ENGLISH 10

Journeying through Literature

and Language
Module

Prepared by:
MARGARET A. BAELLO
 WEEK ONE
OBJECTIVES

CONTENT STANDARDS
The students will be able to…
• Demonstrate understanding of how world literatures and other text types serve as instruments
to resolve social conflicts, also how to use the language of research, campaigns and
advocacies.

PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
The students will be able to…
• Competently present a research report on a relevant socio-cultural issue.

FORMATION STANDARDS
The students will be able to…
• Commit in doing and delivering the best;
• Exhibit positive attitude in accomplishing given task and responsibility;
• Be mindful about the importance of giving and accepting the opinions of others from the
fact presented; and,
• Stay calm even under pressure.

LEARNING COMPETENCIES
The students will be able to…
• Express insights based on the ideas presented in the material viewed
• Get different viewpoints on various local and global issues.
 WEEK ONE
ARGUMENT TECHNIQUES
Page 223-225

When in a middle of an argument, it is essential to express ideas in a persuasive manner.

Therefore, it is important to know how to get reasons in support of the issue of a thesis.
Now, it should also be a skill, that you know how to use different sources of proof in order to
make a good argument or to recognize one.

TESTIMONY

Base your argument from the statements of a reliable witness.

Present your proof by showing compliance to these important conditions:

1. Your witness has a reputation for honesty or is a man of unquestionable integrity.

A man with a history of crime or disobedience to authority may not be reliable to become a witness
to your argument; one should have a reputation and can be trusted.
2. Your witness has no reason for lying in this particular case; it will not benefit him or her to lie.
Your witness should have no conflict of interest regarding the topic discussed; it should not favor him
with relevance to whatever he believes in. Therefore he’ll have no reason to cover the story up.
3. Your witness was careful and attentive in watching or listening.
Your witness should’ve paid attention to the event; not distracted nor unsure of what he’s testifying to.
4. Your witness has adequate understanding to repeat accurately what he or she saw and
what he or she heard.
Your witness should know the importance of the issue he’s testifying to; he must understand fully that
any fault in his testimony will greatly affect the whole argument.

ACCEPTED TRUTHS AND PRINCIPLES

Base your argument on the accepted truths and principles; therefore, use what is accepted in
our society to strengthen your argument.

It is an accepted fact that an apple is a fruit .

Therefore, you only have to show that the fruit you Issue
are referring to is definitely an apple. Argument

The reasoning proceeds from general to specific. Accepted Facts

and principles
Example:
Death Penalty should not be legalized in our country. Examples
It is a universal truth that we have no right to sentence
anyone his death; let alone take it. In addition, Juan
Dela Cruz, who was sentenced death penalty in 1990,
was proven not guilty later after his death.

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 ACCEPTED AUTHORITY

An authority is a person whose views on a subject are generally acceptable because of his her
known and proven knowledge of the matter. That person needs to have more than adequate
educational, professional, and work background on the subject. It should always be
remembered that an authority in one field is not automatically an authority in another. If you
wish to make your argument to gain more effectiveness, you may appeal to several authorities
who re in common agreement on a subject.

Therefore you cannot seek for an evidence to support your argument from a medical doctor when
discussing a political issue; or seek a medical advice from a politician with no medical background.

CAUSE AND EFFECT

An argument based on casual relationship takes the assumption that every event has its cause,
and that given the same cause, it is highly probable that you will get the same event. However,
there should be a clear connection between the cause and the effect. It must be shown that
the cause must be such that only this effect can flow from it.

Example:
I am against the legalization of the
Reproductive Health Bill because as what A B A B
happened to Vietnam, it may lead to the
C D C ?
legalization of abortion, which is a direct
violation of the basic human right – right to
life.
ENTITY X ENTITY Y

CIRCUMSTANCES

Circumstances are facts that accompany the main action or event under discussion. For
example a man found near the place of an accident answered questions with furtive eyes,
faltering speech, and unwarranted anger. One might conclude that he was not telling
everything he knew about the accident.

Therefore, things related to the main issue may be used to make a conclusion
One should be careful in making conclusion based on circumstantial evidence; more often
than not it affords only probability of high or low degree.

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 SPECIFIC INSTANCES

This argument is based on persistent evidence from an examination of a sizable number of

particular cases.
Good sources of proof are the results of scientifically controlled and tabulated surveys. With
some people, two or three examples of specific instances may already be appealing and
convincing.

ANALOGY

Reasoning by analogy is one of the common methods of winning belief or action.

It means that if two things are alike in some particular situation, then they would be alike in
others. The literal analogy is sometimes called the logical analogy or simply argument of
comparison. The figurative analogy is also called an informative analogy with the use of
understandable metaphor. A complicated situation is reduced to a very simple one. The result is
not logical proof but something more understandable and appealing to the emotions. This form
or argument is best used as a mere persuasive proof. It should not be presented to an audience
as final by itself.

EXERCISE 9
pg 225

Give a valid argument to support the following claims. Base your arguments on the given
argument technique.

A. Come up with an argument of testimony in support of the following statements:

1. The overseas Filipino workers are a big help to our economy.
2. Vigilance will solve the corruption in the Philippine government.

B. Come up with an argument from accepted truths or principles:

1. The laborers have the right to a decent wage.
2. Teachers have the rights to demand increase in their salary.

C. Support one of the following statements with argument from accepted authority:
1. The global economic recession has truly affected our country.
2. More jobs will be available in the coming years.

D. Support one of the following statements with argument from cause to effect. State whether
your proof is certain or probable.
1. The Philippine must come up with a charter change.
2. The government must adopt an austerity program.