Critiquing arguments

In your written assignments your tutors will not only expect you to demonstrate a sound understanding of your sources through well-written summaries and paraphrases, they will also expect you to critique (or evaluate) the ideas and arguments presented in these works.

Activity 1

This activity focuses on the language that academic writers typically use when evaluating their sources. The passage below is taken from a term paper about the use of English at tertiary level in Hong Kong. In the passage the writer critiques an article which claims that English standards are declining.

Read the passage. Underline the vocabulary and sentence patterns the writer uses to highlight the weaknesses in the article. Report your ideas to the rest of the class.

In a recent article, Barnes (2004, p. 12) maintains that ‘levels of English in Hong Kong’s universities have undoubtedly declined in recent years’. Barnes bases this claim on the findings of a research project which involved testing the language proficiency of a sample of third-year degree students. Barnes’ assertion about falling English standards is questionable on three counts. First, the quotation above creates the impression that standards are declining in all the universities in Hong Kong. A close analysis of his article, however, reveals that Barnes tested only 126 students from two arts departments in only one of the SAR’s universities. The picture he paints of English standards is therefore not only unrepresentative of Hong Kong’s universities in general, but also of the university in which he conducted his study. Second, while it is true that the test results were somewhat disappointing, Barnes’ contention that they indicate a decline in standards is unconvincing because he neglected to test the students in their first and second years. Since he has no basis for comparison, it is difficult to see how he can claim that the English levels of the 126 students have ‘declined’. If he had tested the students at various stages during their university courses, his claim about falling standards would have been more credible. Third, Barnes refers to declining ‘levels of English’, but it appears from his article that he tested only the students’ writing skills. He has therefore overlooked the important skills of speaking, reading and listening. Furthermore, his description of the writing test is incomplete. He states that students were required to write a 500-word discursive essay, but fails to include information about the questions and the time limit.

Critiquing

The following words and structures often appear in critiques:

1. Verbs

Examples from the passage in Activity 4 (Unit 4): neglect, overlook and fail. Other useful verbs:

disregard underestimate overestimate limit

restrict confine ignore misinterpret

2. Adjectives

Examples from the passage: questionable, unrepresentative, unconvincing and incomplete. Other useful adjectives:

dated controversial unsatisfactory debatable

flawed problematic small-scale modest

doubtful contentious

Critiquing involves evaluating the work of scholars in your field. Your evaluation may be positive, negative or a mixture of both. The following adjectives are often used in positive evaluations:

seminal influential definitive valuable

groundbreaking major innovative original

pioneering significant

3. Nouns

Examples from the passage: claim, assertion and contention. Other useful nouns:

weakness limitation shortcoming flaw deficiency

4. Sentence patterns

Critiques often contain contrast clauses (see Resources 3). Example from the passage:

Second, while it is true that the test results were somewhat disappointing, Barnes’ contention that they indicate that standards are declining is unconvincing because he neglected to test the students in their first and second years.

Another common feature of critiques is the use of unreal conditionals (see Grammar section above). Example from the passage:

If he had tested the students at various stages during their university courses, his claim about falling standards would have been more credible.

Activity 2

Read the following passage and then answer the questions which follow it.
English as a useless language
Anita Chan
The SAR government continues to attach a great deal of importance to the study and use of English in Hong Kong, particularly in the business and professional sectors. This is illustrated by the government’s Workplace English Campaign, which aims to increase public awareness of the importance of English to the SAR’s economic well-being and enhance business-related communication skills in the language. The government maintains that any decline in the use or quality of English in the workplace will undermine Hong Kong’s ability to compete successfully on the international stage. The English language is therefore regarded as an indispensable asset which the community must protect and promote. I believe, however, that the importance of English in Hong Kong has been greatly exaggerated. / Doubts about the value of English are raised when we consider the economic performance of certain countries in recent decades. In the post-World War II period, Japan and Germany have been two of the most dynamic economies in the world. In the case of Japan, it would be reasonable to argue that very few employees possess high levels of proficiency in English. While it is true that English levels in Germany are higher than in Japan, it must be remembered that the language is still learned as a foreign rather than as a second language. Unlike Hong Kong, it is not used as the medium of instruction at secondary and tertiary levels in Germany; nor has it enjoyed the status of an official language (e.g. in government and the law). Another point to consider is that English is widely used as a second language in Asia (e.g. the Philippines) and Africa (e.g. Zimbabwe). If (as some business people in Hong Kong claim) the use of English is so important to a country’s economic development, why are countries like the Philippines significantly less prosperous than countries like Japan and Germany?
Extracted from Chan, A. (2003). EUL: English as a useless language. English Review, 5(3), 22-34.

1. Discuss these questions in small groups:

·  What is the main argument of the writer?

·  How far do you agree with her?

·  If you wished to critique the passage, what arguments could you put forward?

2. Imagine that you are writing a term paper about the role of English as a global language. In one section of your paper you are reviewing literature about the benefits and costs of the spread of English. One of the studies you wish to discuss is Chan’s (2003) article in the English Review. Write a paragraph of around 150-250 words examining her argument. Begin your paragraph by briefly summarising Chan’s main argument and then go on to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of her case. Here are two ways of opening your paragraph:

In a recent study, Chan (2003) has argued that …

In her article in the English Review, Chan (2003) contends that …