Foundations of Argumentative Texts

Editorials and opinion columns

Court cases and legal briefs

Policy debates and academic writing

Personal diary entries

Claim, reasons, evidence, commentary

Claim, opinion, debate, summary

Fact, evidence, opinion, logic

Claim, summary, evidence, conclusion

Logic provides emotional appeal to the argument

Logic connects evidence to the claim

Logic summarizes the argument

Logic replaces the need for evidence

Hasty generalization

False dilemma

Claim of value

Claim of policy

Identify the claim and locate reasons and evidence

Summarize the argument without evidence

Ignore the claim and focus on opinions

Only read the conclusion

A clear claim, evidence, and reasoning

A personal story and a question

A list of facts without explanation

A counterargument only