STS 4 説得力のある意見の述べ方

Large chain and pulley monochrome

Strong connections are vital to a strong argument.

Image Credit
Christian Weidinger via flicker

このレッスンでは argument に欠かせない理論を英語で述べる練習をします。理論をはっきりと述べる事によって、より筋の通った話し方が出来ます。わざわざ当たり前の様に思う理論までも口にしないといけない事に抵抗を感じるかもしれませんが、英語の argument では、このスキルが無いと基本的な部分が欠けてると見なされ、説得力が大幅にダウンします。有力な基本回答の仕上げ部分です。

Introduction

What is the role of reasoning in an argument? 

There are two main roles of reasoning: 

  1. It makes your argument much stronger. It explains to everyone why your evidence is important. In presentations and business meetings, adding clear reasoning is vital for a strong argument. 
  2. It gives you a chance to show your language skills. Claims are basically opinions, and everyone can give opinions. Evidence is straight facts, so it's also fairly basic. But reasoning requires complex language showing the connection between two or more things.

NOTE: Make sure you clarify the difference between reasons and reasoning. Many students confuse the two. Reasons are why. Reasoning is thinking: the logic that connects your ideas.

Your student should understand what reasoning is in order to move on with the lesson, but for further reading, you can recommend this blog post.

This lesson may take some time for students to master, so spend as much time on it as necessary. 

Tests

G.B.C.:

  • Reasoning is a big part of the Communication of Information section of the G.B.C. test.

TOEFL:

  • Reasoning has almost nothing to do with the TOEFL test. Skip to STS 6 to start training on fluency, unless your student wants to work on their essay skills—reasoning is used in essay writing.
Warm Up

Is this a strong answer? Why or why not? 

Tokyo is the best city in the world! It's very convenient. There are hundreds of train stations and convenience stores. Also, the food is amazing. Tokyo is the city with the most Michelin stars. So it's convenient and the food is great.

This answer is not very strong. There is a lot of room for improvement because it lacks reasoning. 

Ask:

  1. What level is the English? Could a high school student say this? (Probably, yes.)
  2. Why is it important that there are hundreds of train stations? What does that enable you to do? What about the food—can I get more details about why this is good?

You are looking for something like this: 

 ...there are hundreds of train stations, so you can easily walk to the train station. It usually takes just a few minutes, so you can have drinks with friends and not worry about driving home. 

...Tokyo has the most Michelin stars of any city in the world, so that means you can eat world-class food around every corner! There are so many good restaurants, you can try a new one almost every day and never get bored. 

Structures

Here are simple patterns to introduce reasoning: 

  • So you can (+ verb). 
  • So that means... 
  • The (comparative), the (comparative).
    • Examples:
      • The more stations, the less you have to walk to get to the nearest one!
      • The safer the city, the better it is for kids.
      • The more you study, the better your English will be! 

Another simple framework: IF, THEN, SO

  1. claim: "You should go to Kyoto!"
  2. evidence: "There are lots of amazing historical temples."
  3. reasoning: "You can imagine what it was like a long time ago."

[Reasoning means connecting the two initial parts of your argument: A + B = C]

  1. "IF you go to Kyoto," [claim]
  2. "THEN you can see the beautiful temples," [evidence]
  3. "SO you can imagine what life was like a long time ago. You can see how people lived and feel the ancient lifestyle." [reasoning]

Reasoning is NOT important sometimes 

In casual settings, there is no need for reasoning. 

E.g.: at a bar: "You have to try these dumplings. They're amazing." 
E.g.: with a friend: "You haven't seen the film Jaws? It's great. You've got to see it." 

However, a speaking test is not a casual setting. So it's important in a speaking test, if you want to boost your test score. 

Language

Try adding reasoning to these claims and pieces of evidence: 

  1. I’m positive about the economy in India. Other countries continue to outsource more labor there. 
  2. I’m negative about the economy in Italy. The population is decreasing. 

Some example answers: 

1. I’m positive about the economy in India because other countries continue to outsource more of their labor there. Due to tighter global labor markets and new trends in remote work, outsourcing becomes a necessity. Since India is already a leader in this area, it stands to reason that it will only grow in the future. In fact, global spending on outsourcing is predicted to increase from $180 billion per year now to around $500 billion by 2030.

2. I’m negative about the economy in Italy because of the decreasing population. First of all, as the population ages, young people have to spend more time and money caring for the elderly. Also, a decreasing population means domestic consumption will decrease, and that means the economy will get worse. 

Answer structure with reasoning: 

CLAIM 
EVIDENCE

REASONING

My university is the best university in the country.

More than 80% of graduates of my university go to work in Fortune 500 companies, the government or scientific institutions. That's a higher percentage than any other university.

Good universities educate students so that they are able to find good jobs and contribute to society. Therefore, my university is the best in the country.

 

NOTE: Reasoning can also come before evidence. This will be covered in STS 17 Using alternative structures.

Practice

Now that you understand how to make a strong argument with reasoning, give good reasoning in your answers to some questions.