Mastering Argumentation: Text Structure, Pronouns, and Verb Forms
Argumentation Essentials: Text Structure and Grammatical Elements
No Verbal Predicate
Its nucleus is an adjective or adverb.
Rating
Trick or adjective.
Adverbial
Adverb.
Arguments in Text
The purpose is to persuade the reader about an idea or point of view. This unfolds by presenting a number of reasons, called arguments, that support the hypothesis. The aim is to make the hypothesis seem consistent and acceptable, convincing the receiver of its truth.
Resources Used in Argumentation
- Analogy: A comparison of situations that allows us to understand more clearly by establishing a link between events or things.
- Exemplification: The author uses specific cases to reinforce the idea they want to defend.
- Citation of Authority: Incorporating phrases or opinions from known authors or experts on specific issues to support the writer’s view.
- Comparison: The writer points out similarities between objects or situations to reaffirm their reasoning.
- Rhetorical Question: Questions posed by the author, not to be answered, but to structure their discourse.
- Rebuttal: Addressing opinions contrary to the author’s and presenting arguments to invalidate and reject them.
Structure of an Argumentative Text
- Introduction: Anticipates the idea to be developed.
- Development: Justifies the argument by reasoning and expressing arguments in defense.
- Conclusion: Summarizes the above and closes the developed argument.
Thesis
The basic idea about what is being argued, which may appear at the beginning or end of the text.
Connectors
Text is structured around the relation of ideas with each other:
Relations of Opposition
Used to indicate contrast, e.g., but, however.
Relations of Cause or Effect
To order the text logically, establishing linkages between causes and effects, e.g., because, for this reason, consequently, therefore.
Temporal Relationships
Connectors that identify the order in which events succeed each other.
Pronouns
Descriptive, narrative, with fixed or occasional significance.
Pronouns of the First Group
- Personal Pronouns: Designate those involved in the communication, i.e., the sender, receiver, and the world referred to by both.
- 1st Person: I / us / me / we / my / mine.
- 2nd Person: your / you.
- 3rd Person: he / she / it / they / him / her / them.
- Possessive Pronouns: Indicate position, property, functioning as modifiers.
- 1st Person: mine / ours.
- 2nd Person: yours.
- 3rd Person: his / hers.
- Demonstrative Pronouns: Place the grammatical person in space or time in relation to the speakers.
- Close to the 1st Person: this / these.
- Close to the 2nd Person: that / those.
- Away from the 1st and 2nd Person: that / those.
Pronouns of the Second Group
- Relative Pronouns: Replace an element that appeared previously.
- what, who, which, whose, where, when, how.
- Emphatic Pronouns: Replace unknown elements.
The Verb
- Infinitive: -ar, -er, -ir (nucleus, subject).
- Participle: -ado, -ido (modifier, adjective).
- Gerund: -ando, -iendo (nucleus of circumstantial adverb).
Verb Phrase
- Compound Time: have + participle.
- Passive: be + participle.
- Gerund and Infinitive: verb + gerund, verb + infinitive, preposition + verb + infinitive.
Irregular Verbs
- First Group: present indicative, present subjunctive, imperative.
- Second Group: past perfect subjunctive.
- Third Group: future perfect indicative, conditional simple.