ENGLISH 10

STATEMENTS OF
OPINION OR
ASSERTION
Persuasive Writing
FORMULATING OPINIONS
OR ASSERTIONS

A writer presents the two sides of an

argument to the readers. This gives a
venue to the writer to disqualify
counterarguments, and allows the
readers to weigh both sides of the
matter.
 ASSERTION
A STYLISTIC APPROACH OR
TECHNIQUE INVOLVING A STRONG
DECLARATION, A FORCEFUL OR
CONFIDENT AND POSITIVE
STATEMENT REGARDING A BELIEF OR
A FACT.
EXAMPLE:

That video gaming is a waste of time.

Those millenials are impatient at work.
ENGLISH 10

TYPES OF
CLAIMS
PERSUASIVE WRITING
DEFINITION

CLAIM
A claim persuades, argues, convinces, proves, or
provocatively suggests something to a reader who may or
may not initially agree with you.
CLAIM
A claim is the main argument of an essay.
A claim defines your paper's goals, direction, scope, and
exigence and is supported by evidence, quotations,
argumentation, expert opinion, statistics, and telling details.
A claim must be argumentative.
A good claim is specific. It makes a focused argument (MTV‟s
popularity is waning because it no longer plays music videos)
rather than a general one (MTV sucks).
 OPINION
—Twinkies are delicious.
—I think Virginia Woolf is better than
James Joyce.
ARGUABLE CLAIM
—Twinkies taste better than other snack cakes because
of their texture, their creamy filling, and their golden
appearance.
—Virginia Woolf is a more effective writer than James
Joyce because she does not rely on elaborate language
devices that ultimately confuse and alienate the reader.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

An argument is supported by evidence, which can be

debated/challenged. Opinion is supported by more opinion
(and ultimately you end up with something along the lines of
“Well, just because, okay?”).
A claim can be substantiated with research, evidence,
testimony, and academic reasoning.
A claim is something more than statement and support: an
arguable claim also goes on to address the “so what?” question,
the implications and why we should care in the first place.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

Remember that not all claims are created equal, and though a
claim may be arguable, the best claims are focused, specific,
complex, and relevant.
TYPES OF CLAIMS

CLAIM OF FACT
an assertion of a condition that exists, will exist,
or has existed.
supported by verifiable facts or data
must be specific as to time, place, people
involved and situation.

MARKERS:
generally, usually, probably, as a rule

EXAMPLE:
Decreasing carbon dioxide emissions from car
exhaust, manufacturing processes, fertilizers,
and landfills, while slowing deforestation, may
help slow the process of global warming.
TYPES OF CLAIMS

CLAIM OF POLICY
an assertion that specific plans or courses of
action should be instituted as solutions to
problems

MARKERS:
should, ought to, must, or uses strong verbs

EXAMPLE:
The city’s board of education should institute an honors
program not only for high school students, but for
elementary and junior high school students as well
Just as smoking ads have been banned in order to
decrease the urge to engage in an unhealthy behavior,
soda ads should be banned for the same reason.
TYPES OF CLAIMS

CLAIM OF VALUE
an attempt to prove the desirability or
undesirability of something or if something is
good, bad, or wrong

MARKERS:
"It is better.., "It is unethical..., "It is wrong...

EXAMPLE:
It’s better to apply good nutritional choices at home
than teach them at school, because good nutrition then
becomes ingrained in the child’s experience.
Although immunotherapy has produced some good
results in fighting cancer, overall it is less effective than
chemotherapy.