For debate and for persuasive speaking and writing, three important terms to know are claim, warrant and impact.
A claim is your position or argument. For instance, your answer to the following question:
Should American citizens be allowed to own firearms?
Your claim might be: "No, I don't think Americans should own firearms" or "I support the right of American citizens to own firearms."
A warrant is a reason or piece of evidence that supports your claim. For instance, your warrant might be "Americans should not be allowed to own firearms because each year, firearms cause thousands of deaths in America" or "Americans should be allowed to own weapons so that they can protect themselves — what if someone wants to break into your house?"
Impact is something that good that will happen if people listen to you or something bad that will happen if they don't. For instance, your impact might be: "If Americans weren't allowed to have guns, there wouldn't be as many murders in the United States" or "If Americans can't own guns, there will be a crime wave in American because people won't be able to protect themselves."
Click to listen to Lovie's speech on this subject. See if you can write down her claim, warrant and impact.
Claim-warrant-impact
