Prove something

When we make a claim of any sort, we must offer evidence that we are speaking the truth. This evidence often takes the form of a factual statement, a statistic, or a definition. As we saw in an earlier module, the credibility of the source for these is very important.
Example:
Main Point (claim): Teen use of MySpace and similar sites is on the rise
Proof: According to the June 22, 2006, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, there are over 80 million profiles on MySpace.com, and a quarter of those are from teens under eighteen. MySpace use rose 400 percent last year.

Notice how credible statistics help prove the claim that teens are using MySpace? But we want to help clarify why this is an issue by placing the trend into a context.