extended analogy
An extended passage arguing that if two things are similar in one or two ways, they are probably similar in other ways as well.
fallacy
an attractive but unreliable piece of reasoning.
Ad hominem
Personally attacking your opponents instead of their arguments. It is an argument that appeals to emotion rather than reason, feeling rather than intellect.
Hasty generalization
A generalization based on too little or unrepresentative data.
Non Sequitur
A conclusion that does not follow from its premises; an invalid argument.
Slippery slope
The assumption that once started, a situation will continue to its most extreme possible outcome.
generalization
A point that a speaker or writer generates on the basis of considering a number of particular examples.
genre
A piece of writing classified by type—for example, letter, narrative, eulogy, or editorial.
hyperbole
An exaggeration, or overstatement, for effect.
induction / inductive reasoning
Reasoning that begins by citing a number of specific instances or examples and then shows how collectively they constitute a general principle. Reasoning that moves from a number of particulars to a general conclusion.
inductive leap
Because we cannot test every instance (past, present, future), we take the leap from “most” or “some” to “all.” We reach a generalization.
inference
A conclusion that a reader or listener reaches by means of his or her own thinking rather than be direct statement in a text.
intention
The goal a writer or speaker hopes to achieve with the text—for example, to clarify difficult material, to inform, to convince, or to persuade. Also called aim and purpose.
irony
Writing or speaking that implies the contrary of what is actually written or spoken.
jargon
The specialized vocabulary of a particular group.
logic
The art of reasoning.
logos
The appeal of a text based on the logical structure of its argument or central ideas.
mood
The feeling that a text is intended to produce in the audience.
occasion
The part of context also referred to as time and place.
paradox
A seemingly contradictory situation which is actually true. “You can't get a job without experience, and you can't get experience without getting a job.”
parallelism
Sentence construction which places equal grammatical constructions near each other, or repeats identical grammatical patterns.
pathos
The appeal of a text to the emotions or interests of the audience.
persona
The character that a writer or speaker conveys to the audience; the plural is personae.
persuasion
The changing of people’s minds or actions by language.
polysyndeton
Stylistic device in which several coordinating conjunctions are used in succession, in order to achieve an artistic effect.
premise, major
The first premise in a syllogism. The major premise states an irrefutable generalization.
premise, minor
The second premise in a syllogism.
pun
A play on words.
purpose
The goal a writer or speaker hopes to achieve with the text—for example, to clarify difficult material, to inform, to convince, and/or to persuade. Also called aim and intention.
qualifiers
words such as “probably,” “presumably,” and “generally.”