Toulmin Arguments and SentenceLevel Editing

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Toulmin Arguments andSentence-Level Editing

• ENGL 1301
  11/13/07

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Toulmin Basics

• Toulmin Lite The three-element argument
• Claim or proposition
• Factual claim (seeks to identify the nature of
  something)
• Causal claim (seeks to explain why something is
  the way it is or what something will cause)
• Value claim (seeks describe something in terms of
  good/bad, right/wrong, moral/immoral,
  practical/impractical frequently used to make
  value judgments)
• Policy claim (seeks to asset what we ought,
  should, or must do about something frequently
  used to propose problem-solving actions or
  policies)
• Grounds The evidence or support for the claim.
• Warrant The underlying assumption, belief or
  rule identifying the relationship between the
  claim and the supporting evidence.

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Ronald Reagan-Toulminized (Lite)(R. Gass,
Ph.D., Cal State Fullerton)

• Ronald Reagans likeness should be chiseled onto
  Mt. Rushmore, alongside Washington, Jefferson
  Lincoln and Roosevelt. Polls show Americans rank
  him with John F. Kennedy and Abraham Lincoln as
  one of the greatest presidents of all time.
• Claim. Ronald Reagans likeness should be
  chiseled onto Mt. Rushmore (policy claim).
• Grounds. Polls show Americans rank him with JFK
  and Lincoln as one of the greatest presidents of
  all time.
• Warrant. Public popularity is the basis for
  determining whose face belongs on Mt. Rushmore
  (value assumption).

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WWF-Toulminized (Lite)(R. Gass, Ph.D., Cal
State Fullerton)

• How do you know WWF wrestling is fake? Ill tell
  you how. You never see the results printed in
  the Sports section of the newspaper.
• Claim. WWF is fake (factual claim).
• Grounds. The results are never reported in the
  Sports section of the newspaper.
• Warrant. Only the results of legitimate sports
  are published in the newspaper (argument from
  authority underlying presumption)

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Expanded Toulmin Basics

• Toulmin Regular The six-element argument
• Qualifiers
• Identify authors belief in claims reliability
• Probably, sometimes, often, in most cases
• Modulate intensity of claim
• Backing (supports the warrant)
• Shows why warrant is safe to rely upon in this
  instance
• Shows why warrant is true or in force
• Rebuttal/Exception Identifies circumstances
  which might invalidate the claim.

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Cats Make Good Pets (Regular)Toulminized by
Ailise Lamoreux (Ohio University)
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BLACKWELLS HIT LIST

• The Classroom Edition

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Wordy Sentences

• It seems likely that American parents choose
  really carefully when naming their children.
• American parents choose carefully when naming
  their children.
• It seems that American parents choose carefully
  when naming their children.
• It is also true that some parents try to make
  their daughters' names seem quite unusual by
  spelling a traditional name in a way that is not
  considered traditional.
• Some parents try to make their daughters' names
  seem very unusual by spelling a traditional name
  in a nontraditional way.
• Some parents try to make their daughters' names
  seem unusual by spelling a traditional name in a
  nontraditional way.
• It may perhaps be true, as the results of a
  recent poll suggest, that parents think having an
  unusual name is helpful to girls and having an
  unusual name is harmful to boys.
• It may perhaps be true, as the results of a
  recent poll suggest, that parents think having an
  unusual name helps girls and harms boys.
• Perhaps, as the results of a recent poll suggest,
  parents think having an unusual name helps girls
  and harms boys.

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Unnecessary Repetition

• At this point, with so many careers currently
  offering much higher salaries, few people are
  interested in becoming education professionals.
• These days, at this point, with so many careers
  currently offering much higher salaries, few
  people are interested in becoming education
  professionals.
• At this point, with so many careers offering much
  higher salaries, few people are interested in
  becoming education professionals.
• It is a true fact that there are simply not
  enough college students choosing education as a
  major to replace the number of teachers who are
  retiring.
• It is true that there are simply not enough
  college students choosing education as a major to
  replace the number of teachers who are retiring.
• It is a real true fact that there are simply not
  enough college students choosing education as a
  major to replace the number of teachers who are
  retiring.
• School districts recruit ceaselessly and
  unendingly in an attempt to attract new teachers.
• School districts recruit ceaselessly in an
  attempt to attract new teachers.
• School districts recruit unendingly and
  continuously in an attempt to attract new
  teachers.

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Empty Phrases

• In my opinion, every family needs an escape plan
  in the event that there is a fire.
• Every family needs an escape plan in the event
  that there is a fire.
• Every family needs an escape plan in case there
  is a fire.
• Parents should select a place outside where
  family members should wait until such time as
  everyone shows up.
• Parents really should select a place outside
  where family members should wait until such time
  as everyone shows up.
• Parents should select a place outside where
  family members should wait until everyone shows
  up.
• Families can keep track of how fast they escape
  by means of using a stopwatch.
• Families can keep track of how fast they escape
  by using a stopwatch.
• Families can keep track of how fast they escape
  through the use of a stopwatch.
• Adults and older children can learn to operate an
  extinguisher in order to put out a kitchen fire.
• Adults and older children can learn to operate an
  extinguisher for the purpose of putting out a
  fire.
• Adults and older children can learn to operate an
  extinguisher to put out a kitchen fire.

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Unnecessary Shifts

• The fitness mania of the 1970s gave way to the
  greed of the 1980s, which in turn gave way to the
  occupational insecurity of the 1990s.
• The fitness mania of the 1970s gave way to the
  greed of the 1980s, which in turn gives way to
  the occupational insecurity of the 1990s.
• The fitness mania of the 1970s gave way to the
  greed of the 1980s, which in turn was succeeded
  by the occupational insecurity of the 1990s.
• No change.
• The coroner asked that we be quiet and we should
  be attentive.
• The coroner asked us to be quiet and that we be
  attentive.
• The coroner asked that we be quiet and attentive.
• No change.
• Suddenly we heard an explosion of wings off to
  our right, and we could see a hundred or more
  ducks lifting off from the water.
• Suddenly an explosion of wings was heard off to
  our right, and we could see a hundred or more
  ducks lifting off from the water.
• Suddenly we heard an explosion of wings off to
  our right, and you could see a hundred or more
  ducks lifting off from the water.
• No change.

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Inconsistent Structures

• My interest in a political career would satisfy
  my desire for public service.
• A political career would satisfy my desire for
  public service.
• My desire for public service would be satisfied
  by my interest in a political career.
• No change.
• By not prosecuting white-collar crime as
  vigorously as violent crime encourages
  white-collar criminals to think they can ignore
  the law.
• By not prosecuting white-collar crime as
  vigorously as we prosecute violent crime, we
  encourage white-collar criminals to ignore the
  law.
• By not prosecuting white-collar crime as
  vigorously as we prosecute violent crime
  encourages white-collar criminals to think they
  can ignore the law.
• No change.
• One controversial element of college curricula
  has been a required course in Western culture.
• One controversial element of the curriculum has
  been colleges with a required course in Western
  culture.
• Colleges with a required course in Western
  culture have been a controversial element of
  curricula.
• No change.

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Comma Splices Run-Ons

• Animals that provide a therapeutic service to
  humans are increasingly common, guide dogs for
  the blind are one of the best-known examples.
• Animals that provide a therapeutic service to
  humans are increasingly common and guide dogs
  for the blind are one of the best-known examples.
  
• Animals that provide a therapeutic service to
  humans are increasingly common guide dogs for
  the blind are one of the best-known examples.
• No change.
• Public libraries, for example, do not permit
  people to bring in pet dogs, but a working
  seeing-eye or hearing-ear dog is never turned
  away.
• Public libraries, for example, do not permit
  people to bring in pet dogs but a working
  seeing-eye or hearing-ear dog is never turned
  away.
• Public libraries, for example do not permit
  people to bring in pet dogs, but a working
  seeing-eye or hearing-ear dog is never turned
  away.
• No change.
• Therapeutic animals are also permitted on public
  transportation they can ride in the main cabin of
  an airplane rather than in the cargo hold.
• Therapeutic animals are also permitted on public
  transportation. They can ride in the main cabin
  of an airplane rather than in the cargo hold.
• Therapeutic animals are also permitted on public
  transportation and they can ride in the main
  cabin of an airplane rather than in the cargo
  hold.
• No change.

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Dangling Modifiers

• Swinging his lasso, the calf dived under the
  horse's legs and escaped.
• With his lasso swinging, the calf dived under the
  horse's legs and escaped.
• As the cowboy swung his lasso, the calf dived
  under the horse's legs and escaped.
• No change.
• With tattered hat flying, the clown ran bravely
  toward the bucking bull.
• With tattered hat flying, the bucking bull
  charged the clown.
• Running toward the bucking bull, the tattered hat
  flew.
• No change.
• Wearing well-worn Stetson hats and dusty cowboy
  boots, the bronco riders eyed each other by the
  corral.
• Wearing well-worn Stetson hats and dusty cowboy
  boots, the broncos eyed each other by the corral.
• Eying each other by the corral, the Stetson hats
  and dusty cowboy boots showed years of wear and
  tear.
• No change.

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Brief Assignment 9

• Objective To practice revising paragraphs at
  the sentence level.
• Description For this assignment, use the
  guidelines on pp. 682-687 in the Handbook to
  revise a substantial body paragraph (i.e., at
  least four sentences in length) from your Draft
  1.1. Use the section Editing for emphasis and
  conciseness on p. 686 to guide your revision.
• Include a paragraph evaluating the revisions you
  have made and their impact on the audience,
  purpose, and meaning of your draft as a whole.
• BLACKWELLS TIPS
• Your assignment will have two paragraphs the
  revised Draft 1.1 paragraph and the revision
  evaluation paragraph.
• THERE IS NO WORD-COUNT REQUIREMENT, BUT PLEASE
  FULFILL ALL GUIDELINES.

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Happy Thanksgiving!