6: Reading to Figure out the Argument
- Page ID
- 380490
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Learning Outcomes
- Identify the main claims of a text as well as the reasons that support those claims.
- Identify any limits, counterarguments, or rebuttals mentioned in an argument.
- Draw a visual map of the claims, reasons, limits, counterarguments, and rebuttals.
- 6.1: Overview- Reading to Write
- In order to write well about another person’s argument, we first need strategies for identifying the argument’s structure and main ideas.
- 6.2: Types of Claims to Look out for
- An argument may aim to describe something, to evaluate something, or to advocate for action.
- 6.3: Making Notes on the Writer’s Claims
- Making notes about the claims in each paragraph can help us understand an argument and prepare to write about it.
- 6.4: Deciding Which Is the Main Claim
- Asking ourselves questions about the writer’s purpose can help us find the main claim of a text.
- 6.5: Finding the Reasons
- Certain common phrases signal when authors are presenting a reason to support a claim.
- 6.6: Finding the Counterarguments
- Writers use key phrases to introduce counterarguments and signal whether or not they see any merit in those arguments.
- 6.7: Finding the Responses to the Counterarguments
- Writers signal whether they completely or partly disagree as they give their responses to counterarguments.
- 6.8: Finding the Limits on the Argument
- Certain phrases signal when writers limit what they are claiming in order to clarify their points and defend against counterarguments.
- 6.9: Common Argument Phrases
- A list of all the common templates from the chapter for introducing claims, reasons, counterarguments, and limits.


