ShmoopTube
Where Monty Python meets your 10th grade teacher.
Search Thousands of Shmoop Videos
Writing Videos 89 videos
Want even more deets on wordiness? Click here to review. Or take a look at our entire grammar section for all the goods.
Want even more deets on tenses? Click here to review. Or take a look at our entire grammar section for all the goods.
Want even more deets on semicolons? Click here to review. Or take a look at our entire grammar section for all the goods.
Both Sides of the Story 1802 Views
Share It!
Description:
When presenting an argument in an essay, you may want to play devil’s advocate. Don’t play it with the devil himself, though. That guy always wins.
Transcript
- 00:04
Both Sides of the Story, a la Shmoop Okay, so you’re an expert on your topic,
- 00:09
but hold on, bucko. We always need to hear both sides of the story.
- 00:13
Have you considered other points of view? The thing is, there are usually more than
- 00:18
two sides of the story… …and you’ll earn the respect and trust
- 00:22
of your readers by acknowledging it. Point out who might see the issue differently
Full Transcript
- 00:27
and why. Get the most bang for your buck by choosing
- 00:35
the strongest or most common arguments against your position.
- 00:44
Give your opposition a fair trial by explaining their point of view.
- 00:48
Use words such as “while,” “although,” and “however” to introduce competing points
- 00:53
of view. Don’t set up other opinions just to knock
- 01:04
‘em down without a fair trial. Be craftier than that.
- 01:08
Poke holes in the argument by showing how it’s uninformed, illogical, or outdated.
- 01:16
You’ll probably wish you could razz the opposition, but bite your tongue.
- 01:27
Keep your tone respectful and your attitude in check, cowboy. As the saying goes, kill
- 01:34
‘em with kindness and bury ‘em with a smile.
- 01:41
But hey, you still want to stand your ground in your essay…
- 01:46
… so here are a few tips for giving the other guy his fifteen minutes then bumping
- 01:50
him out of the spotlight. For every standard 5-paragraph essay—you
- 01:57
know - the intro, body, conclusion—confine the competing points of view to a single paragraph.
- 02:06
In longer papers, a good rule of thumb is one paragraph of counterargument for each
- 02:10
major section. There’s always someone who will come along
- 02:16
and argue with your point of view…
- 02:18
…so beat ‘em to the punch by choosing relevant counterarguments…
- 02:23
… presenting them accurately and respectfully…
- 02:26
… pointing out stuff the other guy failed to consider…
- 02:30
… and confining your courtesy rebuttal to about one-fifth of your essay.
- 02:35
Then ease back into your own argument. Now you can confidently say that you’ve
- 02:41
looked at both sides of the story.
- 02:43
It’s what those in the business world call, “Covering one’s butt.”
- 02:45
Blurb: When presenting an argument in an essay, you may want to play Devil’s Advocate. Don’t
- 02:47
play it with the Devil himself, though. That guy always wins.
Related Videos
This video offers some rules of thumb for writing a good introduction. It covers everything from tone (confidence is key!) to phrases and clichés...
Even the best essays can go wrong in the conclusion—this video covers what not to do in a conclusion to help avoid any essay-ending problems. The...
You want to be as picky with your citations as Goldilocks was with her porridge—not too many, not too few... juuust right. You want to prove that...
Want even more deets on wordiness? Click here to review. Or take a look at our entire grammar section for all the goods.
Want even more deets on Run-on Sentences? Click here to review. Or take a look at our entire grammar section for all the goods.