Critical Thinking Slide 1

CRITICAL THINKING & PRACTICAL REASONING

Session 1 – THOUGHTS AS OBJECTS OF SCRUTINY

Session Overview
Humans are thinking beings and they very often express their thoughts in the form of language. This session seeks to get students to understand the need and how to treat thoughts as objects of study. Here students will be taught the following: sentences and statements; interrogatives, imperative and declaratives; and also study the distinction between sentence fragment and emotive expressions.

Goals and Objectives
•At the end of the session, the student will
•Be able to tell what a sentence is.
•Be able to identify the subject and predicate of a sentence.
•Be able to tell how a sentence differ from a statement.
•Be able to tell why some interrogatives are imperatives.
•Understand declarative sentence.
•Be able to contrast factual sentence with imperative.
•Understand the difference between sentence fragment and emotive expressions.

Session Outline

The key topics to be covered in the session are as follows:
•Topic One: SENTENCE and STATEMENT
•Topic Two : TYPES OF SENTENCE SHAPE THOUGHTS
sub topic one: INTERROGATIVES
sub topic two: IMPERATIVES
sub topic three: DECLARATIVE
•Topic Three: RECOGNIZING SENTENCE FRAGMENTS AND EMOTIVE EXPRESSIONS

Reading List
•Log onto the UG Sakai LMS course site: http://sakai.ug.edu.gh/xxxxxxxxx
•Read Unit 1 of Recommended Text –pages 4-12
•Watch the Videos for session 1- Thoughts as Objects of scrutiny
•Visit the Chat Room and discuss the Forum question for session 1

Topic one

SENTENCE AND STATEMENT

What is a SENTENCE.
•A sentence is a group of words that has a subject and predicate, independent on its own and makes meaning.
•SUBJECT- the person or thing that the sentence talks about.
•PREDICATE- The part of the sentence that talks about the subject.
•Examples:
1. Joan is a student.
2. Mathematics is an interesting subject.
3. You are great!

•SUBJECT
1. Joan is a student.
2. Mathematics is an interesting subject.
3. You are great!
•PREDICATE
1. Joan is a student.
2. Mathematics is an interesting subject.
3. You are great!

What is a STATEMENT
A statement is a sentence that says something which is either true or false. Examples, 1. "Socrates is a man.", 2. "A triangle has three sides.", 3. "Madrid is the capital of Spain.", 4. “UGRC I50 is a compulsory course for all students in University of Ghana.”
. However NOT all sentences are statements. Examples,
• "Who are you?"
•"Run!"
•"Greenness perambulates"
•"I had one grunch but the eggplant over there."
NB: Statements are Truth Bearers.

Topic two

TYPES OF SENTENCE SHAPE THOUGHTS

Introduction
•Sentence-shape thought refers to the different forms of sentences that express the different thoughts of human beings.
• Some sentences serve to ask questions to gain information while others issue a directive or request to get something done. Some sentences also convey information.
•The types of sentence-shape thought are Interrogative, imperative, and declarative sentences.
•The types of sentence shape thought are complete sentences. The subject and the predicate are present.

Sub topic one
INTERROGATIVES

What are INTERROGATIVES
•Interrogatives also called questions are sentences expressed to seek for information. If the correct answers are provided then they are successful.
•Examples:
1.Did you take your vitamin this morning?
2.Do you want coffee, tea, or soda?
3.Where do you live?
4.Who is playing in the Super Bowl?
5.There’s a game on today, isn’t there?
NB. Interrogatives are not Truth Bearers;
They are not true or false sentences

Sub topic two
IMPERATIVES

What are IMPERATIVES
•Imperatives are sentences expressed to get someone to perform an action. They are also called directives, commands, and requests.
•Examples: commands-
1.Take that chewing gum out of your mouth.
2.Stand up straight.
3.Give me the details.
•Examples: directives-
1.Open your book.
2.Take two tablets every evening.
3.Take a left and then a right.
•Examples: request-
1.Please, close the door.
2.Please, can you help me cross the street?
3.Can you open the window?
•However, when imperatives are made in a polite manner, it turns to have an explicit and implicit meaning at the same time. NB Imperatives are also not truth bearers.

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Thank You!