PARAGRAPH PARTS: PRACTICE

The Neried is the name of the ship Edward worked on as a sailor in the military.

• strong claim

• weak claim

Cats and dogs are both kinds of pets that are popular in the United states

• strong claim

• weak claim

Edward from Big Fish is too selfish to be a truly good father.

• strong claim

• weak claim

My paragraph will show how school lunches are a travesty and should not be served to students.

• strong claim

• weak claim

I think school lunches are a travesty and should not be served to students.

• strong claim

• weak claim

School lunches are a travesty and should not be served to students.

• strong claim

• weak claim

The character Edward in Big Fish uses hyperbole and figurative language to make himself seem larger than life.

• Strong claim

• Weak claim

Label the following sentences.

• Claim

• Dogs are the best kind of pet there is.

• Evidence

• For one thing, researchers from PETA confirm that dogs are the most intelligent animals that are regularly kept as pets.

• Reasoning

• Since they are smarter than cats, rabbits, or reptiles, dog owners are able to train their pets and have more fun with them.

Label the following sentences.

• Reasoning

• Although William admired his father's ambition, he was a son who had to do without his father a majority of the time. A more selfless father would put the needs of the child above his own desires.

• Claim

• Edward in Big Fish is too selfish to be a good father.

• Evidence

• William, Edward's son, mentions that Edward loved him very much, but refused to quit his traveling job because "he missed... [his] freedom." He also explains that "he wasn't [at home] very often during the week."

Place the parts of this paragraph in the correct order... Claim, Evidence, Reasoning

• Evidence

• William is frustrated that Edward avoids these serious topics.

• Reasoning (link)

• Edward in Big Fish is optimistic because he even tries to be humorous on his deathbed.

• Reasoning (link)

• William laments that "every time [they] get close to something meaningful... he tells a joke."

• Claim (main idea)

• For instance, William tries repeatedly to ask his father about serious topics, like death and religion.

• Evidence

• Still, Edward is doing so at the end of his life to distract himself and his loved ones from the fact that he is dying, which shows he prefers to look on the bright side.