Thematic Progression Patterns in Argumentative Writing

【Abstract】This paper will take an example of one model essay of IELTS to analyze thematic progression patterns in argument writing. It will contribute to improve coherence and enhance readability of argumentative writing of Chinese students.

【Key words】Thematic Progression; Argumentative Writing; Coherence and cohesion

I. Introduction

Argumentative writing is an important element in CET-4/6 or IELTS， which practices abilities to think logically and critically. Researches show that there exists in problems of lacking in cohesion and coherence in English writing of domestic students. (Hong， 2011) Studies on the thematic progression pattern explain the relationship between sentences and make the coherence of the text. Therefore， this paper will analyze TP patterns in one model essay of IELTS (Shen， 2015)and explore the relationship between them and the textual structure. Our finding contributes to improve the writing skills of students.

II. Analysis of themes

Danes (1974) put forward 3 basis TP patterns including constant theme progression， linear progression and derived theme progression. Different types of patterns correlate to different expressive effects. In the first paragraph， the author mainly applies the constant progression， where the theme of the first clause becomes the theme of subscequent clauses. For example:

Unit (b) that new technologies (T1) have had an influence on communication between people.(R1)Unit (c) Technology (T1) has affected relationships in various ways， (R2)Unit (d) and in my opinion (T2) there are both positive and negative effects.(R3)

The theme of Unit b is the theme of Unit c， which implies “Technology” is the theme of the whole passage. R1 and R2 state that technology has influences on interpersonal relationships in the society. R3 states that the influences are both positive and negative. In argumentative writing， constant theme progression indicates the general topic clearly， which is commonly used at the beginning.

In the second paragraph， the author applies the derived theme progression and the linear theme progression. The derived theme progression refers that particular themes are derived from a “hyper theme”. For example:

Unit (a)Technology (T1) has had an impact on relationships in business， education and social life. (R1) Unit (b)Firstly， telephones and the Internet (T2) Unit (c)Secondly， services like Skype (T3) Unit (e)Finally， many people (T5) use social networks， like Facebook...， Unit (f) and they (T6) interact through their computers....

Unit(b)， Unit (c)， Unit (e)， Unit (f) all reflect the content of Unit (a). Although T2 is different from T3， both of them are hyponyms of T1. Telephone， social network and computer are technological applications. Readers transform from one aspect to another aspect naturally because they are related to each other closely. In argumentative writing， a topic sentence with derived clauses makes the structure symmetric and the theme more credible.

Besides， linear theme progression refers that the rheme of the first clause becomes the theme of a subscequent sentence. For example:

Unit(c)... create new possibilities for relationships between students and teachers. (R3)——Unit (d)For example， a student (T4)...

R3=T4 The “students” in unit(c) refers to “a student” in unit(d). Clearly， unit(d) further explains unit(c). The continuation improves the development of plots and enriches the textual content. Besides， T5 is the same as T6， which proves the topic from the perspective of human in normal life. In argumentative writing， the linear progression does good to show the topic progressively and hierarchically.

III. Conclusion

In this text， the author mainly uses the derived progression and the constant progression， which are also widely used in other argumentative discourses. Students can apply the two patterns to construct a clear structure and enhance the credibility. Meanwhile， the usage of the linear progression proves the topic deeply.

References：

[1]Danes，F(xiàn)，(1974)Functional Sentence.Perspective on the Organization of Text.Papers on Functional Sentence Perspective，Prague:Academia，pp.106-128.

[2]Hong，F(xiàn)，P.(2011)Discussion on cohesion in English Argumentative Writing of Non-English Major College Students.Charming China，42.