This document provides an agenda for an EWRT 211 class. It reviews subject-verb agreement and thesis statements. It introduces anticipating opposing positions and counterarguments. It discusses revising and expanding introductions. The document provides examples of criteria for evaluating films, such as story, acting, special effects, suspense, and technical elements. It discusses developing arguments and qualifying judgments. It concludes with assigning homework on revising introductions, writing a thesis, and including a counterargument.

1. EWRT 211 CLASS 6

2. AGENDA
• GPU: Subject-Verb agreement
• Review:
• Thesis
• Body Paragraphs
• New:
• Introductions: revised and expanded
• Anticipating Opposing Positions and
Objections (counterargument)
• House Points Distributed

3. GPU: Subject-Verb agreement
Subject: The part of a clause that
identifies who or what is being
discussed: At the checkpoint, we
unloaded the canoes.
Verb: A word or phrase
that expresses action or
being and, along with a
subject, is a basic component
of a sentence:
At the checkpoint, we
unloaded the canoes.
Person: The form of a
word that shows whether
it refers to I or we (first
person), to you (second
person), or to he, she, it,
or they (third person).
Use subjects and verbs that agree in person and number. Agreement
problems often occur when a sentence has a complicated subject or verb,
especially when the subject and verb are separated by other words.
Number: The form of a
word that shows whether
it refers to one thing (singular)
or more than one
(plural): parent, parents;
child, children.

4. Make sure the subject and verb agree even if they are
separated by
other words.

5. Use a singular verb with a subject that is a
collective noun.
Collective noun: A noun
(such as class or family)
that refers to a group as
a unit and is usually
considered singular.

6. Use a plural verb with a
compound subject.
Compound subject: Two
or more words acting
as a subject and linked
by and.

7. Use a singular verb
with an indefinite
pronoun.
Indefinite pronoun: A pronoun that does not
refer to a particular person or object, such
as anybody, each, one, everyone,
everything, somebody, something, neither,
none, or nobody (which take the singular);
few, many, and several (which take the
plural); and all, most, and some(which can
take either the singular or plural).

8. Essay review
•Thesis Statements
•Justifying an evaluation (four
criteria)

9. Review: Thesis Construction
• Remember that a strong thesis statement should be clear,
arguable, and appropriately qualified. As you consider your
overall judgment, keep in mind that readers of evaluative
essays expect writers to present a balanced evaluation of a
subject by pointing out strengths as well as weaknesses. At
the same time, however, readers expect to encounter a
definitive judgment, not a vague, wishy-washy, or undecided
judgment.
• In you initial draft of your thesis, you might want to make some
reference to the four criteria you plan to evaluation for the out-
of-class essay.

10. Review: essay #2 Justifying an
Evaluation
The Writing Assignment:
• Using both your in-class essay and the basic features of a “justifying
an evaluation” essay write a new essay evaluating the film Harry
Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Examine your subject closely, and
make a judgment about it in a clear and concise thesis statement.
Give reasons for your judgment that are based on at least four
widely recognized criteria or standards for evaluating a film like this
one. Support your reasons with examples and other details from
your subject. Your final essay should be between three and five
pages. (This means you should have at least one line on page four
to ensure you have filled three complete pages). Do not rely on your
in-class essay to substitute for this new essay. As you will see, this
essay assignment requires both more complex thinking and writing.
• Outside sources: this essay requires at least two direct quotations
in addition to other examples.

11. Review: Developing your argument
• Establish the criteria upon which you will judge the film. Choose at least four:
• Story: Does the movie have a plot that tells both an intriguing and unusual
story? Does the plot make sense? Is the story line logical? Is the narrative arc
well shaped and stay focused on the climax? Or is it drawn out and boring with
time-killing pointlessness? Are the character’s actions justified? Are their
motives reasonable? Do characters behave with consistency? Or do some
words, thoughts, or actions ring false?
• Acting: Do the actors convince the audience they are the characters they are
portraying. Do they meet the expectations dictated by the plot and other story
elements? If not, is it their own acting deficiencies that hold them back? Or are
they hampered by a poor script? What could the actors have done differently to
make the movie work better?
• Special Effects: Do film visuals maintain a professional quality and stimulate
the audience? Or are they phony looking and unbelievable? Are special effects
used appropriately? Do they compliment the emotions of a scene and support
the setting?

12. Review: More criteria
• Suspense: does the film must keep the audience on edge and make
them eagerly anticipate a resolution? Are there particular elements of
suspense that you can name? For example, does the cinematography
make it suspenseful? The dialogue? The film cuts?
• Realism/accuracy: is the film believable? Even fantasy films must
operate inside of the realm of possibility that viewers can accept. Does
the film portray events, people, and events as they are in real-word
settings as much as possible? Are actions and interactions believable,
plausible, and at least somewhat relatable given the genre of the film?
• Setting: are the characters in an environment that contributes to or
supports their actions and interactions. Does the setting emphasize the
themes and moods of the film? Is the scenery aesthetically pleasant? Or
does it detracting from the main focus of the scene?

13. Review: A Few More
• Technical elements: how do the cinematography, editing, lighting,
sound, and other components support or detract from the film? Does the
camera crew capture the scenes in a manner that best illustrates the
story? How do these elements contribute to or detract from the film?
• Soundtrack: is music appropriate and effectively employed? Does the
sound compliment the visuals? Does it help convey the emotion of each
scene?
• Originality: does the film present some new concept or idea that has
hardly been explored by its predecessors? Is there creativity and
innovation? Is it fresh content? Or does it tell an old story in a
conventional way?
• Message: is there a message, moral, or ethic in the story? Is the
message important or compelling to contemporary audiences?

14. INTRODUCTIONS:
REVISED AND
EXPANDED
Review: The summary that you drafted
for your in-class essay

15. Introductions: “Star Trek or Star Wreck”
One of the most famous (and probably most loved) stories about outer space, interstellar
journeys, distant galaxies, and new discoveries and dangers is Star Trek, which includes both a
TV series and a number of movies telling the story of the spaceship Enterprise and its crew,
led by captain James T. Kirk. In 2013, another movie was released—Star Trek Into Darkness,
directed by J.J. Abrams, famous for both his directing and for his work with visual effects.
In general, I am more enthusiastic about Star Wars films, but I admit to the epic nature of
the saga developed in numerous Star Trek episodes and films. Star Trek Into Darkness tells
the story of a three-way conflict between Captain Kirk and the Enterprise crew, Admiral
Marcus, and the central protagonist Khan, aka John Harrison, played by Benedict
Cumberbatch. The cast includes Chris Pine as Captain Kirk, Zachary Quinto as Spock, and Zoe
Saldana as Uhura. The film premiered in Singapore, on April 23, 2013. Box Office Mojo listed
its domestic gross at $228+ million, excluding disc sales, with the production costs pegged at
$190 million (“Star Trek Into Darkness” Box Office), which seems to indicate it is a successful
film, at least economically.
To avoid revealing all of the movie plot, I will just hit the highlights. Khan, a genetically
improved human, is awakened from cryogenic sleep by Admiral Marcus (played by Peter
Weller), who wants to use him in his fight against Klingons (an alien race). Khan escapes,
commits several crimes, kills several members of the Star Fleet council, and then escapes to
planet Chronos. Captain Kirk and his crew chase Khan and ultimately take him captive. Marcus
threatens to destroy the Enterprise if Kirk does not turn Khan over to him. Kirk refuses. Their
conflict escalates until Khan kills Marcus.

16. WRITING A
COUNTERARGUMENT

17. Alternative Judgement: From “Star
Trek or Star Wreck”
[Cumberbatch’s] emotionless, yet compelling delivery, marks this
as a brilliant performance. His demeanor is chilling, and at times,
just scary. I was not just engaged, but rather riveted. I would like
to, here, acknowledge Ricardo Montalban’s earlier performance as
Khan in Star Trek films. Many people regard Montalban as one of
the greatest villains of all time. I acknowledge that Montalban is
truly excellent as Khan, but I don’t think that his performance
detracts from Cumberbatch’ s excellent work in playing the same
character.

18. Write a few sentences describing an objection or an
alternative judgment you expect some readers to raise.
“Some people might say that the film lacks cutting
edge special effects…..”
Consider whether readers base their criticism on different
criteria or whether they analyze the movie criteria differently
than you do.
“There are some critics who cite the child actors as a
problem in this film. Though I haven’t mentioned them.
. . ”
New: Anticipate a Likely Objection or
Alternative Judgment:
Objection
Alternative
Judgment

19. Write a few sentences trying out a possible counterargument. You may
be able simply to acknowledge an objection or alternative judgment. If
the criticism is serious, consider conceding the point and qualifying
your judgment.
“There are some critics who cite the child actors as a problem
in this film, and I understand that the acting is not perfect, but
they are only 11 years old. They don’t have much experience,
but most kids this old don’t.”
You might also try to refute it by arguing that the standards you are
using are appropriate and important.
“Some people might say that the film lacks cutting edge special
effects, but I don’t agree. Given that the film was made in 2001,
the effects are truly great!”
Consider Whether to Concede or Refute
the Objection
Concession
“I understand”
Refutation
“I don’t agree”

20. House Points

21. HOMEWORKRead HP Chapters 9-10 pages
140-181
Vocabulary: Spells 1-18
HW Discussion 6: Post the
following:
1.Your revised directed
introduction: (this can be a
revised and expanded
version of your essay 1
introduction).
2.Your thesis
3.Your counterargument
(anticipating opposing
positions and objections).