The following two sentences display a comparative claim as it begins with a comparison of Caleb to his former physical self before comparing him to other wounded veterans. While other veterans may be missing limbs, Caleb is faced with the mental scars of warfare.

“Now, he’s rounder, heavier, bearded, and long-haired, obviously tough even if he
weren’t prone to wearing a COMBAT INFANTRYMAN cap, but still not the guy you
picture when you see his “Disabled Veteran” license plates. Not the old ‘Nam guy
with a limp, or maybe the young legless Iraq survivor, that you’d expect”

The following sentence is a categorical claim as it categorizes sounds that would be heard in the home of this family from Alabama. This shows that they have chosen a quiet town to settle down in as to not trigger Caleb’s PTSD. However, this may be more prone to trigger his responses as he can hear everything, even a cat walking.

“You can hear the cat padding around. The air conditioner whooshes, a clock ticks.”

The following sentence is a factual claim as it explains what their German Shepard is expected to do to help deal with Caleb’s triggers.

“Their German shepherd, a service dog trained to help veterans with PTSD, is ready to alert Caleb to triggers by barking, or to calm him by jumping onto his chest”

The follow sentences are comparative claims as they compare Brannan’s situation with her husband to other wives who she helps consults. She explains how her situation is better by comparison.

“This PTSD picture is worse than some, but much better, Brannan knows, than those that have devolved into drug addiction and rehab stints and relapses. She has not, unlike military wives she advises, ever been beat up”

The following is an evaluative claim as it evaluates the usual behaviors of Brannan and Caleb and how that effects their household.

“Brannan and Caleb can be tense with their own agitation, and tense about each other’s”

The following is an evaluative claim as it explains that Brannan’s wedding dress is in a higher quality than expected as she and Caleb got married before she turned 20.

“The Vineses’ wedding album is gorgeous, leather-bound, older and dustier than you might expect given their youth”