Claims & Counterclaims
Rhetorical Devices
Miscellaneous Grammar
Attitude
100

Child labour has been a big social issue which interferes with the nation’s development. As we all know, children are the future of the country, so why are people using children as a labor force? Why do they not let small children live out their sweet childhood?

The author is arguing against child labour.

100

There have been over a hundred public school shootings in the last year. Ninety percent of shooters are current or former students. Nearly half of those students have a mental or emotional disorder.

Logos

100

I have a big test tomorrow I can't go; out tonight.

I have a big test tomorrow; I can't go out tonight.

100

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation. Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. 

Joyful, happy, celebratory

200

Pollution has been one of the biggest issues affecting the environment and human lives. It is an environmental issue faced by people all across the world. A variety of hazardous and toxic substances from different sources are mixing in the environment and causing various types of pollution such as water, air, soil or land, noise, and thermal.

The author is against pollution.

200

The superintendent of Georgia believes that students would benefit from a more realistic curriculum, one that stresses real world knowledge and not standardized testing.

Ethos

200

Informal or Formal: My sister called dibs on the front seat every morning before school.

Informal

200

Today is a day for mourning and remembering. Nancy and I are pained to the core by the tragedy of the shuttle Challenger. We know we share this pain with all of the people of our country. This is truly a national loss.

sad, depressed, regretful

300

Write a counterclaim to the following claim: Griffin High School should enforce a strict uniform dress code to ensure that the students stay focused on academics.

Griffin High School should maintain a less formal dress code to ensure that students have freedom of expression.

300

Why would any parent want to send their child to a school where safety is not the number one priority? School officials should be more concerned with the safety of their students than the quality of their test scores.

Pathos

300

The forecast called for high winds, sleet; and possible snow so we decided to postpone our trip.

The forecast called for high winds, sleet, and possible snow; so we decided to postpone our trip.

300

Indifference elicits no response. Indifference is not a response. Indifference is not a beginning; it is an end. And, therefore, indifference is always the friend of the enemy, for it benefits the aggressor -- never his victim, whose pain is magnified when he or she feels forgotten.

determined

400

Write a counterclaim to the following claim: Parents should not be allowed to spank their children because it is a form of abuse.

Parents who do not spank their children never earn their kids' respect.

400

Our expertise in roofing contracting is evidenced, not only by our 100 years in the business and our staff of qualified technicians, but in the decades of satisfied customers who have come to expect nothing but the best.

Ethos

400

Formal or Informal: She has decided to accept the job.

Formal

400

Neither the United States of America nor the world community of nations can tolerate deliberate deception and offensive threats on the part of any nation, large or small. We no longer live in a world where only the actual firing of weapons represents a sufficient challenge to a nation's security to constitute maximum peril.

Confident, strong

500

Video games are a standard part of most teenagers' entertainment. There are a variety of kinds, but most teenagers prefer the variety that involve guns, violence, and bloodshed. Violent video games cause violent behavior in impressionable teenagers and should no longer be tolerated.

The author is against video games or for getting rid of violent video games.

500

They've worked against everything we've worked so hard to build, and they don't care who gets hurt in the process. Make no mistake, they're the enemy, and they won't stop until we're all destroyed.

Pathos

500

My mom went to the store for groceries; and the bank to pay the bills.

My mom went to the store for groceries; she went to the bank to pay the bills.

500

You can’t connect the dots if you’re looking forward, you can only do it looking backwards. So, you need to keep moving forward and hope that the dots align somehow. Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.

inspirational, motivated