Types of Claims

Understanding Claims

Claims form the basis of any argument

Categories for claims helps us understand the

purposes and special features of argument

Allows us to predict and anticipate features of the

type of argument presented
Claims and Thesis Statements

Every thesis statement will make a claim about your

topic.

Understanding the types of claims you can make

will lead to more focused and effective thesis
statements.
 Get a Sense of the Purpose and
Parts of Argument

Divide the argument into parts

Ask why the parts have been placed in this order

Analyze the relationships among the parts

 Types of Claims

Claims of fact or definition

Claims of comparison

Claims of cause

Claims of value

Claims of policy
 Claims of Fact

Questions answered by claims of fact:

Did it happen?
It is true?
Does it exist?
Is it a fact?
Types of support
Factual
Inductive reasoning cites examples and then draws
probable conclusions
Analogies comparisons
Signs past or present state of affairs
Expert opinion
 Claims of Fact

Possible organizational strategies

Chronological order
Topical order
Often stated near the beginning of the argument
 Claims of Definition

Questions Answered:
What is it?
What is it like?
How should it be classified?
How should it be interpreted?
How does its usual meaning change in a particular
context?
 Claims of Definition

Types of support
Reliable authorities and accepted sources
Analogies

Organization Strategies
Comparison-and-contrast
Topical
Explain the controversy; give reasons for accepting one
view
 Claims of Cause

Questions Answered:
What caused it?
Where did it come from?
Why did it happen?
What are the effects?
What will probably be the results over the short and
long term?
 Claims of Cause

Types of Support
Factual data
Statistics
Analogies
Literal
Historical
Signs of certain causes
Induction
Deduction
 Claims of Value

Questions Answered:
Is it good or bad?
How bad?
How good?
Of what worth is it?
Is it moral or immoral?
Who thinks so?
What do those people value?
What values or criteria should I use to determine
its goodness or badness?
Are my values different from other peoples values
or from the authors values?
 Claims of Value

Types of Support
Appeals to values
Motivational appeals
Analogies
Literal
Figurative
Quotations from authorities
Induction
Signs
Definitions
 Claims of Value

Organization Strategies
Applied criteria
Topical organization
Narrative structure
 Claims of Policy

Questions Answered:
What should we do?
How should we act?
What should future policy be?
How can we solve this problem?
What concrete course of action should we pursue to
solve the problem?

Claims of policy tend to focus on the future

 Claims of Policy

Types of support
Data
Statistics
Moral and commonsense appeals
Motivational appeals
Appeals to values
Literal analogies
Argument from authority
Definition
Deduction
 Claims of Policy

Organization Strategies
Problem-Solution
Problem described in sufficient detail so audience will
want a solution
Solution is spelled out
Show how solution will work
Show how solution is superior to any alternatives
Visualization of how matters will be improved
Ends with action step
 Claims in Life

Two or more types of claims may be present in one

essay

Look for the predominant claim

The main purpose of the argument
Types of support that may be used
Possible organization strategies

Claims follow a predictable sequence

 Value of the Claims

Useful to identify the claim and main purpose

Help identify minor purposes

Analyze issues

Write a claim about an issue