Unit Six Joining Sentences to Show Concession
Read the following short paragraphs and follow the
directions below them.
1. Both Hunk and Rabbit are star quarterbacks. They both play for the Middleton Marvels and both have been invaluable players. Hunk is fast and strong, and Rabbit is too.
Circle the joining words and list them here:
2. Both Hunk and Rabbit are star quarterbacks, but they have different strengths. Hunk has had more experience in pro football, but Rabbit is young and learns quickly. Rabbit has a strong arm and executes long passes well, yet Hunk is precise on short and medium-range passes. Rabbit is fast, but Hunk can make quick decisions on the line of scrimmage.
Circle the joining words and list them here:
3. Although Hunk and Rabbit are star quarterbacks, they have different strengths. While Rabbit is young and learns quickly, Hunk has had more experience in pro football. Even though Rabbit has a strong arm and throws long passes well, Hunk is precise on short and medium-range passes. Whereas Rabbit is fast, Hunk can make quick decisions on the line of scrimmage.
Circle the joining words and list them here:
After reading paragraph 3, do
you have the sense that the writer thinks one player is better than the other?
Which one? Why?
The Concessive
Subordinators
We use the contrast
subordinators although, even though, though, while, and whereas to show contrast. But they do
more than just show contrast: they de-emphasize the points they are attached
to and, at the same time, show concession. When we concede a point, we
admit that it has value. Concessive subordinators are highly useful in
presenting written arguments because they allow us to concede, or admit, that
an opposing point has merit and at the same time, to de-emphasize the opposing
point's importance to the reader.
For example, football fans in
the town of Middleton disagree about who the starting quarterback on the
Middleton Marvels should be—Hunk or Rabbit. The local newspaper has invited
readers to submit their opinions in letters to the editor.
A fan in favor of Hunk writes:
Although Rabbit has a strong arm and executes long passes well, Hunk is precise on short and medium-range passes, so he should be the starting quarterback.
A fan in favor of Rabbit writes:
Although Hunk is precise on short and medium-range passes, Rabbit has a strong arm and executes long passes well, so he should be the starting quarterback.
Using the same information
about the two quarterbacks, both fans have used although not only to contrast the two
players, but also to concede that the competitor does have good points; at the
same time, the writers de-emphasize the competitor's good points. (The fans
could also use the subordinators while and whereas, but although, even though, and though are the strongest concessive
subordinators.)
Conceding a point shows that
we acknowledge that an issue is complex and that in forming our opinion, we
have considered the opposition. People who read an opinion that merely states,
"Rabbit has a strong arm and executes long passes well, so he should be
the starting quarterback," will wonder, "But what about Hunk's
precision on short and medium-range passes?" and will be less likely to
value the writer's opinion.
Summary of Contrast and Concession Words
Contrast Concession
COORDINATORS but,
yet
SUBORDINATORS although although
even
though even
though
though though
while while
whereas whereas
TRANSITION WORDS however
on
the other hand
Choosing Contrast Coordinators
or Subordinators
Coordinators give equal
emphasis to the ideas they join.
Subordinators
de-emphasize the ideas they are attached to.
Transition words do NOT
join sentences; they are best used to show transitions between two series of
sentences that are logically related.
Practice in Contrast and
Concession:
Two Neighborhoods
Americans often move to new
locations because they are leaving home to go away to school, taking a new job,
buying a home to accommodate a growing family, or retiring to a place more
hospitable to the elderly.
Whatever our reasons for moving, we try to find a neighborhood that will
best suit our needs and lifestyles.
In the following exercise, you will be contrasting two neighborhoods in Marina City, or contrasting one neighborhood's advantage with a disadvantage. You will be either joining two sentences to simply show contrast or joining two sentences to show contrast and concession and to emphasize information about one neighborhood.
Remember that the coordinators
but and yet show contrast, giving equal emphasis to the ideas they join, while
the subordinators although, even though, though, while, and whereas show
contrast and concession, de-emphasizing the points they are attached to.
Directions for joining are given in italics.
EXAMPLE 1: Sunny Hills
is close to public transportation. Sea View is near a beautiful park.
a. Show
contrast; give equal emphasis:
SOLUTION: Sunny Hills
is close to public transportation, but Sea View is near a beautiful park.
EXPLANATION: To give
equal emphasis to the good features of the two neighborhoods, we use the
coordinator but (or yet) to join and contrast the two sentences.
b. Show concession; emphasize
the good point of Sea View:
SOLUTION: Although
Sunny Hills is close to public transportation, Sea View is near a beautiful
city park.
EXPLANATION: We
emphasize the good feature of Sea View by placing the concessive subordinator although
before the information about Sunny Hills. We admit that Sunny Hills has
a good feature, but we emphasize the good feature of Sea View.
EXAMPLE 2: Sea
View is near a beautiful park.
Sea
View is far from the college campus.
a. Show
contrast; give equal emphasis:
SOLUTION: Sea
View is near a beautiful park, yet it is far from the college campus.
b. Show concession;
emphasize the distance from campus:
SOLUTION: Even
though Sea View is near a beautiful park, it is far from the college
campus.
Exercise
One Sunny Hills and Sea View
1. Sea
View is close to a museum.
Sunny Hills has its own
swimming pool and bike paths.
a. Show contrast and give
equal emphasis:
b. Show concession and
emphasize the advantage of Sea View:
2. Sunny
Hills is close to the college campus.
Sunny Hills has unreliable bus
service.
a. Show concession and
emphasize a disadvantage of Sunny Hills:
b. Show concession and
emphasize an advantage of Sunny Hills:
3. Sunny
Hills is close to a shopping mall.
Sea View has many small shops
and cafes.
a. Show contrast and give
equal emphasis:
b. Show concession and
emphasize a good feature of Sea View:
Exercise
Two My Neighborhood
In the following exercise, you
will join sentences to show people's points of view about their neighborhoods,
using the concessive subordinators although, even though, though,
while, and whereas
to concede a
point and at the same time to de-emphasize it.
Directions are given in
italics; choose the most important information to emphasize by identifying what
is most important to the resident named in the directions.
EXAMPLE: Sea View
has no nightclubs or dance spots.
Sea View is
close to the city's main library.
a. Join
from the point of view of a college student who loves to party more than study:
SOLUTION: While Sea
View is close to the city's main library, it has no nightclubs or dance spots.
b. Join from the point of view of a college
student whose first priority is doing research:
SOLUTION: Although
Sea View has no nightclubs or dance spots, it is close to the city's main
library.
1 . Sea
View has two great cafes.
Sea View is far from campus.
a. Join from the point
of view of a college student without a car, whose most important concern is
having a way to get to school:
b. Join from the point
of view of a professor with a car whose day isn't complete unless she has her
morning espresso at a local cafe:
2. Sunny
Hills has several outstanding public schools.
Sunny Hills has an excellent
private school.
a. Join from the point
of view of a parent of two children in public schools:
b. Join from the point
of view of a parent of two children in private school:
3. Sea
View has poor public transportation.
Sea View has many services for
senior citizens.
a. Join from the point of
view of a retired man in his 70s:
b. Join from the point of
view of a woman who rides the bus to work:
4. Sea
View has great ocean views.
Sea View is far from the
freeway.
a. Join from the point of
view of a computer specialist who must commute by freeway daily:
b. Join from the point of
view of a person who rarely leaves home:
5. Sunny
Hills has an outdoor swimming pool and bike paths.
Sunny Hills has no fitness
centers.
a. Join from the point of
view of a physically active outdoors person:
b. Join from the point of
view of a guy who likes to lift weights in front of an admiring audience:
6. Sunny
Hills has many neighborhood problems.
Sunny Hills has active
community organizations.
a. Join from the point of
view of a resident who'd just like peace and quiet:
b. Join from the point of
view of a community activist who loves working for a good cause:
Practice
in Contrast and Concession:
Alternatives to Gasoline
Although methanol is the
favored alternative to gasoline, government regulators and private industry are
considering alternative fuels. The chart below compares the advantages and
disadvantages of different fuels. Take a look at the chart so that you will see
the source of information for the sentences you will be working with.
Contrasting the Fuel Alternatives
Advantages Disadvantages
Gasoline best
cruising distance—425 miles polluting
$4.70-5.25
technology
in place unreliable
foreign sources
Methanol less
polluting low
cruising distance-265 miles
$4.65-5.60
domestic
sources questions
about safety
Ethanol made
from corn costly
without government
$4.90-7.98 subsidies
less
polluting questionable
engine durability
medium
cruising distance 330
miles
Compressed clean
and cheap domestic sources very
low cruising distance—
Natural
Gas 106
miles
$3.15 good
for vans and trucks difficult
to use with cars
Electricity cleanest
alternative very
low cruising distance—
$1.65 120
miles
lowest
cost sluggish
acceleration
long
recharging times
The costs given under the names of
fuels are the costs to drive 100 miles, estimated by the California State
Energy Commission for the year 2000. Ethanol has a wide cost range because the
first amount, $4.90, is the cost with government subsidies, and the second
amount, $7.98, is the cost without government subsidies.
The
cruising distance figures tell how far you can go on a tank full of the fuel in
an average-sized passenger car.
In the following exercise, you
will join sentences using the coordinators but and yet to contrast fuels and the
subordinators although, even though, though, while, and whereas not only to contrast fuels,
but also to emphasize a point and show concession.
You will see two sentences,
followed by directions for joining them, given in italics.
EXAMPLE: Compressed
natural gas is available from domestic sources.
Methanol is
available from both domestic and friendly foreign sources.
a. Show
contrast; give equal emphasis:
SOLUTION: Compressed natural gas
is available from domestic sources, but methanol is available from both
domestic and friendly foreign sources.
EXPLANATION: Here we join the two sentences with the coordinator
but (or yet) to simply contrast the two fuels and give equal emphasis to their
advantages.
b. Show
concession; emphasize the advantage of methanol.
SOLUTION: Although
compressed natural gas is available from domestic sources, methanol is
available from both domestic and friendly foreign sources.
EXPLANATION: To emphasize the advantage of methanol, we
placed the concessive subordinator although in front of
the sentence about natural gas. Now we have de-emphasized the advantage of
natural gas and emphasized the advantage of methanol. At the same time, we have
joined the two sentences, shown contrast, and conceded, or admitted, that
natural gas does have a good point.
Exercise
Three Alternatives to Gasoline
Join the following sets of
sentences, following the directions given in italics. Remember that
coordinators and subordinators both show contrast, but the coordinators but and yet give equal emphasis to the
sentences they join, and the subordinators although, even though, though,
while, and whereas
deemphasize
the ideas they are attached to. Refer to the previous page for examples.
1. Gasoline
has the best cruising range.
Electricity costs the least.
a Show
contrast and give equal emphasis:
b. Show concession and
emphasize the advantage of gasoline:
2. Electricity
requires long re-charging times.
Compressed natural gas has a
low cruising range.
Show concession and
emphasize the disadvantage of compressed natural gas:
3. Ethanol
has a high cruising range.
It is very costly without
government subsidies.
Show concession and
emphasize ethanol's good point:
4. Compressed
natural gas is clean and cheap.
It has a low cruising range.
Show concession; emphasize
the disadvantage of compressed natural gas:
Exercise
Four Taking a Stand
From the chart, choose the
fuel alternative that you think is best and state your opinion in a sentence
here:
Using information from the
chart, complete the following:
1. Write a sentence in
which you concede, or admit, an advantage of another fuel while emphasizing an
advantage of your fuel:
2. Write a sentence in
which you concede a disadvantage of your fuel and emphasize a disadvantage of
another fuel:
3. Write a sentence in
which you concede a disadvantage of your fuel and emphasize one of its
advantages:
4. Consider
the fuel cost of driving 100 miles in a car using your fuel.
a. If the cost of your
fuel is higher than the cost of other fuels, write a sentence in which you
concede that your fuel costs more while emphasizing an advantage of your fuel
that might make the higher cost worthwhile:
b. If the cost of your
fuel is lower than the cost of other fuels, write a sentence in which you
concede a disadvantage of your fuel and emphasize its low cost: