What Toulmin Teaches

What Toulmin Teaches

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As Tannen’s essay demonstrates, few arguments you read have perfectly sequenced claims or clear warrants, so you might not think of Toulmin’s terms in building your own arguments. Once you’re into your subject, it’s easy to forget about qualifying a claim or finessing a warrant. But remembering what Toulmin teaches will always help you strengthen your arguments:

It takes considerable experience to write arguments that meet all these conditions. Using Toulmin’s framework brings them into play automatically. If you learn it well enough, constructing good arguments can become a habit.