[外语学习]写作ChapterSeen.pptVIP

In researching an essay in favor of gun control, for instance, you might consult statistics provided by the anti-control National Rifle Association as well as those provided by pro-control groups to ensure that your evidence is sound from both perspectives. Example 1 Notice: In quoting excerpts as evidence, be careful to preserve their true meaning, not just a few words that happen to support your argument. Supporting the Assertions For instance, you would distort the writer’s meaning if you quoted the first sentence in the following passage as evidence of the positive effects of television. Example 2 Television can be an effective force for education and understanding, for appreciation of people and their troubles and accomplishments. But it assumes that role so rarely that we have only fleeting glimpses of the possibilities. We know better the dull-witted, narrow- minded fare that monopolizes the set from one year to the next. Supporting the Assertions Discussion: Relevant evidence comes from sources with authority on your topic and relates directly to your point. Unless your uncle is a recognized expert on the Central Intelligence Agency, or unless you can establish his authority, his opinion of whether the CIA meddles illegally in other countries’ affairs is not relevant to your paper on the subject. If your uncle is a member of the town council, however, his views may very well be relevant evidence in your essay on how a new shopping mall will hurt the town merchants. Notice: Evidence is representative when it reflects the full range of the sample from which it is said to be drawn. Supporting the Assertions For instance, in an essay arguing that dormitories should stay open during school holidays, you might want to cite the opinions of the school’s 5,000 students. Example 3 Comment: But you would mislead readers if, on the basis of a poll among your roommates and dormitory neighbors, you reported as evidence that “the