1.  ENG 113: Composition I

2.  Evaluate means to make a value judgment about something or someone o Produce, service, program, performance, work of literature or art, candidate  Without evaluation you would not be able to function in your day-to-day life o Evaluation is a part of making decisions  Before you make any decision, you need to evaluate your options o Evaluate electronics before you buy them o Evaluate a TV show before you decide to watch o Evaluate a major before you choose it

3.  In an evaluation argument you can: o Make a positive or negative judgment o Assert that someone else’s positive or negative judgment is not accurate or justified o Write a comparative evaluation You demonstrate that one item is (or is not) superior to another  Sample topics: o Is a vegan diet really a healthy option? o Is Moby-Dick the great American novel? o Are portable e-book readers better than print books? o Are hybrid cars worth the money?

4. Terms to Express Judgments and Indicate the Relative Merits of Two Items Superior/InferiorImportant/TrivialUseful/Useless Original/TriteEfficient/InefficientInnovative/Predictable Effective/IneffectiveInteresting/DullSuccessful/Unsuccessful Inspiring/DepressingDeserving/Undeserving

5.  Everyone has biases  Evaluation arguments often include strong opinions o This may overcome objectivity  Be on the lookout for biases in evaluation arguments o When you read: What does the writer reveal/state about his/her values, beliefs, and opinions? Does the writer’s tone or language choices indicate biases? What examples does the writer choose or ignore? o When you write: Are you focused on trying to make a fair assessment of the subject? Have you distorted or slanted evidence? Did you quote out of context? Did you include unfair appeals or logical fallacies?

6.  In an evaluation argument, you do not simply state that something is good or bad, useful or useless, superior or inferior  You must explain why this is so  Your evaluation argument is based on criteria o Used to develop your thesis and gather supporting evidence  Criteria for evaluation are the standards by which a subject is evaluated o Positive judgment – show that the subject satisfies the criteria o Negative judgment – show that the subject does not satisfy the criteria

7.  To make a judgment, you must select the specific criteria you will use to assess your subject  The criteria you establish will help you decide how to evaluate a given subject  A subject that satisfies the criteria you select will be superior to a subject that does not

8.  Example: Should you make a purchase from a specific online shopping site?  What criteria will you use to evaluate the site? o The prices? Bargain, reasonable, or expensive? o The variety of choices of products? Brand names or not? o Customer reviews on the site? o Customer reviews on other sites? o The speed of response to questions? o The return policy?  The criteria you choose and how you answer the questions will help you decide whether the site fails or succeeds to capture your business

9.  Introduction o Establishes the criteria by which you will evaluate your subject o States the essay’s thesis  Body paragraphs – present evidence to support the thesis o Evidence Paragraph 1 – Supplies facts, opinions, and so on to support your evaluation in terms of criteria 1 o Evidence Paragraph 2 – Supplies facts, opinions, and so on to support your evaluation in terms of criteria 2 o Evidence Paragraph 3 – Supplies facts, opinions, and so on to support your evaluation in terms of criteria 3  Refutation of opposing arguments o Presents others’ evaluations and your arguments against them  Conclusion o Reinforces the main point of the argument o Includes a strong concluding statement