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Assertion-and-Counterclaim-NOTES

This lesson provides guidance on writing evaluative statements through assertions and counterclaims, emphasizing their role in presenting value judgments based on criteria. It outlines how to formulate assertions, including Basic, Emphatic, and I-Language assertions, each with specific structures and examples. Additionally, it explains counterclaims and the importance of using hedges to soften criticisms.

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8 views

Assertion-and-Counterclaim-NOTES

This lesson provides guidance on writing evaluative statements through assertions and counterclaims, emphasizing their role in presenting value judgments based on criteria. It outlines how to formulate assertions, including Basic, Emphatic, and I-Language assertions, each with specific structures and examples. Additionally, it explains counterclaims and the importance of using hedges to soften criticisms.

Uploaded by

athenamarie.shs
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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This lesson will give you tips on how to write evaluative statements in two ways:

assertions and counterclaims.

But first, what is an evaluative statement?


 It is a way of giving a better explanation to show the strength and the
weaknesses of something through writing.
 It presents a value judgment based on a set of criteria.
 It is used in giving a sound judgement - a judgment that can be backed up
or supported by valid reasons or proofs.
 It is the writer's way of explaining why a strength is a strength and a
weakness a weakness based on the evidences gathered.

How do you formulate an evaluative statement?

- is done in the same way you do any other writing except that the statement is
about your judgement of the text's content and property.
- may be composed in two ways:
1. Formulating Assertions about the Content and the Properties of a text
Read
2. Formulating a meaningful counterclaim in response to a claim made in
the text read
- is examined by identifying which ideas are facts or opinions
- is the making of inferences or conclusions and assessing the overall quality of the
text

Assertion usually contains evaluative languages such as: useful, significant,


important, insightful. detailed, up-to-date, comprehensive, practical, etc.
- A statement that claims/believes something is true, and notes they must
be supported by evidence.

TYPES of ASSERTION can be used in formal or informal writing. This includes:


Basic Assertion, Emphatic Assertion, I-Language Assertion.

Basic Assertion is a statement used to express the writer's feelings, beliefs, and
opinions directly. This type of assertion is usually used in writing formal papers like
thesis and dissertation.

Example: The Philippines has an advanced civilization before the colonization of


Spain. Form and branches of government, social structure and the existence of
ancient writing are some of the evidences that prove the advancement of the
precolonial period.

Explanation: The first sentence is considered as the basic assertion. The second
sentence contains evidence that supports the assertion.

Emphatic Assertion is a statement used to express empathy or on how a person


understands the feelings and emotions of the literary author. This can be used on
writing a formal or informal paper.
It is usually composed of two parts:
1) the first part is the statement that recognizes the situation or even the feelings of
the characters on the text being read
2.) the second statement where the writer states his stand about the situation.

Example: I know that the Philippines, before pre-Spaniard colonization, has their
system of writing called the 'baybayin'. This alone proves that the Filipinos are
literate as opposed to the Spaniards claim.

Explanation: The first part recognizes the situation based on the text being read.
The second part contains the writer's stand on the situation presented.

I-Language Assertion is a statement used to express the feeling and preference


of the writer. It is called I-Language because it focuses on the writer and is using
the pronoun 'I'. This type of assertion is recommended if the author wants to
express negative feelings and opinion. This is best used in writing a review or
reflection paper.

It is composed of 3 parts. The first part contains the accurate information from
literary work, especially the topic the writer disagrees with (When you...). The
second part includes the effect or feeling of the writer towards the topic (It affects/l
feel...). The last part includes the preference or recommendation of the writer
(Therefore, I prefer/l want...).

Example: Upon reading that the ancient Filipino civilization is divided into three
social classes namely: the 'maharlika', 'timawa' and 'alipin', I feel proud because of
the civilization social advancement and at the same time sad because of the
promulgation of social differentiation. With this finding, 1 want to do further research
on the existence of these social classes' stigma.

Explanation: The example given is divided into three parts that include
the feelings and preference of the writer.

Counterclaim is the opposition you make about the claim of a writer. You must
recognize the value of hedges when you state your counterclaims. A hedge is a
word or phrase that minimizes negative impact of a criticism. When you are
presenting your counterclaim, you are providing criticism since you are stating that
the claim is not true. Hedge is used to give a courteous tone in your writing.

Hedges could come in different forms such as:

o Modals-may, could, would, etc.


o Frequency adverbs - usually, generally, commonly Probability
o Adverbs - probably, possibly, presumably

Example:
Obesity is caused by the bad food choices being offered by the food industry.

Counterclaim: Obesity is probably caused by the bad food choices being offered
by the food industry.

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