How to write critically about a subject or issue. For more English tutorials, please visit: https://www.thelecturette.com

1. Writing Critically
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2. Writing Critically
!
Writing critically means:
•
Analyzing your own work and othersʼ
– Examining and breaking information into
parts
• Evaluating
– Making judgements about the value of
information, ideas or materials for a given
purpose in a given context
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3. Writing Critically
•
Presenting your point of view
– Giving your opinion
•
Supporting your point of view
– Supplying arguments and reasons for
your opinion
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4. Writing Critically
!
In other words, you need to:
•
Consider different points of view and
discuss their positive and negative aspects
On the basis of this discussion you choose
a point of view and persuade the reader that
your point of view is the correct one.
•
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5. Support
•
•
•
Your opinions need to be supported
You need to provide evidence
You need to explain why the evidence
supports your point of view
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6. Your point of view
•
Make sure you clearly distinguish between:
•
•
•
Your point of view
Your evidence
Your reasons for believing what you do.
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7. Your point of view
Be sure that the evidence that you are
providing leads to the claim you are making
Claim
(thesis)
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Evidence
(support or
grounds)
Reasons
(warrant or
argument)

8. Presenting your argument
•
You can present your argument in two
ways:
•
•
The inductive or balanced approach
The deductive or persuasive approach
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9. Presenting your argument
•
The inductive or balanced approach
!
You present both sides of the argument
without giving your opinion until the last few
sentences. You do need to provide evidence
for your opinion.
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10. Presenting your argument
When using the inductive/balanced approach,
your plan could look as follows:
1.! Introduction of the argument (Why it is
relevant)
2.! Reasons against the argument. (Mention
the position, the evidence and the reasons)
3.! Reasons in favor of your argument.
(Mention the position, the evidence and the
reasons)
4.! Summarize the two sides, state your own
point of view and explain it.
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11. Presenting your argument
•
The deductive or persuasive approach
!
In this type of approach you state your point
of view immediately and you try to convince
your reader that your are right by presenting
reasoned arguments.
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12. Presenting your argument
When using the deductive/persuasive your
plan could look as follows:
Introduction of the topic in general terms
and your own point of view.
1. Explanation of what your are trying to prove.
2. Reasons against the argument
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13. Presenting your argument
4.! Disposing of the above-mentioned reasons
(Provide evidence and your reasons)
5.! Reasons for your argument (Provide
evidence and your reasons and examples)
6.! Conclusion (Restate your claim and explain
its importance)
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14. Giving reasons and explanations
!
!
Writing critically means that you have to
make connections between the ideas that
you are presenting. You need to explain why
things happen the way they do, giving
reasons and examples.
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15. Giving reasons and explanations
!
!
The situation: Pollution is increasing
!
One reason for this might be the fact that
people burn more fossil fuels
!
!
!
So:
Pollution is increasing (situation)
People are burning more fossil fuels (reason
or explanation)
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16. Arguing a point of view
!
!
Arguing means stating your claim (your
point of view). You need to support this by
giving evidence and reasons why you think
your evidence supports your claim. It is
likely that your claim is debatable. You may
believe in it, but other people may disagree
with you. The objective of your argument is
to prove to your reader that you are correct.
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17. Arguing a point of view
!
Generalizations
!
The claim that you make will be quite
general and it is likely that it will apply to
other contexts and situations as well, not
just your own. Usually these generalizations
are written in the present tense.
!
The seems to be a important link between
nutrition and heart disease.
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18. Arguing a point of view
!
!
!
Cautious language
It is important that you are careful about the
strength of your claims.
!
Obesity during childhood may lead to an
increase chance of becoming obese in later
life.
!
Most traffic accidents occur because of
fatigue or excessive alcohol consumption.
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19. Evaluating a point of view
!
Besides stating your own point of view, you
need to comment and evaluate other
peopleʼs ideas as well. For example, you
may want to use a point of view you have
read about in a scientific journal. It is
important that you explain why this point of
view supports, or doesnʼt support your own.
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20. Evaluating a point of view
!
When evaluating a point of view or a
conclusion, you need to:
•
•
Present the point of view
Comment on it positively or negatively.
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21. Advantages and disadvantages
!
One important way to evaluate a proposal
or an idea is to look at its advantages and
disadvantages.
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22. Comparing and contrasting
!
When you are writing you do a lot more than
just give information. A common function in
writing is comparing and contrasting, or
writing about similarities and differences. It
is important that before you start writing you
decide which features, items, or ideas you
are going to compare and organize them
accordingly.
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23. Providing support
!
The claims that you make in your
discussions need to be quite general. You
need to draw general conclusions that will
be valuable in solving problems in the
future. Again, these generalizations need to
be supported by examples, details, and
evidence.
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24. Drawing conclusions
!
After presenting your point of view,
evaluating the possible choices (all
supported with evidence), you need to come
to a conclusion. The main function of the
conclusion is to show that the main purpose
of the text has been achieved.
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25. Drawing conclusions
!
A concluding section should:
•
•
Repeat the issues raised in the introduction
Summarize the points made in the main
body of your text
Come to a clear conclusion
•
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26. Drawing conclusions
!
Many conclusions, especially in reports,
finish with recommendations or
suggestions. For example:
!
Further research is needed to determine
whether ….
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