College Composition / Unit 30 CMP 0726 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Claims, Reasons and Assumptions
Captions available
The idea
An argument has three working parts: the claim it asks readers to accept, the grounds offered for it, and the assumption that links them.
In practice
"Texting while driving should be more tightly regulated" is a claim; accident figures are grounds; the belief that distraction causes accidents connects them.
Where people slip
Analyzing an argument starts by separating these parts.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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