How Persuaders Use Reasons and Evidence

Persuasive authors support their opinions with reasons, and support their reasons with evidence.

A persuasive text has a structure like a table. The tabletop is the claim, the author's opinion. The legs are reasons, the 'why' behind the claim. Under each leg, evidence holds it steady: facts, examples, statistics, or expert quotes. Read: 'Our school should start a vegetable garden. First, gardening teaches science. Students can observe how seeds sprout and plants grow.

Second, gardens improve health. A study at one school found that students who grew vegetables ate more of them at lunch. Finally, a garden makes our school more beautiful. ' Claim: start a garden. Reason 1: it teaches science; evidence: observing seeds. Reason 2: health; evidence: the study. Reason 3: beauty; but there's no evidence here.

Spotting a reason with no evidence helps you judge how strong an argument really is.

• 1The claim is the author's opinion.
• 2Reasons explain why; evidence proves the reasons.
• 3Reasons without evidence are weaker.