CRITICAL

READING
AS
REASONING
Short Review
-as a critical reader, you
should be able to use textual
evidence to support analysis
of the implicit and explicit
information presented by a
writer in a text
-in this case, you should
have the skills of reasoning
out and giving analysis and
evaluative statements
Reasoning
-an act of giving statements
for justification and
explanation
-ability of someone to defend
something by giving out
reasons
FORMULATIN
G
EVALUATIVE
STATEMENTS
EVALUATIVE
STATEMENT
 a way of giving better
explanation to show the
strengths and weaknesses
of something through
writing
EVALUATIVE
STATEMENT
 It presents a value judgment
based on a set of criteria
 It is used in a giving sound
judgment—a judgment that
can be backed up or supported
by valid reasons or proofs
EVALUATIVE
STATEMENT
 the writer’s way of
explaining why a strength
is a strength and weakness
a weakness based on the
evidences gathered
HOW TO
FORMULATE
AN
EVALUATIVE
STATEMENT
Evaluative statements about
a text are formulated after
having read the text carefully
and critically, grasping the
essence of the text and
checking for possible
fallacies in the argument.
The formulation of the
evaluative statements is done
in the same way you do in
any other writing EXCEPT
that the statement is about
your judgment of the text’s
content and property.
 2 STEPS TO COMPOSE
EVALUATIVE STATEMENTS
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
 FORMULATING ASSERTIONS
ABOUT THE CONTENT AND THE
PROPERTIES OF A TEXT READ
-examine ideas which are facts
or opinions
-make inferences or conclusions
-assess the overall quality of the
text
 FORMULATING ASSERTIONS
ABOUT THE CONTENT AND THE
PROPERTIES OF A TEXT READ
-These assertions usually
contain evaluative languages
such as useful, significant,
important, insightful, detailed,
up-to-date, comprehensive,
practical, etc.
 FORMULATING A MEANINGFUL
COUNTERCLAIM IN RESPONSE TO
A CLAIM MADE IN THE TEXT
READ
Counterclaim is the opposition
you make about the claim of a
writer.
Hedges are important in
stating counterclaims.
 FORMULATING A MEANINGFUL
COUNTERCLAIM IN RESPONSE TO
A CLAIM MADE IN THE TEXT
READ

Hedge - a word or phrase that

minimize negative impact of a
criticism
 FORMULATING A MEANINGFUL
COUNTERCLAIM IN RESPONSE TO
A CLAIM MADE IN THE TEXT
READ
-Provide criticism to present
counterclaim since you are
stating that the claim is not
true.
-Hedge is used to give a
courteous tone in your writing.
 FORMULATING A MEANINGFUL
COUNTERCLAIM IN RESPONSE TO
A CLAIM MADE IN THE TEXT
READ
Language used in hedging:
1.Introductory verbs:
e.g. seem, tend, look like,
appear to be, think, believe,
doubt, be sure, indicate,
suggest
 FORMULATING A MEANINGFUL
COUNTERCLAIM IN RESPONSE TO
A CLAIM MADE IN THE TEXT
READ
2.Certain lexical verbs
e.g. believe, assume, suggest
3.Certain modal verbs:
e.g. will, must, would, may,
might, could
 FORMULATING A MEANINGFUL
COUNTERCLAIM IN RESPONSE TO
A CLAIM MADE IN THE TEXT
READ
4.Adverbs of frequency
e.g. often, sometimes, usually
5.Modal adverbs
e.g. certainly, definitely, clearly,
probably, possibly, perhaps,
conceivably
 FORMULATING A MEANINGFUL
COUNTERCLAIM IN RESPONSE TO
A CLAIM MADE IN THE TEXT
READ
6.Modal adjectives
e.g. certain, definite, clear,
probable, possible
7. Modal nouns
e.g. assumption, possibility,
probability
 FORMULATING A MEANINGFUL
COUNTERCLAIM IN RESPONSE TO
A CLAIM MADE IN THE TEXT
READ
8.That clauses
e.g. It could be the case that .
It might be suggested that .
There is every hope that .
 FORMULATING A MEANINGFUL
COUNTERCLAIM IN RESPONSE TO
A CLAIM MADE IN THE TEXT
READ
9.Adjective + To-clause
e.g.
It may be possible to obtain .
It is important to develop .
It is useful to study .
 FORMULATING A MEANINGFUL
COUNTERCLAIM IN RESPONSE TO
A CLAIM MADE IN THE TEXT
READ
*The lives they chose may seem
overly ascetic and self-denying
to most women today.
-The lives they chose seem
overly ascetic and self-denying
to most women today.
 FORMULATING A MEANINGFUL
COUNTERCLAIM IN RESPONSE TO
A CLAIM MADE IN THE TEXT
READ
*By analogy, it may be possible
to walk from one point in hilly
country to another by a path
which is always level or uphill,
and yet a straight line between
the points would cross a valley.
 FORMULATING A MEANINGFUL
COUNTERCLAIM IN RESPONSE TO
A CLAIM MADE IN THE TEXT
READ
-By analogy, one can walk from
one point in hilly country to
another by a path which is
always level or uphill, and yet a
straight line between the points
would cross a valley.
 FORMULATING A MEANINGFUL
COUNTERCLAIM IN RESPONSE TO
A CLAIM MADE IN THE TEXT
READ
*Weismann suggested that
animals become old because, if
they did not, there could be no
successive replacement of
individuals and hence no
evolution.
 FORMULATING A MEANINGFUL
COUNTERCLAIM IN RESPONSE TO
A CLAIM MADE IN THE TEXT
READ
-Weismann proved that animals
become old because, if they did
not, there could be no successive
replacement of individuals and
hence no evolution.
 FORMULATING A MEANINGFUL
COUNTERCLAIM IN RESPONSE TO
A CLAIM MADE IN THE TEXT
READ
*There are certainly cases where
this would seem to have been the
only possible method of
transmission.
-There are cases where this would
have been the only possible method
of transmission.
SW: Identify hedging expressions
in the following sentences.
1.For example, it is possible to see
that in January this person weighed
60.8 kg for eight days.
2. Escherichia coli, when found in
conjunction with urethritis, often
indicate infection higher in the uro-
genital tract.
3.There is experimental work to show
that a week or ten days may not be
long enough and a fortnight to three
weeks is probably the best theoretical
period.
4.For our present purpose, it is useful
to distinguish 2 kinds of chemical
reaction, according to whether the
reaction releases energy or requires it.
5. It appears to establish three
categories: the first contains
wordings generally agreed to be
acceptable, the second wordings
which appear to have been at some
time problematic but are now
acceptable, and the third wordings
which remain inadmissible.