College Composition / Unit 17 CMP 0413 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Concession and Rebuttal
The idea
Answering a counterclaim usually takes two moves: conceding what is fair in it, then rebutting it with reasoning and evidence.
In practice
Build the response in order. First, state the counterclaim fairly, as its supporters would put it. Second, concede what is true or reasonable in it, signaled by words such as granted or certainly. Third, rebut: explain why the counterclaim does not defeat your position, with evidence or reasoning. Fourth, show how your claim still holds, perhaps in a narrower form. For example: granted, extending library hours costs money; however, the cost is small compared with the tutoring and study space students currently lack, and the college already pays for the building at night.
Where people slip
Stating a weakened version of the counterclaim and defeating that is not rebuttal; it is a fallacy called the straw man, covered in unit thirty. Answer the strongest version of the objection.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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