Acknowledgment and Response
Imagine Your Readers As You Construct Your Argument:
Keep in mind that what you consider good reasons and evidence, your readers might
reject. You might think that there is a problem with rising college tuition, but a recent
graduate might not care one bit. So imagine your readers as you think of your claim and
reasons. Imagine your readers as friends interrupting you with tough questions and their
own views. In that situation, you have to respond to their questions and objections,
especially questions like How do you know that? Why should I care? Professionals
always consult their readers before writing. A lawyer will read the previous opinions of a
judge before she drafts an opinion. Just so, you should pay attention to the kinds of
arguments that the different writers of our course materials write and how they address
their audience. What objections do they consider important?
Most of us find it hard to engage with alternatives and objections for 4 reasons:
1. We are ignorant of them because we overlooked them or never sought them out.
2. We can’t imagine even in principle that there exist other views to consider.
3. Even when we know or can imagine other views, we feel defensive about
acknowledging that we might be wrong.
4. And we fear that we undermine our own argument when we acknowledge any
strength in the arguments of others. But for most readers, the truth is the opposite.
Collect Alternatives as You Read:
Start by making a list of pros and cons, especially cons, as you prepare your argument.
Take notes on positions your sources respond to. If you disagree with the source, those
objections may support your own position and suggest further reading. If you agree with
the source, you can acknowledge and respond to some of those alternatives and
objections (after you look at them for yourself).
When you collect evidence to support your reasons, keep track of what may limit or
contradict it.
Add Acknowledgments to Your Post-Draft Outline.
When you make an outline, focus on your own argument. You invite writer’s block if
you imagine every objection a reader might raise. After you have a draft of your core
argument, work through your outline point by point, imagining questions readers might
ask.
Locate Acknowledgments and Response Where Readers Are Likely to Think of
Them
 Acknowledge alternates early if they are foundational and relate to your whole
argument.
 If your whole argument directly counters another, acknowledge that other
argument in your introduction and again in the body of your argument.
 If an alternate bears on the whole argument but is one you want to drop quickly,
acknowledge it in the introduction.

Acknowledge an alternative right after your introduction as background if it bears
on the whole argument and will occur to readers once they understand your
problem and claim.
…The most valuable skill for students is the ability to discover and articulate problems clearly (claim). The issue of
problem formulation, however, has received little attention from teachers. Their traditional focus has been on teaching
students to analyze problems in order to….(acknowledgment)

Respond to alternatives as they become relevant.
There is a Web site that rates colleges based on students’ reports of their experience. That may not be a reliable source
(acknowledgment), but it is one that students check (response). For example,….
Build a Whole Argument Around Alternatives
If you know that readers will think of more than one alternative solution, organize your
argument by sequentially eliminating those alternatives, leaving your solution as the last
one standing.
How then should we respond to global warming? It has been suggested that we just ignore it (explanation) but that
won’t work because….
It has also been suggested that we exploit it by adapting our lives and agriculture to warmer conditions (explanation).
But that won’t work either…
At the other extreme some argue that we should end all atmosphere emissions (explanation) But that idea is
impractical…
None of these responses addresses the problem in a responsible way. The only reasonable solution is….
Note: This information was adapted from a recommended textbook. For a more thorough discussion, consult
Colomb, Gregory and Williams, Joseph, The Craft of Argument, New York: Longman Press, 2003 (209-227).