Supporting Arguments With Evidence

Relevant evidence is a quotation, paraphrase, or specific detail from the text that connects directly to the exact wording of your claim, not just to its general subject. If your claim is that a character grows more confident over time, a line describing the setting is related to the story but not relevant to that particular claim. A line where the character speaks up for the first time is relevant, because it matches the specific idea you are arguing.

Before you select a piece of evidence, restate your claim in your own words and ask whether the passage you are considering would change if the claim were slightly different. If the evidence would fit almost any claim about the text, it is too general to do real work for your argument. You can practice sharpening this judgment in Analyzing Evidence For Claims, which looks closely at matching evidence to specific wording.

A quotation by itself proves nothing; it only becomes evidence once you explain the connection between the words on the page and the claim you are making. This explanation is sometimes called commentary or analysis, and it is where most of your original thinking happens. A useful test is to ask, "So what?" after every quotation you include. If you cannot answer that question in your own sentence, the evidence is not doing its job yet.

Weak support states the quotation and stops: The character says, "I won't back down this time." This shows change. Strong support explains the logic: The character says, "I won't back down this time," using direct, confident language that contrasts with her earlier silence, which shows that her fear has been replaced by resolve. The second version tells the reader exactly how the words prove the claim, rather than assuming the connection is obvious.

Because it is easy to forget the explanation step under time pressure, it helps to follow a consistent pattern for each supporting paragraph: state the claim, present the evidence, then explain the link between them. Some writers add a second explanation sentence when the evidence is complex or when the paragraph is doing significant argumentative work.

After drafting a paragraph, reread it and cover up the explanation sentence. Ask whether the claim and the evidence alone would convince a skeptical reader. If they would not, the explanation sentence is carrying real weight and needs to be precise rather than vague. Vague explanations repeat the quotation in different words; precise explanations point to specific language, structure, or contrast in the evidence and tie it back to the claim's exact wording.

It also helps to weigh your evidence against alternatives, since some passages prove a claim more directly than others. This kind of comparison is covered in Evaluating Evidence And Reasoning, which examines how to judge which piece of support is strongest. Once you can both select and explain evidence, you are ready to examine an entire argument's structure, a skill built in Assessing Claims And Evidence.

Relevant Evidence: A textual detail that connects directly to the specific wording of a claim, not just its general subject.

Explanation (Commentary): The sentence or sentences that state how a piece of evidence proves the claim it follows.

Evidence Dump: A quotation inserted into a paragraph without any explanation connecting it to the claim.

Claim, Evidence, Explanation Pattern: A three-part structure for building a supporting paragraph in an argument.

Warrant: The underlying reasoning that links a piece of evidence to the claim it is meant to support.

Students practice underlining only the words in a passage that match a given claim, then writing one sentence that explains the match. Other activities involve revising evidence dumps by adding an explanation sentence, and comparing two versions of the same paragraph to identify which explanation is more precise. These exercises build directly toward full-length argumentative paragraphs and essays.

Related lessons

• Evidence That Proves Claims