Toulmin Method

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Once you have identified and examined the claim (for qualifiers and exceptions), the next step in the Toulmin Method is to identify and examine the reasons which support this claim. In the case of this essay, two of the reasons are given in the same breath as the general claim ("It is time for us to rethink our landscaping practices") in the second paragraph. The sentence which follows this claim is, "In our arid Western climate and poor soil, the traditional lawn takes too much water, time, and harmful chemicals to maintain," and it implies two of the three reasons that the writer will address in the essay. The third reason the writer will address is this: Maintaining the traditional lawn is unnecessary, since varieties of grass that are more appropriate to the West (and "less hungry and thirsty," as the writer says in paragraph 14) are readily available. Click on the reasons below to see where they occur in the example argument.

Maintaining the traditional lawn is:

1. In paragraph 2:Harmful (because of the chemicals used)
2. In paragraph 2:Expensive in terms of time (time spent maintaining one's lawn) and money (water usage and cost of chemicals)
3. In paragraph 11:Maintaining the traditional lawn is unnecessary, since varieties of grass that are more appropriate to the West are readily available.