Argument Terms

1. Argument Terms Updated 11/08/2013

2. Claim • the conclusion arrived at after analyzing evidence for both sides of an issue • The claim is the most general statement in the argument that you are asking people to accept. • Example: CJH should require students to wear uniforms.

3. Claims • A good claim is not too obvious.  Why bother proving a point nobody could disagree with? • A good claim is engaging.  Consider your audience's attention span and make interesting claims which point out new ideas: teach the reader something new. • A good claim is not overly vague.  Attacking enormous issues whole leads only to generalizations and vague assertions; refrain from making a book-size claim. • A good claim is debatable.  Claims that are purely factual and claims that are only opinion fail this requirement. You cannot argue matters of taste: e.g. Coca-Cola tastes better than Pepsi-Cola

4. Which claim is best? • Juliet is my favorite character in Romeo & Juliet, because she is the most interesting. • CJH should not get uniforms because it would be boring. • Cancer is bad. We need to find a cure. • The high trend in violent video games is the main cause for violence in school.

5. Evidence • The evidence you cite to support your claim.  Like a lawyer presenting evidence to a jury, you must support your claim with facts (ie: data, statistics, anecdotes). • An unsupported claim is merely an assertion.

6. Evidence Data can include the following… • Facts or statistics: objectively determine data about your topic. • Expert opinion: the media and essays are full of learned opinions which you may cite frequently, both to support your argument and to disagree.  Authors must be quoted and properly cited in your paper.

7. Evidence • Personal anecdotes: the most difficult kind of data to use well. It requires a persuasive argument that you have experienced, but it is not unique to you. • Personal experience can, however, help bring an argument to life.

8. Warrant • shows the relationship between the evidence and the claim. • The warrant, in other words, explains why the data (evidence) proves the claim. In trials, lawyers for opposing sides often agree on the data but dispute the warrants. • A defense attorney's failure to offer strongwarrants may result in a warrant for the defendant's arrest. • The warrant is the “So, what?” asked after the evidence is presented.

9. Counter Arguments • An argument in opposition to another. Something that undermines an argument or deters someone from action. • Objective reporting of opposing perspectives. (The objection to a claim.) • Counter arguments will make your own argument stronger. This is because it gives you the chance to respond to your reader’s objections before they have finished reading. It also shows that you are a reasonable person who has considered both sides of the debate. Both of these make an essay more persuasive.

10. Counter Argument • A few sentences or even a whole paragraph is not an unreasonable amount of space to give to the counter-argument.  • Counter arguments need to be throughout the entire essay. Your argument becomes stronger with every rebutted counter argument.