Contributor: Suzanne Riordan. Lesson ID: 13927
Do you know how to argue? That doesn't mean to quarrel or fight with someone. It means to make a claim and back it up with evidence. In this lesson, you'll learn to choose your argument carefully!
Tanner Welton has a strong argument about cell phone addiction. Watch this video and think about how he structures his argument.
Cell Phone Addiction | Tanner Welton | TEDxLangleyED from TEDx Talks:
The best way to present an argument is to state your claim (thesis) clearly and then provide the proof.
In the video above, Tanner argues that many people have a cell phone addiction and that this is very unhealthy.
You can identify an argument writer's thesis, or claim, by asking yourself:
Just having a claim is not enough to win an argument. To be persuasive, a writer must convince us that he or she knows something about the subject and is able to treat it fairly, not just criticize those who disagree.
A good argument writer will also appeal to the reader's mind, making a clear and convincing argument based on facts, and not just appealing to emotions.
Read the following paragraph and decide what the claim is and whether the argument is persuasive.
Let's look at another example on the same topic.
You probably noticed that the second example relies on an emotional appeal and doesn't provide much evidence. It also criticizes those who disagree, calling it a "crazy idea".
Now that you've seen what a good argument looks like--and what a poor one looks like--let's move on to writing some arguments!
Head over to the Got It? section now!
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