Detract from someone's argument

[Cooliegirly]

What does it mean when an assertion "detracts from the author's argument"?

[Conchita]

[Alan]

Hi cooliegirly,

Detract from has the sense of taking something away from another thing so that it is made to look less effective. In your sentence the remark/assertion removes the reader's interest from the main argument and in this way tends to devalue it.

Alan
_________________
English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Have a Break!

[Cooliegirly]

So, if I understand correctly, if an assertion detracts least from the author's argument, it means this assertion agrees most with the author's point?

[Alan]

Hi cooliegirly,

Well - I suppose so. A strange way of putting it. I think I need to know the whole context to give a considered opinion.

Alan
_________________
English as a Foreign Language
You can read my EFL story Phrasal Verbs/run