Writing Book 6 · Lesson 12

Notes on an argument

Notes on an argument keep the claim and its support at different levels.

What it is

An argument is not information — it is a claim plus support. Notes on an argument must keep those separate, or you will end up repeating someone's opinion as though it were a fact. The claim is what the writer wants you to believe; the support is what they offer to make you believe it.

Watch it built

1
Find the sentence the writer most wants you to accept. That is the claim.
I. CLAIM: School should start later
2
Find what they offer as reason. That is support.
  A. SUPPORT: Teenagers' sleep cycles shift later
3
Find the evidence under the support, and note whether it is given at all.
    1. EVIDENCE: 2019 sleep study — cited, not described
Remember
Label them: CLAIM, SUPPORT, EVIDENCE. Note what is missing.
Ask yourself: “Is this what they think, or what they offer to prove it?”

Remember

A claim is what they want you to believe. Support is what they offer.

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