Narrowing an academic argument | Learn Danish in English

About This Lesson

Use Narrowing an academic argument to practice Danish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Mit essay bygger på forskning, men hovedargumentet virker uklart.

mit eh-SAY BYG-er poh FORS-kning, men HOH-eth-ar-goo-MEN-deh VIR-ker oo-KLART. My essay draws on research, but the central argument feels unclear.

Belæggene er relevante, men påstanden skal afgrænses skarpere.

beh-LEH-eh-neh air reh-leh-VAN-deh, men POH-stan-en skal AF-gren-ses SKAR-eh-reh. The evidence is relevant, yet the claim needs sharper boundaries.

Jeg tror, jeg prøver at besvare for mange spørgsmål.

yai TROHR, yai PROH-ver eh beh-SVAIR-eh for MAN-eh SPORGS-mohl. I think I am trying to answer too many questions.

Det sker ofte, når emnet er interessant, men bredt.

deh SKAIR OF-deh, nor EM-neh air in-deh-reh-SANT, men BRET. That often happens when the topic is interesting but broad.

Hvordan kan jeg afgrænse det uden at gøre det for simpelt?

vor-DAN kan yai AF-gren-seh deh OO-den eh GUR-eh deh for sim-PELT? How can I narrow it without making it simplistic?

Vælg én spænding, der går igen på tværs af flere kilder.

velg ayn SPEN-ing, dair gohr ee-YEN poh TVERS af FLAIR-eh KIL-eh. Choose one tension that appears across several sources.

Så kan jeg sammenligne perspektiver uden at miste hovedpointen.

soh kan yai sah-men-LIGN-eh per-spek-TEEV-er OO-den eh MIS-deh HOH-eth-poyn-den. Then I can compare perspectives without losing the main point.

Det fokus vil få hvert afsnit til at understøtte den samme påstand.

deh FOH-koos vil foh VAIR AF-snit til eh OON-der-STUR-teh den SAM-eh POH-stan. That focus will make each paragraph support the same claim.

Word by Word

Mit Mit means “my” in Mit essay, referring to the speaker’s essay. It is the possessive form used before this neuter singular noun. A reusable pattern is Mit + noun, as in Mit essay.

essay Essay means “essay” in Mit essay. It names the academic paper being discussed. A reusable pattern is bygge på + essay or another source of work.

bygger Bygger means “draws on” in bygger på forskning; with på, the expression describes relying on a basis or source. The citation form is bygge. A reusable pattern is bygger på + source or evidence.

på På means “on” in bygger på forskning and links the essay to the research it relies on. Its meaning here comes from the expression bygger på rather than from på alone. A reusable pattern is bygge på + something.

forskning Forskning means “research” and is the body of work on which the essay relies. In bygger på forskning, it names the basis for the argument. A reusable pattern is bygge på forskning.

men Men means “but” and introduces a contrast between relying on research and having an unclear argument. It connects the two parts of the sentence. A reusable pattern is one statement, men another statement.

hovedargumentet Hovedargumentet means “the central argument” in the essay. The citation form is hovedargument, and hovedargumentet is the definite form referring to one specific argument. A reusable pattern is hovedargumentet + virker + adjective.

virker Virker means “seems” or “appears” in virker uklart, presenting the speaker’s assessment rather than an absolute statement. The citation form is virke. A reusable pattern is virker + adjective.

uklart Uklart means “unclear” in hovedargumentet virker uklart. It describes the central argument as difficult to understand clearly. The citation form is uklar, and the form uklart is used here with the argument. A reusable pattern is virker uklart.

Belæggene Belæggene means “the evidence” or “the supporting evidence” in the discussion of the essay. The citation form is belæg, and Belæggene is the definite plural form referring to the evidence under consideration. A reusable pattern is Belæggene er relevante.

er Er means “are” in Belæggene er relevante and connects the evidence with the assessment relevant. The citation form of this verb is være. A reusable pattern is subject + er + description.

relevante Relevante means “relevant” and describes the evidence as useful to the argument. The citation form is relevant; relevante is the form used with Belæggene here. A reusable pattern is er relevante for + topic or claim.

påstanden Påstanden means “the claim” that the essay is making. The citation form is påstand, and påstanden is the definite form referring to this specific claim. A reusable pattern is påstanden skal afgrænses skarpere.

skal Skal means “needs to” in påstanden skal afgrænses skarpere, marking what is required. The citation form is skulle. A reusable pattern is skal + verb for a required action.

afgrænses Afgrænses means “be narrowed” or “be given clearer boundaries” in påstanden skal afgrænses skarpere. It is the passive form of afgrænse, so the claim receives the action. A reusable pattern is skal afgrænses + adverb.

skarpere Skarpere means “more sharply” in afgrænses skarpere, asking for a more precise boundary around the claim. The citation form is skarp, and skarpere is its comparative form here. A reusable pattern is afgrænses skarpere.

Jeg Jeg means “I” and is the subject referring to the student. It is capitalized here because it begins the sentence; the same pronoun also appears as lowercase jeg later in the dialogue. A reusable pattern is Jeg tror, followed by an assessment.

tror Tror means “think” or “believe” in Jeg tror, presenting the speaker’s view with some uncertainty. The citation form is tro. A reusable pattern is Jeg tror, + statement.

prøver Prøver means “am trying” in Jeg prøver at besvare for mange spørgsmål. It describes an attempted action rather than a completed result. The citation form is prøve. A reusable pattern is prøver at + verb.

at At marks the infinitive in at besvare, so it links prøver with the attempted action. It does not mean the English preposition “at” here. A reusable pattern is prøver at + verb.

besvare Besvare means “answer” in at besvare for mange spørgsmål. It is used for responding to the questions the student is trying to address. A reusable pattern is at besvare + questions or another object.

for For means “too” in for mange spørgsmål and shows that the number of questions is excessive for the essay’s focus. Its meaning here comes from the expression for mange. A reusable pattern is for + quantity or adjective.

mange Mange means “many” in for mange spørgsmål and indicates a large number of questions. It modifies the plural noun spørgsmål. A reusable pattern is for mange + plural noun.

spørgsmål Spørgsmål means “questions” in for mange spørgsmål, the issues the essay is trying to answer. It follows the quantity expression for mange. A reusable pattern is besvare spørgsmål.

Det Det means “that” in Det sker ofte and refers to the situation just described: trying to answer too many questions. It introduces the situation that the tutor comments on. A reusable pattern is Det sker, når + situation.

sker Sker means “happens” in Det sker ofte, describing the occurrence of this problem. The citation form is ske. A reusable pattern is Det sker ofte, når + situation.

ofte Ofte means “often” and says that the situation happens frequently. It modifies sker in Det sker ofte. A reusable pattern is sker ofte, når + situation.

når Når means “when” and introduces the circumstance in når emnet er interessant, men bredt. It links the general problem to a condition about the topic. A reusable pattern is når + clause.

emnet Emnet means “the topic” being discussed in the essay. The citation form is emne, and emnet is the definite form referring to this specific topic. A reusable pattern is emnet er + description.

interessant Interessant means “interesting” in emnet er interessant, describing the topic positively. It is one of the two characteristics used to describe emnet. A reusable pattern is emnet er interessant, men + contrasting description.

bredt Bredt means “broad” in emnet er interessant, men bredt, explaining why the interesting topic can lead to an unfocused argument. The citation form is bred, and bredt is the form used with emnet here. A reusable pattern is et emne er bredt.

Hvordan Hvordan means “how” and opens the question about narrowing the topic. It asks for a method or way of doing something. A reusable pattern is Hvordan kan jeg + verb?

kan Kan means “can” in Hvordan kan jeg afgrænse det, asking about possibility or ability. The citation form is kunne. A reusable pattern is kan jeg + verb in a question.

afgrænse Afgrænse means “narrow” or “define the scope of” the topic in kan jeg afgrænse det. It identifies the action the student wants to take. A reusable pattern is afgrænse + object.

uden Uden means “without” in uden at gøre det for simpelt and introduces an action the student wants to avoid. Here it is followed by at and an infinitive. A reusable pattern is uden at + verb.

gøre Gøre means “make” in gøre det for simpelt, describing the possible result of narrowing the topic. The complete expression says to make it too simple. A reusable pattern is gøre + object + adjective.

simpelt Simpelt means “simple” in gøre det for simpelt, with for showing that the result would be excessively simple or simplistic. The citation form is simpel, and simpelt is the form used with det here. A reusable pattern is gøre det for simpelt.

Vælg Vælg means “choose” and gives a direct recommendation to the student. The citation form is vælge. A reusable pattern is Vælg + one specific option.

én Én means “one” in Vælg én spænding and emphasizes selecting a single tension. It limits the choice to one item. A reusable pattern is Vælg én + noun.

spænding Spænding means “tension” in Vælg én spænding, referring to a meaningful conflict or unresolved contrast in the sources. It is the single focus the tutor recommends. A reusable pattern is vælge én spænding.

der Der means “that” or “which” in der går igen på tværs af flere kilder and links spænding to the clause describing it. It introduces information about the selected tension. A reusable pattern is noun + der + clause.

går igen Går igen means “recurs” or “appears repeatedly” in der går igen på tværs af flere kilder. Går contributes the idea of going, and igen contributes the idea of again; together they express recurrence. A reusable pattern is går igen på tværs af + plural group.

på tværs af På tværs af means “across” or “throughout” in på tværs af flere kilder. På and tværs create the idea of crossing or spanning, while af links that span to the sources covered. A reusable pattern is på tværs af + group or range.

flere Flere means “several” in flere kilder and indicates more than one source without giving an exact number. It modifies the plural noun kilder. A reusable pattern is flere + plural noun.

kilder Kilder means “sources” in flere kilder, referring to the research materials being compared. The citation form is kilde. A reusable pattern is på tværs af flere kilder.

Så Så means “then” in Så kan jeg sammenligne perspektiver and introduces the consequence of following the tutor’s advice. It connects the choice of focus with the student’s next ability. A reusable pattern is Så kan jeg + verb.

sammenligne Sammenligne means “compare” in sammenligne perspektiver. It names the activity the student can carry out after narrowing the focus. A reusable pattern is sammenligne + two or more perspectives or objects.

perspektiver Perspektiver means “perspectives” in sammenligne perspektiver, referring to the different viewpoints found in the sources. The citation form is perspektiv. A reusable pattern is sammenligne perspektiver.

miste Miste means “lose” in uden at miste hovedpointen, describing what the student wants to avoid. It follows uden at and takes hovedpointen as its object. A reusable pattern is uden at miste + object.

hovedpointen Hovedpointen means “the main point” that should remain clear while perspectives are compared. The citation form is hovedpoint, and hovedpointen is the definite form referring to the essay’s specific main point. A reusable pattern is uden at miste hovedpointen.

fokus Fokus means “focus” in Det fokus and refers to the single analytical emphasis chosen for the essay. It is presented as the cause of better paragraph support. A reusable pattern is Det fokus vil + result.

vil Vil means “will” in Det fokus vil få hvert afsnit til at understøtte den samme påstand, predicting a consequence. The citation form is ville. A reusable pattern is vil + verb for an expected result.

få Få means “make” or “cause” in få hvert afsnit til at understøtte den samme påstand. The full construction expresses causing each paragraph to support the claim. A reusable pattern is få + object + til at + verb.

hvert Hvert means “each” in hvert afsnit and refers to the paragraphs one by one. It is used with the singular noun afsnit here. A reusable pattern is hvert + singular noun.

afsnit Afsnit means “paragraph” in hvert afsnit, referring to each individual part of the essay. It is the object of the causative construction beginning with få. A reusable pattern is hvert afsnit + verb.

til Til is part of the construction få hvert afsnit til at understøtte and links the caused result to the action that follows. Together with at, it introduces what each paragraph is caused to do. A reusable pattern is få + object + til at + verb.

understøtte Understøtte means “support” in til at understøtte den samme påstand. It describes the role each paragraph should have in relation to the claim. A reusable pattern is understøtte + claim or argument.

den Den means “the” in den samme påstand and identifies the specific claim shared by the paragraphs. It works together with samme to point to one already defined claim. A reusable pattern is den samme + noun.

samme Samme means “same” in den samme påstand and emphasizes that every paragraph should support one identical claim. It specifies the relationship between the paragraphs and the claim. A reusable pattern is den samme + noun.

Grammar Points

Et-ord + virker + adjektiv på -t

Emnet virker uklart.

EM-neh VIR-ker oo-KLART.

The topic seems unclear.

After an et-word, a predicative adjective often takes -t: uklart.

Passiv med -s

Emnet afgrænses.

EM-neh AF-gren-ses.

The topic is narrowed.

The -s ending can form the passive, showing that the subject receives the action.

Danish Vocabulary

afgrænse verb

AF-gren-seh to delimit; to narrow afgrænses

påstanden skal afgrænses skarpere.

belæg noun

beh-LEH evidence Belæggene

Belæggene er relevante.

bygge på phrase

BYG-eh poh to draw on; to be based on bygger på

Mit essay bygger på forskning.

forskning noun

FORS-kning research

Mit essay bygger på forskning.

hovedargument noun

HOH-eth-ar-goo-MEN central argument hovedargumentet

Gender: neuter

men hovedargumentet virker uklart.

prøve verb

PROH-veh to try; to attempt prøver

jeg prøver at besvare...

påstand noun

POH-stan claim påstanden

Gender: common

påstanden skal afgrænses skarpere.

relevant adj

reh-leh-VANT relevant relevante

Belæggene er relevante.

skarp adj

SKARB sharp; precise skarpere

afgrænses skarpere.

tro verb

TROHR to think; to believe tror

Jeg tror, jeg prøver at besvare...

uklar adj

oo-KLAIR unclear uklart

Gender: neuter

hovedargumentet virker uklart.

virke verb

VIR-keh to seem; to appear virker

hovedargumentet virker uklart.

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

evidence

Show Answer

Belæggene

relevant

Show Answer

relevante

to delimit; to narrow

Show Answer

afgrænses

claim

Show Answer

påstanden