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Contributor: Allison Crews. Lesson ID: 13688
In writing, your argument is only as good as how well you support it. In this lesson, you'll learn what supporting points should do, as well as evaluate supports for their effectiveness.
All humans should have clean air to breathe that will not contribute to chronic illness and early death because my friend said so.
All humans should have clean air to breathe that will not contribute to chronic illness and early death because air is necessary for life and humans have no alternative for meeting this biological need.
The point is the same in both scenarios, but they are each supported very differently.
The answer is:
The second argument is better because it offers a specific reason to support the point (humans have to breathe), whereas the support in scenario one has no logical basis. There are no facts, evidence, or even credibility presented. Who is the friend, and why does it matter what they think?
When building an argument, it is not enough to simply have a good point. You have to support it well. Supports are the reasons, evidence, facts, and details that prove a point or convince a reader to agree with the point.
But not all supports are created equal!
Imagine this restaurant review:
This cafe is terrible. The complimentary bread was warm and fluffy, the butter tasted freshly creamed, and the soup was perfectly warm with a rich, complex broth that reminded me of my grandmother's. My server was prompt and friendly, and the owner offered me a slice of Texas sheet cake with ice cream right out of the oven. I'll never go back.
The cafe in question sounds pretty delightful!
Take a look at the following paragraph:
Being able to maintain a balanced budget is an important skill for every young adult, but there are many challenges. First, young adults with little work experience often receive entry-level wages, though the costs of living can be high. Additionally, the frontal lobe of the brain is not fully mature until the age of 23, meaning that impulse control is still developing. This can contribute to poor financial choices. Furthermore, most high schools have stopped teaching practical math and home economics, resulting in recent graduates with little exposure to the financial realities of adult daily living.
Think of point and support like a table.
The tabletop is the point, and the legs are the support.
The tabletop won't stand. It's like that with arguments, too.
Take a look at another example paragraph:
Workers in the U.S. do not take enough time away from work. Research shows that over half of U.S. workers with vacation time did not use all of it in 2018, and over 200 million hours were entirely forfeited. When a worker chooses to forfeit their paid time off, they are effectually reducing their salary, since the time off was factored into the compensation package offered to the employee. Furthermore, according to a study by the American Psychological Association, taking time away from work reduces stress for workers. This benefits not only the employee but also the employer by reducing the risk of chronic illness brought on by continually high stress levels in their workforce.
Click through to the Got It? section.
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