1. “Writing is hard work and bad for the health.”
E.B. White

2. Reasons & Evidence
Yes, they’re different.

3. REASONS state why readers should accept a claim
REASONS state why readers should accept a claim. Researchers can think up reasons; they don’t think up evidence (or at least they do so at their own risk).
EVIDENCE is what readers accept as fact, at least for the moment. They think of evidence as “hard” reality, evident to anyone able to observe it.

4. “American higher education should review its ‘hands-off’ policy toward student drinking off-campus, because high-risk binge drinking has become a common and dangerous form of behavior. Injuries and death from it have increased in frequency and intensity, not only at the big ‘party’ schools but among first-year students at small colleges.”
IDENTIFY:
The claim
The reason
The evidence

5. “American higher education should review its ‘hands-off’ policy toward student drinking off-campus, because high-risk binge drinking has become a common and dangerous form of behavior. Injuries and death from it have increased in frequency and intensity, not only at the big ‘party’ schools but among first-year students at small colleges. Episodes of binge drinking resulting in death or injury by first-year students at colleges with fewer than 2,000 students have increased by 19 percent in the last five years.”

7. Example: Claim + Evidence, No Reason

8. In 1996 we drove about 23 percent more than we did in 1970, but used 30 percent less fuel.

9. Clarity
“Have something to say, and say it as clearly as you can. That is the only secret of style.”
-- Matthew Arnold

10. Review -- Concision
“An understanding of the causal factors involved in excessive drinking by students could lead to their more effective treatment.”
How would you rewrite this sentence in order to make it more CONCISE?

11. A General Principle for Clear Sentences: Make the main character in your sentence its subject and make its important actions verbs.
Example 1) “Once upon a time, as a walk through the woods was taking place on the part of Little Red Riding Hood, the Wolf’s jump out from behind a tree occurred, causing her fright.”
Example 2) “Once upon a time, Little Red Riding Hood was walking through the woods, when the Wolf jumped out from behind a tree and frightened her.”

12. Principle of Clarity 1: Make Main Characters Subjects.
Look at the subjects in Ex) 1. The simple subjects (yellow) are not the main characters (italicized):
Once upon a time, as a walk through the woods was taking place on the part of Little Red Riding Hood, the Wolf’s jump out from behind a tree occurred, causing her fright.

13. A comparison – Example 2
Once upon a time, Little Red Riding Hood was walking through the woods, when the Wolf jumped out from behind a tree and frightened her.

14. Principle of Clarity 2: Make Important Actions Verbs
Now look at how the actions and verbs differ in Example 1: its actions (yellow) are not in verbs (CAPITALIZED).
Ex 1) “Once upon a time, as a walk through the woods WAS TAKING place on the part of Little Red Riding Hood, the Wolf’s jump out from behind a tree OCCURRED, causing her fright.
Notice how vague the verbs are: was taking, occurred.

15. A comparison: Example 2
Once upon a time, Little Red Riding Hood WAS WALKING through the woods, when the Wolf JUMPED out from behind a tree and FRIGHTENED her.

16. Practice
Take 5-7 minutes to rewrite the following sentences so as to make their main characters into subjects and their main actions into verbs.
Ask yourself:
Who are the characters?
What are the actions?
Then revise:
Make the characters into subjects.
Make the actions into verbs.

17. “The problem was the topic of our discussion.”
We discussed the problem.
“The consideration of the issue by the committee occurred last week.”
The committee considered the issue last week.
“The Federalists’ argument in regard to the destabilization of government by popular democracy was based on their belief in the tendency of factions to further their self- interest at the expense of the common good.”
The Federalists argued that popular democracy destabilizes government because factions have a tendency to further their self-interest at the expense of the common good.

18. For Monday New course calendar up on Canvas. RRJ Entry 2 due Friday.
Read “Poets in the Kitchen” by Paule Marshall (COURSE READER).
HOMEWORK 5.