CH.6: Compound Claims & The Contradictory of a Claim

I didn't know that one claim could essentially be made up of two or more claims. I always viewed a sentence with multiple claims as a multiple claim, but after reading about compound claims, it is "one claim composed of other claims." (Epstein 113). A compound claim may include an "or" option in the claim in order to link two claims to create a compound. "The claims that are parts of" a claim that has "or" is called an alternative. (Epstein 114). Yet, not all sentences are compound claims. If the indicator in the sentence is an argumentative one, such as "because," then the sentence becomes an argument.

Here is an example of a compound claim:

"I'll either meet up with you on Friday night after work or visit you when you work on Mondays' at Home Depot."

This is one claim consisting of two claims. Although I have not promised to do fulfill either of the things I may do above, thus it is just one claim.

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In addition to compound claims, are the contradictory of a claim, which is opposite of what the initial claim has stated. The contradictory of claim is also know as a "negation of a claim." (Epstein 114). This concept of contradictory of a claim was fairly easy and clear for me to understand. It was also fun trying to make up a contradictory of a claim I had made up.

Here are two examples of a contradictory of a claim:

Claim: Ricardo wins in basketball games.

Contradictory: Ricardo does not win in basketball games.


Claim: Abby does not want to go shopping at Stanford Shopping Center.

Contradictory: Abby wants to go shopping at Stanford Shopping Center.


Here is an example of a contradictory of an "or" claim
([Neither] A "or" B has contradictory "not" A "and not" B):

Claim: Jacobson will learn how throw a baseball, or he will not be the pitcher.

Contradictory: Jacobson will not learn how throw a baseball, and he will be the pitcher.