A photograph of a man and a woman having an argument

Source: The Argument, roeyahram, Flickr




An argument sounds like something to avoid rather than something to learn about and practice. If we were talking about an argument that is a heated disagreement, then avoidance would be a good option. There is, however, a different type of argument, an argument that makes a claim supported by evidence.

Look at the statements in bold below and the responses that follow.

Former President Bill Clinton’s flyer as he ran for President of the student body at Georgetown University in 1967

Source: Clinton at Georgetown 1967,
Wikimedia

“I’m the best candidate for Student Body President.”

Oh, yeah? Who says?


A photograph of a father holding his son. They are both wearing baseball caps

Source: Father & Son, caribb, Flickr

“Being a father is a hard job.”

I agree, but on what are you basing that statement?


A photograph of a young woman working in a bakery

Source: The bakery, sramses177, Flickr

“Working at Buttermilk Bakery is better than working at Pancake Paradise.”

Maybe it is, but what makes you think so?

Are the statements in quotation marks arguments in favor of a candidate, the job of a father, and a workplace?

No, they aren’t. These are statements of opinion. They do make a claim. They could be thesis statements. They are not, however, arguments. What would it take to make the above statements into arguments? Beneath each statement is a response in italics. Reread the above responses for a clue about what is missing.

Have you figured it out? Click to choose your answer from one of the possibilities below.

icon for an interactive exercise
A. They would be arguments if they were stated with more emotion and maybe some anger.
Try again.

B. They would be arguments if they were said or written for more than one person to hear or read.
Try again.

C. They would be arguments if there were evidence included to support the statements.
Correct! It takes evidence added to the claim to make an argument.

An argument needs to include evidence in support of the writer’s claim or position. In this lesson, you are going to practice analyzing the evidence that supports or opposes an argument. You are also going to learn to analyze the quality, relevance, and credibility of the evidence so you can decide whether to accept the argument’s claim.

A photograph of a young man reading something on his iPhone

Source: Taking Mr 13 to see Richard Dawkins for a school holiday injection of rational argument, Rule17_, Flickr