Evidence

developed by Reasons supported byEvidence whose significance is articulated in

Explanations.

Arguments consist of Conclusions

Personal observationsPersonal experiencesExamplesFactual statementsStatisticsAuthoritative TestimonyAnalogy

Evidence:

Personal observation: Description or impression about a person, place, object, or condition.

The city has made a sincere effort to restore Rosewood Community Park.

In the last year, I have seen them plant trees, paint ramadas, and install playground equipment.

Personal experience: Account from your own life that supports the claim.

Rosewood Community Park is important for the well-being of the community.

When we first moved to Rosewood, I was quite lonely. One day I took my daughter to play in the park, and I met some other stay-at-home moms. Soon my daughter and I were asked to become a part of their playgroup, and it wasn’t long until I felt a part of the community.

The city has made a sincere effort to restore Rosewood Community Park.

In 2006, the city spent $100,000 repairing and replacing existing equipment in the Rosewood Community Park playgrounds.

Factual statement: Statement or series of statements that can be verified.

Rosewood Community Park needs more frequent patrol by the park officers.

Last week 35 year old Martha Neill was attacked while jogging in the early morning hours.

Example: Description of one, or a small number of specific instances, that support the point. Examples are specific and concrete.

Claim: Parks can enhance community safety.

Statistic: According the U.S. Bureau of crime statistics, neighborhoods that contain a park have 30% less crime than comparable neighborhoods that lack parks.

Statistics: Numerical relationships.

Rosewood Community Park is necessary for the well-being of the community.

Sociologist Verta Taylor states that human beings function more effectively in groups if they have access to "green areas" where they can relax and play.

Authoritative Testimony: Referencing an established, trustworthy authority

Rosewood Community Park isnecessary for the well-being of thecommunity.

We need a healthy human habitat. Without parks that give us a connection with the natural world and with each other we are the endangered species.

Analogy: Comparison of situations in order to support the claim

Let’s try some…

Ignacio Villejas of Mexico is making the American Dream a reality by progressing from an immigrant landscape worker to the owner of a landscaping business which nets more than $100,000. per year.

Ignacio Villejas of Mexico is making the American Dream a reality by progressing from an immigrant landscape worker to the owner of a landscaping business which nets more than $100,000. per year.

Example

Two car bombs exploded in Nairobi, Kenya killing 224 people, 24 of who were American.

Seventy-five percent of bombs deployed in the Middle East and Africa claim American lives.

Two car bombs exploded in Nairobi, Kenya killing 224 people, 24 of who were American.

Seventy-five percent of bombs deployed in the Middle East and Africa claim American lives.

Statistic

Laurence Steinberg, a criminologist at Temple University, states, "What has changed in America is the availability of guns. In earlier generations , the same sets of problems leading youths to commit these atrocious killings would lead to fist or knife fights."

Laurence Steinberg, a criminologist at Temple University, states, "What has changed in America is the availability of guns. In earlier generations , the same sets of problems leading youths to commit these atrocious killings would lead to fist or knife fights."

Testimony

Since the 1960s the number of guns in this country has risen dramatically.

Since the 1960s the number of guns in this country has risen dramatically.

Factual Statement

"All of a sudden you're like the Bin Laden of America. Osama Bin Laden is the only one who knows what I'm going through." (R. Kelley when he was arrested for child pornography)

"All of a sudden you're like the Bin Laden of America. Osama Bin Laden is the only one who knows what I'm going through." (R. Kelley when he was arrested for child pornography)

Analogy