and superlative forms • Prepositions: unlike, contrary to, as opposed to • Adverbial clauses introduced by: whereas, while

• Verbal structures: to contrast with, to differ from, to be different from • Connectives: however, on the other hand, nevertheless, although, but

The comparison-contrast paragraph can be written according to two types of organizational patterns: the block pattern and the point-by-point pattern.