North Lake College Consumer Letter
- make sure you have the specific number of paragraphs with the specific toulmin elements present in each. Remember, this is an argument, each paragraph contains a specific toulmin element and is positioned for the best emphasis: first paragraph should contain warrants and the claim, the second and third paragraphs should be the support, the fourth paragraph should contain a rebuttal and backing. Backing is just additional warrants.
- Last bit of advice, do not make this a complaint letter, watch your tone and do not be combative. You must be objective, not emotional. Put the emphasis on your argument with as much detail as you can provide to be as convincing as possible and keep to ONE PAGE ONLY. Business letters should never exceed one page.
This assignment is writing an arguable claim letter using different strategies such as the ones described in the files I will attach. There are also illustrations of how the letter should look, and there is a lecture which describes the assignment as well.
Student Version – Arguable Claim Letter
September 17, 2021
Commented [m1]: 5 – 12 line spaces between the date and the inside
address depending upon the length and style of the letter.
Dr. John Macy, Chancellor
Allandale University
1100 Preston Ave.
Austin, TX 78701
1
Dear Chancellor Macy:
1
As Chancellor of the university, you have built your reputation on improving
education. As a student, I have counted on improvements to achieve a better
education. However, the education budget for the year has been cut by twenty
percent . This is extremely distressful.
1
This cut will cause layoffs of faculty members and increase class size. It will also
reduce financial aid and special academic programs. The will undoubtedly
reduce admissions. I contacted your office August 28th,2020, and received little
explanation for these cuts.
Commented [m2]: 1 line space between the inside address and the
salutation.
Commented [m3]: 1 line space between the salutation and the first
body paragraph.
Commented [m4]: 1 line space between each single spaced body
paragraph.
As students we depend on financial aid to be able to attend school. Without the
option of financial aid, many students will be forced to drop out of school. When
you lower the quality of Texas education, you lower the social and professional
quality of Texas residents.
I insist you revisit the budget and reconsider your cuts. One possible alternative
would be an increase in corporate taxes by the state. Consider protesting the
governor. Until now, I supported your policies. At this time, I do not. In the future,
if there are positive changes to the university budget, I may be able to lend my
support and continue attending this institution.
I would appreciate a response to this issue within 30 days.
Regards,
Commented [m5]: 1 line space between the closing line and the
closing.
Commented [m6]: 4 line spaces between the closing and the printed
signature.
Carl Miller
Student, Allandale University
Legend for Letter on the next page.
1. “Warrant – Establishes early agreement and addresses what the Governor believes about his
performance. This is an unstated warrant on his part.
2. Claim – The last line in the first paragraph clearly stating cuts in the budget will be harmful.
3. Support – The second and third paragraphs present facts that support the claim.
4. Rebuttal – These two sentences challenge the argument that cuts have to be made to
education.
5. Backing – These last sentences back up the initial warrants. They assume the Governor would
like to be re-elected. The writer addresses them in a sense that implies he will not support the
Governor unless changes are made.”
Legend for Letter on the next page.
1. “Warrant – Establishes early agreement and addresses what the Governor believes about his
performance. This is an unstated warrant on his part.
2. Claim – The last line in the first paragraph clearly stating cuts in the budget will be harmful.
3. Support – The second and third paragraphs present facts that support the claim.
4. Rebuttal – These two sentences challenge the argument that cuts have to be made to
education.
5. Backing – These last sentences back up the initial warrants. They assume the Governor would
like to be re-elected. The writer addresses them in a sense that implies he will not support the
Governor unless changes are made.”
ARGUABLE CLAIM LETTER LECTURE
This lecture introduces the arguable claim letter. There is an example of this type of letter in the
book and/or two posted examples in the arguable claim letter folder on the assignment page.
Be sure to study these examples. One shows the placement of Toulmin elements, the other a
spacing guide.
The arguable claim letter assignment will focus on three big areas. These are the areas I will use
to score your document. The first area is formatting. The second area is persuasive content. The
third is tone.
For formatting, I want you to review and study the two basic styles of workplace letters. These
styles are the block style and the modified block style. You can find illustrations of these letters
in the chapter on workplace letters in your book. There may also be an example posted in the
arguable claim letter folder on the assignment page.
Study the differences between the two styles. If you notice, the modified block has the return
address and the closing block aligned at the center of the document. The block style has all
content areas aligned at the left margin. Your assignment will ask you to compose the letter in
one of these formats. My best advice is to study not only the placement of the components or
parts of the letter, but the spacing. Spacing is very important. The illustrations in the book
should provide information on exactly how many line spaces are between the parts of the
letter, how many line spaces to drop the return address how many line spaces between the
closing and the signature line and so forth.
As I said earlier, I will be grading in two areas. Formatting is one of them, so do not take this
lightly. I will check the spacing in the letter, and I will check the positioning of each part of the
letter. Meaning is the date above or below the inside address? Is the salutation before or after
the attention line if there is an attention line? Is the closing block one line space below the last
paragraph? Are the paragraphs single or double spaced? Is single-spaced 1.0 or 1.5? You will
need to know the difference. Single space is actually 1.0, but your software may default to 1.5.
As you are probably thinking, understanding how to use the ruler and the spacing function in
Mircrosoft Word is absolutely essential. If you don’t already know how to use these tools,
locate a tutorial at the Mircrosoft site or in the ‘help’ area.
The second big area I will focus on when grading your assignment is the persuasive content.
This is just as important as the formatting. This type of letter is a mini argument, you are
arguing a claim. To win any argument, you must first state the claim to the reader, state your
support or evidence, include any warrants your reader may hold, and conclude with a request
for specific action.
You are using Toulmin when you include the three mandatory elements: claim, support, and
warrants.
The third area is tone. You will need to read or review the chapter on tone and any notes I may
have posted for you on the assignment page. Follow the basic guidelines: no slang, no overt
emotion, no contractions, and no overly relaxed language. Keep your tone sterile and objective.
I have asked you to refrain from first and second person. In arguable claim letters, it may be
necessary to use first person. Keep it to a minimum.
Here are some specific guidelines for writing arguable claim letters.
First, open with a congenial statement both parties may agree on. This is where you are will
bring warrants into the discussion. For example, ‘we are along time customer and have had
consistently good service over the years’. Warrants are the internal beliefs and assumptions
your reader holds. In the case of an arguable claim letter where you are making a claim for
services or product replacement, you can assume your vendor feels they have been providing
good service and they know you are a long time customer. So re state what you know they
probably believe and use it to your advantage.
Second, state your claim. What is it that you want replaced, improved, or corrected? Be clear
and brief. Then move on to your support or evidence that will convince the reader that they
must make some restitution.
Third, make a request for specific action. You will want restitution to take place on a certain
date. You will also want to re state your claim.
Here’s some advice. Always keep this letter to one page, be convincing in your argument, but
be concise as well. Try to limit to no more than 3-4 paragraphs. Be sure you are placing the
three mandatory Toulmin elements clearly: Claim, Support, and Warrants. Lastly, watch your
tone. Keep it formal and objective, no emotion, no slang, no contractions, and no sarcasm, and
no humor.
Student Version – Arguable Claim Letter
September 17, 2021
Commented [m1]: 5 – 12 line spaces between the date and the inside
address depending upon the length and style of the letter.
Dr. John Macy, Chancellor
Allandale University
1100 Preston Ave.
Austin, TX 78701
1
Dear Chancellor Macy:
1
As Chancellor of the university, you have built your reputation on improving
education. As a student, I have counted on improvements to achieve a better
education. However, the education budget for the year has been cut by twenty
percent . This is extremely distressful.
1
This cut will cause layoffs of faculty members and increase class size. It will also
reduce financial aid and special academic programs. The will undoubtedly
reduce admissions. I contacted your office August 28th,2020, and received little
explanation for these cuts.
Commented [m2]: 1 line space between the inside address and the
salutation.
Commented [m3]: 1 line space between the salutation and the first
body paragraph.
Commented [m4]: 1 line space between each single spaced body
paragraph.
As students we depend on financial aid to be able to attend school. Without the
option of financial aid, many students will be forced to drop out of school. When
you lower the quality of Texas education, you lower the social and professional
quality of Texas residents.
I insist you revisit the budget and reconsider your cuts. One possible alternative
would be an increase in corporate taxes by the state. Consider protesting the
governor. Until now, I supported your policies. At this time, I do not. In the future,
if there are positive changes to the university budget, I may be able to lend my
support and continue attending this institution.
I would appreciate a response to this issue within 30 days.
Regards,
Commented [m5]: 1 line space between the closing line and the
closing.
Commented [m6]: 4 line spaces between the closing and the printed
signature.
Carl Miller
Student, Allandale University
THE ARGUABLE CLAIM LETTER
When Do You Write an Arguable Claim Letter?
The Occasion arises when levels of service fail, mistakes are made, or promises are not kept.
What’s the PMB?
The Purpose The purpose of an arguable claim letter is to receive restitution for unsatisfactory services or products. It can also be used to complain about unfair treatment. Arguable claim letters will
more than likely convey unwelcome news. Therefore, it is essential to keep ‘reason’ in mind. The main purpose here is to receive a refund, an apology, or a replacement.
The Message Always begin with a congenial statement and try to find some common ground where all parties can agree. Most importantly, always include enough detail. Remember, you are arguing
for a specific claim. Your argument will mostly rest on the detail you provide as support. Because this is an arguable claim letter, the Toulmin model is obviously the framework within which to compose the
letter. Tone is important as well. Keep your message polite and formal. Stick to the point. Do not veer off on a tirade that makes no sense. Keep emotion out of it.
Guidelines:
• Open with a congenial statement both parties can agree on. This is where you address your reader’s warrants. You might reference good service in the past. You might include some allusion to future
business if the matter is resolved quickly.
• State your claim clearly. This is where you state what product or service you want replaced, adjusted, or rendered.
• Outline your support for your claim. This the area in which you provide evidence to support your claim. Your reader must have a reason for meeting your requests.
• Conclude the letter by requesting specific action to be taken. This area can include more warrants such as an appeal to continue the vendor-client relationship in the future, and how a successful
solution can ensure new clients for your vendor.
The Benefit What is the benefit of writing a letter of this type? You may receive an apology, some sort of restitution, have unpleasant circumstances made better, or have unfair treatment documented.
Three Examples of an Arguable Claim Letter to follow:
An unmarked version for study
A marked version to study the placement of Toulmin elements and focus on the argument in the document
A formatted version that shows the correct spacing between content areas in the letterTHE ARGUABLE CLAIM LETTER
When Do You Write an Arguable Claim Letter?
The Occasion arises when levels of service fail, mistakes are made, or promises are not kept.
What’s the PMB?
The Purpose The purpose of an arguable claim letter is to receive restitution for unsatisfactory services or products. It can also be used to complain about unfair treatment. Arguable claim letters will
more than likely convey unwelcome news. Therefore, it is essential to keep ‘reason’ in mind. The main purpose here is to receive a refund, an apology, or a replacement.
The Message Always begin with a congenial statement and try to find some common ground where all parties can agree. Most importantly, always include enough detail. Remember, you are arguing
for a specific claim. Your argument will mostly rest on the detail you provide as support. Because this is an arguable claim letter, the Toulmin model is obviously the framework within which to compose the
letter. Tone is important as well. Keep your message polite and formal. Stick to the point. Do not veer off on a tirade that makes no sense. Keep emotion out of it.
Guidelines:
• Open with a congenial statement both parties can agree on. This is where you address your reader’s warrants. You might reference good service in the past. You might include some allusion to future
business if the matter is resolved quickly.
• State your claim clearly. This is where you state what product or service you want replaced, adjusted, or rendered.
• Outline your support for your claim. This the area in which you provide evidence to support your claim. Your reader must have a reason for meeting your requests.
• Conclude the letter by requesting specific action to be taken. This area can include more warrants such as an appeal to continue the vendor-client relationship in the future, and how a successful
solution can ensure new clients for your vendor.
The Benefit What is the benefit of writing a letter of this type? You may receive an apology, some sort of restitution, have unpleasant circumstances made better, or have unfair treatment documented.
Three Examples of an Arguable Claim Letter to follow:
An unmarked version for study
A marked version to study the placement of Toulmin elements and focus on the argument in the document
A formatted version that shows the correct spacing between content areas in the letter
