PARTS OF AN ARGUMENT
CLAIM: What do you want the reader to believe?
The most common types of claims are




claims of policy (we must do something!),
claims of value (this is good! or this is bad!)
claims of definition (this is what it is)
claims of cause/effect (X has caused Y or X will cause Y)
BACKGROUND: What information is necessary for your audience to comprehend
your claim?
This is often unwritten or assumed between speaker/writer and listener/reader, but in expository
writing, providing context is almost always necessary.
REASONS:
Why should a reader accept your claim?
To support your claim, you need a series of “sub-claims” or reasons. Like your claim, this is your
thinking – your mini-argumentative points that support the core argumentative claim. This is NOT
evidence. This is not data or statistics or quotes. This is not a borrowed expert opinion. A reason
should be your idea that you use to support your claim. We often say that three reasons – each
distinct points – make for a well-rounded argument structure.
EVIDENCE: What from the real world supports your claim and reasons?
To validate
the thinking that you use in your reasons, you need to demonstrate that your reasons are not only
based on your personal opinion or on valid internal logic. Evidence can come from research studies or
scholarship, expert opinions, personal examples, observations made by yourself or others, or specific
instances that make your reason seem sound and believable. Evidence only “works” if it directly
supports your reason — and sometimes you must explain how the evidence supports your reason (do
not assume that a reader can see the connection between evidence and reason that you see).
COUNTERARGUMENTS, CONCESSIONS, and REBUTTALS: Who
disagrees with me, and why? : But what about other perspectives?
In a strong argument, you will not be afraid to consider perspectives that either challenge or
completely oppose your own claim. In a counterargument, you may do any of the following (or some
combination of them):

summarize opposing views

explain how and where you actually agree with some opposing views

acknowledge weaknesses or holes in your own argument

explain why counterarguments are invalid, unsound, weak, or uncogent

explain why even though some counterarguments are valid, sound, strong, or cogent, your
claim still stands