CLAIMS

● argues, defended and supported in an essay

● aka proposition
● tells what you’re setting out to prove
● may be a thesis statement (explicit) or unstated (implicit)
● just one sentence
● declarative
● short and concise
● can be defended with evidence
● opinion statement w/o saying “I think” or “I feel”
● subject + what you think + 3 reasons to support
● appears in the intro and conclusion paragraph
● what the essay is built around
● like a road map (lets reader know what is coming up next; gives writer direction)

CLAIM OF FACT
● existence of something

● definition or classification

● inferences about the past, present or future

○ assert that a condition has existed, exists or will exist and are based on facts

or data
● clear distinction between fact and inference

● can be arguable

● generally “objective”

● types

1. factual / historical
2. relational - casual connections
3. predictive
● examples

○ Although it was largely forgotten, the flu epidemic of 1918-1919 was one of

the most devastating epidemics of all time.

○ Global warming is a threat that must be addressed.

CLAIM OF VALUE
● use of adjectives

● based on taste & morals that make something more or less desirable

○ good or bad

○ moral or immoral

○ what’s it worth

○ who says so and what do these people value

● examples

○ It is immoral to participate in voluntary suicide.

○ The hurting of animals is a barbaric practice.

CLAIM OF POLICY
● using modals “should” and “must”
● involves sub-claims of fact and value
● can be arguable: consider opposition/counter arguments
● says specific policies should be adopted
● examples
○ The death penalty should be abolished because it does nothing to prevent

murder.
○ The age at which people can get a driver’s license must be raised to 18.