The shape of an argument

Every argument worth making has three moving parts. Most people land the first two and skip the third, which is the one that does the persuading.

The three parts

A claim is the thing you want the other side to accept. The evidence is the fact, example, or number you put behind it. The warrant is the reason the evidence actually supports the claim.

Here is the shape worked through. Claim: cities should keep cars out of the center. Evidence: traffic kills thousands of pedestrians a year. Warrant: fewer cars where people walk most means fewer of those deaths, so the rule saves lives.

Don't drop the warrant

Beginners state a claim, cite a fact, and stop. They assume the link is obvious. It rarely is. A judge can agree that traffic kills people and still wonder why a car ban is the fix rather than wider pavements or slower speed limits. The warrant closes that gap. It answers the silent question: so what?

When you build a point, say the why out loud. Use a connector that forces it: "which matters because," "and that backs the claim since," "so it follows that." If you cannot finish the sentence, you have a fact, not yet an argument.