Tab Labels
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Structure of Argument
Claim
Grounds
Grounds -- Introducing Evidence
Grounds – Parenthetical References
6. Warrant
7. Warrant -- “What this shows…”
8. Warrant -- Not Stated, But Implied
9. Warrant – Restatement
10. Transitions
The Structure of Argument
(adapted from Stephen Toulmin’s
The Uses of Argument)
The simplest form for a complete
argument consists of:
•Claim
Sriracha
says:
Tab 1,
gangsta.
•Grounds
•Warrant
(No, not that kind of argument…)
The Structure of Argument
(adapted from Stephen Toulmin’s
The Uses of Argument)
Claim
Evidence1
How evidence1 proves the claim is correct
Still
Tab 1.
Ya
heard?
Transition to (“This is like” / “By Contrast”)
Evidence2
How evidence2 proves the claim is correct
Sum up argument in some way
Claim
A claim is a statement that you are
asking the other person to accept. This
is the information you are asking an
audience to accept as true.
'Sup.
Tab 2.
These are the thesis statements of
multi-part arguments and the topic
sentences of individual arguments.
Claim
Example claim statements:
Thesis Statement: “The Three Bears” is the
greatest piece of literature
ever written.
Topic Sentence: The story teaches a good lesson.
Topic Sentence: The story is action packed.
Topic Sentence: Anything to do with bears is
awesome.
’S’up.
The Structure of Argument
(adapted from Stephen Toulmin’s
The Uses of Argument)
Problem: Making irrelevant claims
Prompt: How does allowing the reader to
understand the Three Bears’ point of view shift
the sympathy away from Goldilocks?
First Body Paragraph: “Goldilocks is a bad
little girl. For example, she “lifted the latch” (1)
when she saw that nobody was at home ...”
Huh? What
does this
have to do
with point of
view?
The Structure of Argument
(adapted from Stephen Toulmin’s
The Uses of Argument)
Problem: Argument without a claim
The Structure of Argument
(adapted from Stephen Toulmin’s
The Uses of Argument)
Problem: Argument without a claim
The Structure of Argument
(adapted from Stephen Toulmin’s
The Uses of Argument)
Problem: Argument without a claim
Thesis: The Three Bears are more sympathetic
than Goldilocks.
First Body Paragraph: “For example, ‘The
bottom of the chair came out’ after Goldilocks
sat down in it.”
Huh? What
is the
argument
here?
The Structure of Argument
(adapted from Stephen Toulmin’s
The Uses of Argument)
Problem: Argument without a claim
Thesis: The Three Bears are more sympathetic
than Goldilocks.
First Body Paragraph: “By describing the
damage that Goldilocks does, the reader
understands the negative consequences of her
actions. For example, ‘The bottom of the chair
came out’ after Goldilocks sat down in it.”
The
argument is
now clear,
and the
reader
knows what
to expect.
The Structure of Argument
(adapted from Stephen Toulmin’s
The Uses of Argument)
Problem: Argument without a claim
Plot
summaries
do not make
an argument
at all. Adding
a claim
usually alerts
students that
they are
writing one.
Grounds
The grounds are made up of data and
facts. It is the “truth” on which the claim
is based. Grounds may also include the
basic premises on which the rest of the
argument is built.
This is the textual evidence and textual
paraphrase used to support claims.
Believe me,
this is Tab 3,
playa.
Sriracha don’t
lie.
Grounds
Example grounds statements:
Thesis Statement: “The Three Bears” is the greatest piece
of literature ever written.
Topic Sentence: The story teaches a good lesson.
Grounds: Goldilocks is “an impudent, bad little Girl, [who]
set about helping herself.”
Topic Sentence: The story is action packed. How you gonna
steal a grown
Grounds: “Somebody has been at my
bear’s porridge and
porridge!”
then try to act like it
Topic Sentence: Anything to do with bears
ain’t no thing?
is awesome.
Grounds: “They were good Bears-- a little rough or
so, as the manner of Bears is, but for all
that very good-natured and hospitable.”
The Structure of Argument
(adapted from Stephen Toulmin’s
The Uses of Argument)
Problem: Argument without grounds
No Evidence = Failing
The Structure of Argument
(adapted from Stephen Toulmin’s
The Uses of Argument)
Problem: Argument with poorly
contextualized grounds
“Somebody has been at my porridge!”
Huh? Who
said this and
why?
The Structure of Argument
(adapted from Stephen Toulmin’s
The Uses of Argument)
Problem: Argument with poorly
contextualized grounds
“The Three Bears’ is an action-packed
extravaganza. For example, after noticing
the spoon in his food, the Huge Bear says,
‘Somebody has been at my porridge’ (2)!”
Context
establishes
the
relevance of
the evidence.
Grounds – Introducing
Evidence
Transition Statements
•For example/instance
•As an example/illustration/demonstration
•To illustrate/demonstrate/explain
Don’t hate:
appreciate.
Tab 4.
And, wait,
there’s
more …
•One example/instance
•Another way
•More specifically
Grounds – Introducing
Evidence
Language Templates
•[X] states/explains/says, “______.”
•As [X] puts it/states/explains/says, “______.”
•[The author] writes/says/explains, “______.”
Sriracha
don’t lie.
•When [something happens], [a character]
states/explains/says, “______.”
•In [X]’s view, “______.”
Grounds – Parenthetical
References
“__________” (author last name
Tab 5. Ya
feel me,
dawg?
If you are using just one
source, you do not need
this (as long as it is
clear who said it).
If you establish the
author in the
introduction to the quote
(even with multiple
sources), you also do
not need this.
page number) .
end punctuation:
period, comma,
quotation mark,
etc.
Warrant
Purple
monkey
dishwasher:
Tab 6.
A warrant links data and other grounds
to a claim, legitimizing the claim by
showing the grounds to be relevant. It
answers the question, “Why does those
data mean your claim is true?”
This is usually where the argument
breaks down in high school writing.
Warrant
Example warrant:
Topic Sentence: Anything to do with bears is awesome.
Grounds: “They were good Bears-- a little rough or so, as
the manner of Bears is, but for all that very goodnatured and hospitable.”
Warrant: What this shows is just how cool bears really are.
Even though they have their own place in the
woods, the Bears are not standoffish or caught
up in their own success. Instead, they are always
willing to share a bowl of porridge
or invite a friend over to sample
Word.
the hospitality of their comfortable
chairs.
The Structure of Argument
(adapted from Stephen Toulmin’s
The Uses of Argument)
Problem: Argument without warrant
“By describing the damage that Goldilocks
does, the reader understands the negative
consequences of her actions. For example,
‘The bottom of the chair came out’ after
Goldilocks sat down in it. Similarly, when…”
Huh? What’s
the point of
this
evidence?
The Structure of Argument
(adapted from Stephen Toulmin’s
The Uses of Argument)
Problem: Argument without warrant
“By describing the damage that Goldilocks does, the reader
understands the negative consequences of her actions. For
example, ‘The bottom of the chair came out’ after Goldilocks
sat down in it. The image of the broken chair, then, allows
the reader to empathize with the Bears who, through no
fault of their, have been forced to endure property
damage stemming from the actions of a very selfish
little girl. Not only is the chair ruined, but Goldilocks
shows no remorse, angering the reader at her apparent
disregard for the feelings of the Bears. Similarly, when
she…”
You
have
to
explain.
The Structure of Argument
(adapted from Stephen Toulmin’s
The Uses of Argument)
Problem: Argument without warrant
(not developing explanation)
The Structure of Argument
(adapted from Stephen Toulmin’s
The Uses of Argument)
Problem: Argument without warrant
“Contrary to expectation, it is the Bears
who gain the reader’s sympathy, not the
adorable little girl. For example, Goldilocks
‘looked in at the window, and then she
peeped in at the keyhole; and seeing
nobody in the house, she lifted the latch’
(1). This shows she is unsympathetic.
By contrast...”
Oversimplifying is
a hallmark of
immature
writing.
The Structure of Argument
(adapted from Stephen Toulmin’s
The Uses of Argument)
Problem: Argument without warrant
“Contrary to expectation, it is the Bears who gain the
reader’s sympathy, not the adorable little girl. For
example, Goldilocks ‘looked in at the window, and then
she peeped in at the keyhole; and seeing nobody in the
house, she lifted the latch’ (1). Rather than knock at
the door or wait until someone comes home,
Goldilocks helps herself to whatever she wants, a
pattern that begins here. The reader is shocked by
her brazen behavior, as it violates all expectations
of common courtesy and respect, and this begins a
shift of sympathy away from her, despite
Goldilocks being the only human character in the
story. By contrast...”
Focus on
what the text
actually
establishes
and explain
your
reasoning
completely
(do not skip
steps).
Warrant – “What this shows…”
•[X] matters/is important because ______.
•Although [X] may seem unimportant/trivial, it is in fact
crucial because it reveals/shows ______.
•[X] has important consequences for [Y] because
______.
•The significance of [X] is ______.
•[The author] states/writes, “______,” establishing/
demonstrating/illustrating/indicating/revealing/showing
______.
Jikoshokai
itadekimas.
Sriracha des.
And this is
Tab 7.
• When the author states, “______,” it
establishes/demonstrates/illustrates/
indicates/reveals/shows ______.
Warrant -- Not Stated, but
Implied
•Although [X] never says it directly/explicitly, it is
clear/obvious that ______ because ______.
•One implication of ______ is ______.
•While [X] never admits as much, it is clear/obvious
that ______ because ______.
•Although it might seem that ______ [is true], in fact
_____
Fail, damn
you, fail!
Tab 8
Warrant – Restatement
•In other words, ______
•What [X] really means by this is ______
•In short, ______
•To put it another way, ______
This suck
yet?
Tab 9.
Transitions
Cause/Effect
•accordingly
•as a result
•consequently
•hence
•it follows, then
Leave
room for
Tab 10;
there’s a
lot to
write.
•since
•so
•then
•therefore
•thus
Transitions
Comparison
•along the same lines
•in the same way
•likewise
•similarly
•it follows, then
Transitions
Contrast
•although
•but
•by contrast
•conversely
•despite the fact that
•even though
•however
•nevertheless
•nonetheless
•on the contrary
•regardless
•whereas
•while
Transitions
Addition
•also
•and
•besides
•furthermore
•in addition
•in fact
•indeed
•moreover
•so too
Transitions
Conclusion
•ultimately
•hence
•to conclude
•thus
•fundamentally
•of course
•in brief
See? Told ya there was lots to write.
I’m not a liar!
But I AM ON FIRE!
Get it? Like that rhyme “Liar Liar”
and I’m hot sauce …
You know what? Nevermind.
•in closing
•therefore
•as a consequence of
•consequently
•as a result
•in sum
Back Side
Do
•Write in present tense
Don’t
•“I,” “we,” “us”
•Change tense of verbs in
•“In my opinion” / “I think”
quotes so that they agree with •“maybe” statements (Don’t
introductions to quotes
be wishy-washy)
Example: As Smith writes,
“Time [passes] slowly.”
Original sentence: “Time
passed slowly.”
•“I don’t know” statements
(Don’t draw attention to your
deficiencies)
•contractions
•informal language
Catch ya
on the
flip side.