Top 5 Sample Outlines for Practicing Fixing Argument Errors in Persuasive Writing (12th Grade Literature)

Lesson 1 + 2 (Pages 211, 212 - Textbook)

- Combining error detection and correction

a. Error: Mismatched reasoning and evidence, redundant words, loose sentence structure

→ Correction: Additionally, proverbs reflect experiences through observation and summarizing natural phenomena: “When dragonflies fly low, it will rain.”

b. Error: Incorrect use of conjunctions

→ Correction: The young man in Nguyen Thanh Long's 'Silent Sa Pa' is not only passionate about his work but also embodies an optimistic spirit.

c. Error: Argument and evidence are not harmonious

→ Correction: Kim Lan's short story 'The Wife' demonstrates the power of human compassion in life's hardships. In times of hunger, they rely on and share with each other. The wife, thanks to Trang's bowls of rice cake, escapes hunger and becomes Trang's spouse. This reflects humanitarian values.

d. Error: Reasoning and evidence do not align in the argument

→ Correction: In 'Waves,' Xuan Quynh personifies herself as a wave to express her love and youthful aspirations.

e. Error: Illogical argument and evidence, disorganized arrangement

→ Correction: Nguyen Du's compassion envelops the entire work 'The Tale of Kieu.' He pities Kieu for enduring many misfortunes, as seen in textbook excerpts highlighting her pain when selling herself to save her father. This partly reflects Kieu's tragic fate.

f. Error: Argument and evidence are scattered, off-topic

→ Correction: The image of the Xa Nu tree symbolizes the Xo Man people. The tree, hit by bullets like the Xo Man people, still thrives, “reaching for the sunlight… with feathers and fur.” Nguyen Trung Thanh affirms the continuity of the Central Highlands' fighting tradition.

g. Error: Argument and evidence lack coherence, vague language

→ Correction: Folk literature nurtures the human soul. Works aim at truth, goodness, and beauty, nurturing people's spirits. From birth, we hear tales like Thach Sanh, embodying bravery and honesty, overcoming Lí Thông's schemes to find happiness. Tam endures death multiple times to preserve happiness. Additionally, folk songs evoke love for homeland, gratitude to ancestors, and human connection. Folk literature lays the foundation for written literature.

Identifying and Analyzing Argument Errors in Textbook Passages (12th Grade Literature, Page 211)
Passage a:

- Error: The reasoning and evidence (arguments) do not align. The evidence is incomplete.

- Correction: The most significant value of folk literature is its cognitive value. Folk literature contains vast, rich knowledge about nature and social life: proverbs and folk songs provide us with understanding and life experiences while deeply impacting human souls. Folktales reveal the relentless struggle between good and evil and the inherent goodness of our people.

Passage b:

- Error: Inappropriate use of conjunctions

- Correction: The young man in Nguyen Thanh Long's short story 'Silent Sa Pa' is not only passionate about his work but also deeply loves life and people. He yearns for human connection so much that he rolls a large tree onto the road to meet and chat with tourists visiting Sa Pa, even if only for a few minutes. This longing reveals more about his character and soul, showing his love for life and people.

Passage c:

- Error: The sentences are disjointed and lack coherence, resulting in a poorly connected argument.

- Correction: Kim Lan's short story 'The Wife' demonstrates the power of human compassion in life's hardships. Amidst severe hunger, they rely on and share with each other, reflecting the humanitarian values of the work.

Passage d:

- Error: Sentences 3 and 4 are irrelevant to the topic.

- Correction: Those who have been to the sea can feel the miraculous beauty and power of endless waves crashing on the shore. Waves are unpredictable, sometimes calm and gentle, other times fierce and violent. Thus, Xuan Quynh compares her love to waves: “Fierce and gentle - Noisy and silent.” She personifies herself as waves to express her love.

Passage e:

- Error: The argument and evidence do not align, and there are word choice errors.

- Correction: Nguyen Du's compassion permeates the entire work 'The Tale of Kieu.' Every excerpt reflects his empathy. He pities Kieu for selling herself to save her father and brother. He grieves when Kieu is forced into prostitution twice. He sympathizes and shares her pain, helping us understand why 'The Tale of Kieu' reaches the pinnacle of humanitarianism.

Passage f:

- Error: The quoted passage does not align with the argument.

Argument: “The image of successive generations of Xa Nu trees symbolizes the continuity of the Xo Man people” does not match the quote: “Some young trees, just reaching chest height, are split in half by cannon fire... but others grow taller than a person, with lush branches like a bird fully feathered.” Some sentences are unclear and need revision.

- Correction: “The Xa Nu tree, a type of pine, grows abundantly in Central Highlands forests. It is a precious wood with remarkable resilience. The Xa Nu forest symbolizes the Xo Man people. The image of successive generations of Xa Nu trees reflects the continuity of the people in their unequal struggle against the brutal American imperialists.”

Passage g:

- Error: The argument is unclear, and the evidence is unsystematic.

- Correction: “Folk literature nurtures the human soul. Its works guide people toward truth, goodness, and beauty. Tam dies and revives multiple times to ultimately regain her humanity, defeat her enemies, and reclaim happiness. Thach Sanh embodies a skilled, brave, and honest laborer, deceived by the greedy and cruel Lí Thông family but eventually becomes a royal son-in-law and inherits the throne. Folk songs soothe our souls with love for our homeland, connection to people, and gratitude to ancestors, nurturing the human spirit. Folk literature also represents diverse artistic styles, laying the foundation for written literature. What do writers learn from folktales, and poets from folk songs? Perhaps it is the plot, structure, events, and situations that captivate readers and listeners. The metaphors, similes, and personification in folk songs are invaluable lessons for poets and those 'destined for poetry.'”

Question 1 + 2 (Page 212, Literature 12, Volume 1):

Combining error detection and correction:

a. Error: Mismatched reasoning and evidence, redundant words, loose sentence structure

Correction: Additionally, proverbs reflect experiences through observation and summarizing natural phenomena: “When dragonflies fly low, it will rain.”

b. Error: Incorrect use of conjunctions

Correction: The young man in Nguyen Thanh Long's 'Silent Sa Pa' is not only passionate about his work but also optimistic and loves life.

c. Error: Argument and evidence are not harmonious

Correction: Kim Lan's short story 'The Wife' demonstrates the power of human compassion in life's hardships. Amidst hunger, they rely on and share with each other. The wife, thanks to Trang's bowls of rice cake, escapes hunger and becomes Trang's spouse, reflecting humanitarian values.

d. Error: Reasoning and evidence do not align in the argument

Correction: In 'Waves,' Xuan Quynh personifies herself as a wave to express her love and youthful aspirations.

e. Error: Illogical argument and evidence, disorganized arrangement

Correction: Nguyen Du's compassion envelops the entire work 'The Tale of Kieu.' He pities Kieu for enduring many misfortunes, as seen in textbook excerpts highlighting her pain when selling herself to save her father, reflecting Kieu's tragic fate.

f. Error: Argument and evidence are scattered, off-topic

Correction: The image of the Xa Nu tree symbolizes the Xo Man people. The tree, hit by bullets like the Xo Man people, still thrives, “reaching for the sunlight… with feathers and fur.” Nguyen Trung Thanh affirms the continuity of the Central Highlands' fighting tradition.

g. Error: Argument and evidence lack coherence, vague language

Correction: Folk literature nurtures the human soul. Works aim at truth, goodness, and beauty, nurturing people's spirits. From birth, we hear tales like Thach Sanh, embodying bravery and honesty, overcoming Lí Thông's schemes to find happiness. Tam endures death multiple times to preserve happiness. Additionally, folk songs evoke love for homeland, gratitude to ancestors, and human connection. Folk literature lays the foundation for written literature.

Question 1 (Page 211, Literature 12, Volume 1)

a. Incomplete evidence. The topic discusses folk literature, but the evidence only mentions a narrow aspect: proverbs and folk songs.

b. Evidence is illogical and lacks coherence.

c. Evidence is superficial, failing to address details like Trang finding a wife.

d. The argument is unclear, and the evidence is unrelated.

e. Evidence lacks logic and coherence. The conclusion does not align with the argument.

f. The evidence supporting the main argument is verbose and fails to highlight the issue.

g. The argument is unclear, and the evidence is unsystematic. The conclusion does not match the argument.

Question 2 (Page 212, Literature 12, Volume 1)

Suggestions:

- Add evidence about the cognitive value of folk literature in folktales, proverbs, and folk songs.

- Organize evidence systematically.

b. Suggestions:

- Correct incorrect evidence.

- Revise the argument: “The young man in 'Silent Sa Pa' is not only passionate about his work but also deeply loves life and people.”

c. Suggestions:

- Remove sentence 2.

- Revise sentence 3 to: “Amidst severe hunger, they still rely on each other.”

d. Suggestions:

- Remove sentences 3 and 4.

- Add a new argument.

e. Suggestions:

- Revise the evidence: “Every excerpt from the story reflects his empathy. He pities Kieu for selling herself to save her father and brother. He grieves for Kieu's misfortunes and shares her pain, helping us understand why 'The Tale of Kieu' reaches the pinnacle of humanitarianism.”

g. Suggestions:

- Remove evidence: “The Xa Nu tree... resilient.”

- Clarify the argument: “Writer Nguyen Trung Thanh chose the Xa Nu tree, a familiar species in the Central Highlands, to depict the qualities of the Xo Man people.”

h. Suggestions:

- Revise the argument: “Folk literature nurtures the human soul.”

- Adjust the evidence to align with the argument.

Question 1 (Page 211, Literature 12, Volume 1):

Identifying and analyzing errors in the passages:

a. The evidence is incomplete, focusing only on proverbs and folk songs while the main argument is: “The most important value of folk literature is its cognitive value.” The evidence only addresses a narrow aspect: understanding nature.

This error arises from the writer's lack of understanding of the specific aspects of the topic, the logical relationship between evidence, and the absence of concrete examples to clarify the argument.

b. The argument “He yearns for human connection so much that... even for a minute” is unclear, failing to capture the essence of the issue and not equivalent to the argument above: “The young man in the short story...”. The evidence is illogical: “This longing... is the clearest expression of optimism.”

This error stems from not grasping the main issue, misunderstanding the connections between details in the work, and thus generalizing the argument inappropriately.

c. The argument is unclear and does not align with the essence of the topic: “the hardships of life” is too general and fails to highlight the issue.

The evidence is too superficial, incomplete, and does not address the main aspects related to the detail “Trang finding a wife,” hastily concluding the humanitarian value of the work.

This error results from the writer's lack of deep understanding of the topic, making both the argument and evidence unconvincing.

d. The argument does not directly address the issue: the lyrical character's longing for love and the wave imagery in Xuan Quynh's poem 'Waves.' The evidence is tangential: “If you’ve been to the sea... Where do waves come from and where do they go?”

This error arises from the writer's unclear grasp of the argument's scope and inability to find relevant evidence.

e. The evidence is illogical: “Every excerpt in the textbook elevates human dignity.” The relationship between evidence is incoherent and inappropriate. The argument is also inaccurate and does not reflect the essence of the topic.

g. The evidence supporting the main argument is verbose and tangential: “The Xa Nu tree, a pine species, grows abundantly in the Central Highlands... with remarkable resilience.”

This error results from the writer's unclear definition of the topic's scope, leading to incoherent arguments and evidence.

h. The argument is unclear, and the evidence is unsystematic and incomplete.

Question 2 (Page 212, Literature 12, Volume 1):

Error correction:

a. Add evidence about the cognitive value of folk literature in folktales, proverbs, and folk songs, organizing them systematically.

b. Clarify the argument: “The young man in 'Silent Sa Pa'... loves life and people.”

Revise the evidence: He yearns for human connection so much that he rolls a large tree onto the road to meet and chat with tourists visiting Sa Pa, even if only for a few minutes...

c. Restate the argument: Kim Lan's short story 'The Wife' expresses a longing for life, love, and sharing even in the most desperate circumstances...

Add concise evidence related to Trang finding a wife and Old Lady Tu's attitude, then conclude: This is the most prominent aspect of the work's humanitarian value.

d. Remove the evidence: “If you’ve been to the sea... Where do waves come from and where do they go?” and replace it with: “The emotional world of someone in love, especially with a heart as passionate as Xuan Quynh's. Thus, the poet expresses the rhythm of a loving heart through the mysterious waves: fierce and gentle, noisy and silent.”

e. Restate the argument: Nguyen Du's compassion, embedded in every page of 'The Tale of Kieu,' laments the fate of a “talented but ill-fated” person.

Organize the evidence logically: respecting human dignity, empathizing with Kieu's suffering.

g. Remove the evidence: “The Xa Nu tree, a pine species, grows abundantly in the Central Highlands... with remarkable resilience.”

h. Restate the argument: “Folk literature always guides people toward truth, goodness, and beauty.”

Add comprehensive evidence to conclude: “Thus, folk literature is the foundation for written literature.”