(A) according to the definition of argument
Argument is the author's viewpoint and opinion on the problem under discussion, so the central argument in the article must be to affirm or deny something. For example, "I advocate reforming the learning method and learning system of our whole party" ("reforming our learning"), "The death of the Six Kingdoms is not the disadvantage of soldiers, but the disadvantage of not being good at fighting" (Su Xun's On the Six Kingdoms), and "Whatever you do, you need to be just right" ("just right"), all of which clearly express the author's views and opinions.
When analyzing and grasping the central argument of an argumentative essay, we can first make clear what the author wants to discuss according to the definition of the argument, and then see what views and opinions the author puts forward on the discussed issues.
(B) according to the characteristics of sentence patterns to express the central argument
The central argument is the author's viewpoint and proposition, so the sentence expressing the central argument should generally be a judgment sentence. Mastering this feature can help us find the central argument as soon as possible. For example, the central arguments of the above three cases are syntactically consistent with this feature. We emphasize that the central argument is generally expressed by a judgment sentence in order to eliminate the wrong judgment of the center as soon as possible. Some people often mistakenly take the topic as an argument, such as learning from individuals and groups, seeking truth from facts and lofty ideals. Where do our correct ideas come from? In these texts, the title is usually considered as an argument. In fact, they only have one word, some coordinate phrases and some interrogative sentences, all of which just indicate the scope of discussion. They are just topics, and can't express the author's views and opinions as clearly as judgment sentences, so they are not arguments. Verb-object phrases as the title can be both a topic and an instruction center, such as "opposing stereotyped Party writing" and "transforming our study", and that is only because they can be supplemented and rewritten as the judgment sentence of the expression center. If there are relatively complete expressions in the text, it is still necessary to make sure that the complete expressions in the text are the center and take the brief description of the title as a hint.
When we say that the sentence feature of expressing the central argument "should generally be a judgment sentence", we not only affirm that in most argumentative essays, the author uses this sentence to express his views directly and clearly, but also can use it as one of the bases to help confirm the central argument. At the same time, we should also see that although some argumentative papers have a clear center, they are not expressed in complete judgment sentences or directly express the head words. To understand the center of this kind of article, readers are required to supplement the judgment sentence of the expression center according to the content after reading, or summarize its central argument with judgment sentence. For example, in the article Yi Li, Textual Research and Zhang Ci, several points of its central argument are described by three subheadings, which are very clear. When grasping the central arguments of this article, we should sum them up into judgment sentences containing these points, such as "writing an article should be considered from three aspects: Yi Li, textual research and Zhang Ci, and the viewpoints and materials should be unified, accurate and in good form". As can be seen from the above, it is very important to identify the center or inductive center with the sentence characteristics of the judgment sentence that expresses the central argument.
(3) Arguments based on common positions
The central argument has its common position in the article, and some at the beginning of the article directly put forward the central argument and then demonstrate it. This is the case with the article "Transforming Our Learning". Some are at the end of the introduction. In the first paragraph of Jane and Fanyi, the concept connotation is first clarified, and finally the central argument is drawn: "Jane and Fanyi have their own advantages and disadvantages." The central argument of some articles is at the beginning of this part. Most of these articles are written in a way of breaking first and then standing. The introduction part breaks through the problems existing in reality, and then puts forward the author's positive opinions and opinions in this part. For example, in the introduction, the author first criticized and exposed the essence and harm of "taking away", and then put forward the view that cultural heritage should be treated as "taking away" at the beginning of this part. The arguments of some articles appear at the end of the article. For example, Jia Yi's On Qin, on the basis of the above analysis and elaboration, the author finally said: "... there is a difference between benevolence and righteousness." This kind of argumentative paper does not clearly reveal the viewpoint at the beginning and middle of the argument, but only puts forward the topic and analyzes the related problems. Finally, at the end, point out the point of view of the article in one sentence or a short paragraph, so as to make a statement. In addition, the central arguments of some argumentative papers are reflected in the title. Others ask readers to experience and summarize from the full text.
Knowing the common position of the argument and referring to other evidence, we can quickly find the central argument of the article.
(D) According to the relationship between the argument and the topic
The central argument of an argumentative paper is closely related to the theme of the argumentative paper, because the author always tries his best to make it serve to highlight the central argument when drafting the theme. Therefore, if we confirm the central argument, we can in turn get some enlightenment from the research topic.
Arguments and topics of argumentative essays are generally related as follows: some topics are the central arguments of the article, such as "writers should forge language" and "knowledge cannot be penetrated", which have clearly written out the contents of the author's opinions and objections. Some topics are brief descriptions of arguments, and also clearly tell readers what the central argument of the article is, such as the article "Transforming Our Learning" mentioned earlier. The central argument of this kind of article is also easy to find, as long as you find a complete judgment sentence that expresses the center from the common position of the argument in the article. There are many argumentative articles in the title of the article. But careful study will reveal that the topic, different language expressions, and sometimes the content of the central argument can be implied from different angles. For example, such topics as "individual and collective", "simplicity and complexity", "meaning, textual research and rhetoric" are all composed of juxtaposed phrases. The central argument of their articles is mostly to reveal the relationship between the juxtaposed contents shown in the title, or to discuss how to treat these aspects correctly. According to this hint, we can find the judgment sentences that explain these contents from the text, and refer to other basis as the center; Or use our own language to summarize and express these opinions. For example, the article "Individuals and Collectives" can summarize its central argument: "* * * producers should oppose individualism and correctly understand and handle the relationship between individuals and collectives". For example, "Have China people lost confidence?" Although the topic of this kind of question is not the argument of the article, the answer is often the central argument. We can find out the sentence that expresses the answer to the question from the text and confirm it with reference to other basis. The titles of some articles, such as "takenism", "just right" and "not seeking extraordinary solutions", are not the central argument of the article, but they are the core of the central argument of the article.
In a word, the topic is closely related to the argument. If we can think carefully about the enlightenment of the topic, it will certainly help us to grasp the center quickly and accurately.
(5) Based on the relationship between arguments and arguments.
This is the most important and reliable basis for confirming the central argument, and it is also the ultimate basis for solving the problems that cannot be solved by the above basis.
Arguments and arguments in argumentative writing are the relationship between proof and proof, arguments are the objects of proof, and arguments are the materials used to prove arguments. Whether an argument is the central argument of the article depends on whether it is the object of many arguments in the article. Let's take a look at the article on seeking truth from facts.
Judging from the title, it puts forward the theme of the article. So what is the central argument? The first paragraph of the article discusses whether the work can solve the problem, and the key lies in whether we can adopt a realistic attitude. The second paragraph puts forward a view that there was a serious problem in the party at that time, that is, it violated or even opposed the principle of seeking truth from facts under the banner of Mao Zedong Thought; The third paragraph reiterates that seeking truth from facts is the fundamental starting point of Mao Zedong Thought. The viewpoints put forward in these three paragraphs are all in the topic of seeking truth from facts, which are consistent with the sentence-like characteristics of judgment sentences and have commonness in position. So what is the central argument of this article? Some people are used to finding the central argument in the first paragraph, right? At this time, it is necessary to judge according to the relationship between arguments and arguments. Reading through the full text, we find that among the ten natural paragraphs in the full text, the long paragraph from the fourth natural paragraph to the eighth natural paragraph is written along the first sentence of the fourth natural paragraph, which reads: "Comrade Mao Zedong has been advocating and conducting investigation and research on the objective social situation since he joined the proletarian movement and founded our party, and has been divorced from reality in theory, and everything is only based on subjective wishes. In fact, the two main points in this sentence "always advocate and carry out investigation and research" and "always resolutely oppose the wrong tendency of theory divorced from reality" are the factual arguments summarized in this paper. The second half of this sentence is conducted in chronological order, and the specific historical facts of these two "always" are listed. These are the concrete factual arguments in this article, and they are all used to prove that "seeking truth from facts" is the starting point and the foothold of Mao Zedong Thought. Moreover, the ninth paragraph immediately after the article summarizes and affirms this view with rhetorical devices such as rhetorical questions and rhetorical questions, so that the fourth to ninth paragraphs constitute a complete argumentation part, serving the central argument of the argument. From this, we can confirm that "seeking truth from facts is the starting point and fundamental point of Mao Zedong Thought" is the central argument of this article. However, several other viewpoints were not written or proved in the following articles, but only played an introductory role in the article.
What I have said above is five bases to help us accurately grasp the central argument, and also several methods to confirm the central argument. They often need to refer to each other, cooperate with each other and verify each other, which is more effective.