In the Toulmin model, the warrant links grounds to claim. Writers often leave it unstated because it seems obvious to them. Your job, as a reader and as a writer, is to say it out loud and then ask: would this audience accept it?
Three steps to find a warrant
- Find the claim and the grounds.
- Write a general sentence that would make the grounds count as a reason for the claim: “In general, if [grounds], then [claim].”
- Test it: is it true in general? Would your audience agree? Are there exceptions (which become rebuttals)?
Key idea
A warrant is the general principle an argument takes for granted. State it plainly, then ask whether the audience would accept it. If they wouldn’t, the argument needs backing for its warrant, not more grounds.
Why it works
An argument can have perfect evidence and still fail because its warrant is weak or unshared. If you never state your warrant, you can’t defend it, and a skeptical reader will quietly reject your whole argument without telling you why.
Worked example: Find the warrant
“Ms. Lee has taught for thirty years, so her advice about study habits is worth following.”
- Claim: her advice about study habits is worth following. Grounds: she has taught for thirty years.
- Warrant: long experience teaching gives a person good insight into how students learn.
- Test: most readers would accept it, with a qualifier: experience usually helps, though it doesn’t guarantee every piece of advice is right.
Answer: Warrant: long teaching experience gives insight into how students learn.
Worked example: A warrant the audience may reject
“Three towns near us built splash pads, so our town should build one too.”
- Grounds: three nearby towns built splash pads. Claim: our town should build one.
- Warrant: what neighboring towns build, we should build.
- Test: a careful reader may reject that. Other towns may have more money or more young families. The writer needs a better warrant, such as “a splash pad serves families with young children, and our town has many,” with grounds to match.
Answer: The warrant (“do what other towns do”) is weak; the argument needs a better one.
Common mistake
Restating the claim and calling it the warrant. For “The park needs more benches because older walkers have nowhere to rest,” the warrant is not “The park needs benches.” It is the general principle: a park should meet the needs of the people who use it. Check: a warrant mentions neither this park nor these benches; it would apply to other cases too.