Identify the argument7 of an essay

Identifying the Argument of an Essay

What's important about argument structure (this - because - of - that) is that we can use it as a test to help us decide which statement is the conclusion and which statement is the reason. It helps us to identify the parts of the argument. But it often happens that the
"BECAUSE" is not stated, and we have to decide where it goes. For instance, take the following example:

Example

(a) Whatever Sue says about values is wrong. (b) After all , she's an unabashed lesbian.

Let's identify the this-because-of-that structure in this argument. Think of the "this" and the "that" as two empty slots in the following way:

____________________ BECAUSE OF ___________________

(this) (that)

If you're not sure which statement is the conclusion and which one is the reason, try putting (b) in the "this" slot and (a) in the "that" slot like this: