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A report says what happened; it becomes a reason only when someone offers it for a claim.
Paper packet. Every task here also exists on screen, where it is checked automatically; answers written on paper are not assessed by Nydus. When you are back at a device, enter your answers there.
You will decide whether a short passage is an argument, a report or an explanation, find the one argument hiding inside a news story, and show how the same fact can be a plain report in one place and a reason in another.
The last ferry from Port Ellin left at six o'clock on Friday, as it does every week.
Forty-two people were on board.
Mrs Okafor, who runs the fish stall, spoke to the harbor committee on Monday.
She said the last ferry should leave at eight instead.
She pointed out that the market does not close until half past seven.
Stall-holders who live on the island must pack up early and lose their best hour of selling.
The committee will meet again next month.
You can find the claim in an argument and the reasons offered for it. But most of what you read — news, diaries, instructions, stories — is not arguing for anything. This lesson teaches you to tell the difference, so you do not go hunting for a claim that is not there.
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| This lesson's terms | A report tells you what happened or what is so, and argues for nothing. An explanation tells you how something came about when nobody is doubting that it happened. An argument gives reasons to get you to accept a claim you might not accept yet. |
| Supported conclusion | The conclusion the stated reasons reach, including the limits on its group, time or conditions. |
Read these three:
The first is a report. It tells you what happened, and nothing in it is offered as a reason for anything else.
The second is an explanation. Nobody doubts that the concert ended early; everyone was there. The because part tells you how it came about.
The third is an argument. The bus should run every half hour is something you might not accept yet, and the because part is offered to get you to accept it.
So the word because does not tell you which you have. Ask instead: is anyone trying to get me to believe or do something I might not already? If yes, look for the reasons. If no, ask whether the because is saying how something happened.
One fact can do two jobs. The pool closes at six on a sign is a report. The pool closes at six, so we should leave by half past five uses the same fact as a reason. A report becomes a reason the moment someone offers it for a claim.
Another way: questions
Two questions, in order:
Another way: story
A reporter writes down what people said at a meeting. The story is a report, but if one of the people at the meeting argued for something, the story can carry their argument inside it.
A report tells us what happened. An argument offers support for something the listener is being asked to accept. An explanation tells us why something happened when that event is already accepted. These jobs can share the same words. 'The path is wet because it rained' might explain a wet path that both people can see. 'It must have rained because the path is wet' offers evidence for rain that the listener did not see. Notice which fact is being questioned.
Try a conversation test. Put a question before the message. If the natural question is 'What happened?', the passage may be a report. If it is 'Why should I believe that or do that?', look for an argument. If it is 'Why did that happen?', look for an explanation. These are reading aids, not magic labels. A longer passage can answer more than one of these questions. Mark only the part that does the job you were asked about.
A news story can report somebody else's argument. 'The coach said the match should move indoors because rain was forecast' reports what the coach said, and the words inside that report contain a reason for moving indoors. It would be wrong to erase the argument merely because a reporter wrote the sentence. It would also be wrong to treat the reporter as personally making every claim being reported. Keep track of who says what.
Do not decide from because alone. People use because when they explain events and when they support claims. Read both sides, identify what the listener is meant to accept, and ask whether the other side answers the right question.
The team should practice penalties, because we lost the last two matches on penalties. What kind of writing is this?
The supported answer is: An argument: it gives a reason for accepting a claim.
The distinction in this case is that the team should practice penalties is something you might not accept yet, and the because part is offered to get you to accept it.
The fire drill took four minutes. Everyone met by the flagpole. What kind of writing is this?
The supported answer is: A report: it tells what happened and argues for nothing.
The distinction in this case is that both sentences say what happened, and neither is offered in support of the other.
The bread did not rise because the oven was switched off halfway through. What kind of writing is this?
The supported answer is: An explanation: it says how something came about that nobody doubts.
The distinction in this case is that nobody is arguing that the bread did not rise — you can see it — and the because part says what caused it.
On Tuesday the library lent out ninety books. Most of them were comics. What kind of writing is this?
The supported answer is: A report: it tells what happened and argues for nothing.
The distinction in this case is that it is a record of what happened on Tuesday, and nobody is asking you to believe or do anything more.
The ferry should run later on Fridays. Most people on the last boat are coming home from work. What kind of writing is this?
The supported answer is: An argument: it gives a reason for accepting a claim.
The distinction in this case is that someone wants you to accept that the ferry should run later, and the second sentence is offered as the reason.
We ought to take the long path. The short one goes right past the field where the bull is kept. What kind of writing is this?
The supported answer is: An argument: it gives a reason for accepting a claim.
The distinction in this case is that the first sentence asks you to do something, and the bull is offered as the reason to do it.
The ferry left at six o'clock. It carried forty people and a van full of apples. What kind of writing is this?
The supported answer is: A report: it tells what happened and argues for nothing.
The distinction in this case is that it tells you what happened, and neither sentence is offered as a reason for anything.
The match was stopped at half-time because the floodlights failed. What kind of writing is this?
The supported answer is: An explanation: it says how something came about that nobody doubts.
The distinction in this case is that nobody doubts that the match was stopped; the because part tells you how it came about.
A news story about snow on the hill road. Mark the one sentence that is a claim someone wants readers to accept, rather than a report of what happened.
Snow fell all night on the hill road. / Two buses turned back at the bottom of the hill. / The road reopened at noon after the plough went through. / The city council has one plough for the whole valley. / A driver who was stuck for an hour said the city council should buy a second plough.
The snow, the buses turning back and the road reopening are all things that happened. They are report. The count of ploughs is a fact too. The stuck driver's sentence says what the city council should do. That is a claim someone wants you to accept.
Each fact on the left is a report on its own. Match it to the claim it could be offered as a reason for.
The bridge is shut for repairs until June. / Every ticket for Saturday's show sold in an hour. / The tap in the art room drips all night. / The last three July picnics were rained off. / We should take the ferry to Gran's. / The theatre should add a Sunday show. / Someone should change the tap's washer. / Next year's picnic should be in June.
A shut bridge is a reason to find another way across: take the ferry. Tickets selling out in an hour is a reason for another show. A tap that drips all night is a reason to fix its washer, and three picnics rained off in July is a reason to try another month.
A weather poster says: Heavy rain tomorrow afternoon. Dev's message to his group says: Heavy rain tomorrow afternoon, so the picnic should move into the barn. Which is right?
The supported answer is: The poster reports; Dev uses the same fact as a reason for a claim of his own.
On the poster the sentence stands alone. Nobody is asking you to accept anything beyond it, so it is a report. In Dev's message, so links it to something he wants the group to accept: the picnic should move. The same fact is now a reason. So the poster reports, and Dev argues, using the poster's fact as his reason.
A school office puts three messages on its board. The first says, 'Soccer practice was canceled at three o'clock.' That records an event. It gives no reason for believing a further claim, so read it as a report. A report can be useful without being an argument. Students need to know whether to bring their boots.
The second message says, 'Practice was canceled because the pitch flooded.' Everyone in this conversation already knows about the cancellation. The message explains its cause. The question being answered is why practice did not happen. The flooded pitch is being used to explain an accepted event, rather than to persuade the reader that the event occurred.
The third says, 'Tomorrow's practice should move to the hall: water still covers half the pitch.' Now there is a proposal. The water is a reason offered for accepting that proposal. A student could agree about the water and ask whether the hall is free. This is an argument that can be examined.
Put the three messages on a timeline. Yesterday's cancellation is reported; its cause is explained; a decision about tomorrow is argued for. The topic stays soccer throughout, but the jobs differ. A good summary preserves those jobs. It does not turn a proposal into something that already happened. It does not turn an explanation of yesterday into proof that tomorrow must be the same. When you write your own message, make clear whether you are telling people an event, explaining it, or asking them to accept a new plan.
*Treating because as proof of an argument. The cake sank because the oven door was opened* argues for nothing: you can see the flat cake.
Treating every fact as a reason. A fact is only a reason when someone offers it for a claim.
Thinking a report is useless. Reports are where most good reasons come from. Bus times and line counts are reports until someone uses them to argue.
The museum had four hundred visitors on Saturday. The guide says the museum should open on Mondays too, because on weekends the rooms are too crowded to see anything.
The museum had four hundred visitors on Saturday. The guide says the museum should open on Mondays too, because on weekends the rooms are too crowded to see anything.
Two sentences. Ask the question of each.
State the result of this reading move.
Two sentences. Ask the question of each.
This records the link just identified: The museum had four hundred visitors on Saturday. The guide says the museum should open on Mondays too, because on weekends the rooms are too crowded to see anything.
The first reports what happened on Saturday. Nobody is asked to accept anything beyond it.
The first reports what happened on Saturday. Nobody is asked to accept anything beyond it.
A report.
State the result of this reading move.
A report.
This records the link just identified: The first reports what happened on Saturday. Nobody is asked to accept anything beyond it.
The second carries the guide's argument: the claim is open on Mondays too, and the crowded weekend rooms are her reason.
The second carries the guide's argument: the claim is open on Mondays too, and the crowded weekend rooms are her reason.
A report can contain someone's argument.
The greenhouse glass cracked because a branch fell on it. Is anyone asking you to accept that the glass cracked?
The greenhouse glass cracked because a branch fell on it. Is anyone asking you to accept that the glass cracked?
No — the crack is there for all to see.
State the result of this reading move.
No — the crack is there for all to see.
This records the link just identified: The greenhouse glass cracked because a branch fell on it. Is anyone asking you to accept that the glass cracked?
So the because tells you how it happened: an explanation.
So the because tells you how it happened: an explanation.
Nobody is being persuaded.
State the result of this reading move.
Nobody is being persuaded.
This records the link just identified: So the because tells you how it happened: an explanation.
The tree by the greenhouse should be cut back, because a branch cracked the glass. Now someone wants you to accept something, and the cracked glass is offered as the reason.
The tree by the greenhouse should be cut back, because a branch cracked the glass. Now someone wants you to accept something, and the cracked glass is offered as the reason.
The same fact, now doing the job of a reason.
Identify the task before answering its parts.
Argument: {{b0}}
Report: {{b1}}
Explanation: {{b2}}
The three labeled spaces ask for different parts of this analysis, so keep their order visible.
Locate the evidence for the first part.
B offers the route's endpoint as a reason for choosing the train.
This is the supplied information that bears on work out argument.
Work out argument.
B
B offers the route's endpoint as a reason for choosing the train.
Work out report.
A
A records an arrival without using it to support another claim.
Work out explanation.
C
C explains an already accepted delay by giving its cause, the fallen tree.
Write the completed analysis in its original order.
B / A / C
Read these entries with their labels: Work out argument. / Work out report. / Work out explanation.
The number 9 bus now stops outside the park. Is anyone asking you to accept something?
The number 9 bus now stops outside the park. Is anyone asking you to accept something?
No. It is a report.
Now add: so the park gate should stay open until the last bus has gone. What job does the first sentence do now?
And which sentence is the claim?
Four short passages from a club newsletter. Say what kind of writing each one is. Use these category identifiers: A = argument; B = report; C = explanation. Select the identifier, not the category's words.
| What kind of writing? | |
|---|---|
| The club should buy a second net. With one net, half the players stand and wait. | |
| Saturday's match ended two all. Rana scored both of our goals. | |
| The clubhouse window broke because a ball hit it during practice. | |
| Since the parking lot floods, members should cycle to Sunday's game. |
Three messages concern bus 11. D: 'The bus arrived at noon.' A: 'We should use the train, because this bus route ends before our stop.' B: 'The bus was late because a fallen tree blocked its road' (the delay is already accepted). Write the letter of the argument, then the report, then the explanation.
Work out argument.
b0
Locate the message offering support for a proposal.
Work out report.
b1
Locate the message recording an event without further support.
Work out explanation.
b2
Locate the message explaining the cause of an accepted event.
Three messages concern bus 15. D: 'The bus arrived at noon.' A: 'We should use the train, because this bus route ends before our stop.' B: 'The bus was late because a fallen tree blocked its road' (the delay is already accepted). Write the letter of the argument, then the report, then the explanation.
Argument: b0
Report: b1
Explanation: b2
Three messages concern bus 9. B: 'The bus arrived at noon.' C: 'We should use the train, because this bus route ends before our stop.' D: 'The bus was late because a fallen tree blocked its road' (the delay is already accepted). Write the letter of the argument, then the report, then the explanation.
Argument: b0
Report: b1
Explanation: b2
Three messages concern bus 10. C: 'The bus arrived at noon.' D: 'We should use the train, because this bus route ends before our stop.' A: 'The bus was late because a fallen tree blocked its road' (the delay is already accepted). Write the letter of the argument, then the report, then the explanation.
Argument: b0
Report: b1
Explanation: b2
Three messages concern ferry 13. B: 'The ferry arrived at noon.' C: 'We should use the train, because this ferry route ends before our stop.' D: 'The ferry was late because a fallen tree blocked its road' (the delay is already accepted). Write the letter of the argument, then the report, then the explanation.
Argument: b0
Report: b1
Explanation: b2
Lesson test: one question per skill, one attempt each, no hints. Your answers are checked when you submit.
Three messages concern bus 12. A: 'The bus arrived at noon.' B: 'We should use the train, because this bus route ends before our stop.' C: 'The bus was late because a fallen tree blocked its road' (the delay is already accepted). Write the letter of the argument, then the report, then the explanation.
Argument: b0
Report: b1
Explanation: b2
You can tell an argument from a report and from an explanation, even when the word because is in all three. Say why the window broke because a ball hit it argues for nothing. Next: claims that arrive with no reason at all.
16. Your turn: the bus notice, step 2
Now add: so the park gate should stay open until the last bus has gone. What job does the first sentence do now?
Because can start an explanation as easily as a reason.
16. Your turn: the bus notice, step 3
And which sentence is the claim?
Because can start an explanation as easily as a reason.