Aplac

Claim of Fact

Asserts that something is true or not true.

Claim of Value

Argues that something is good or bad, right or wrong, desirable or undesirable.

Claim of Policy

Proposes a change.

Red Herring

A fallacy where a speaker skips to a new and irrelevant topic to avoid the topic of discussion.

Ad Hominem

A fallacy that switches the argument from the issue at hand to the character of the other speaker.

Faulty Analogy

A comparison between two things that are not comparable.

Either/Or Fallacy

Also called false dilemma; presents two extreme options as the only possible choices.

Equivocation

A fallacy where a speaker intentionally misleads the audience by using a word with a double or ambiguous meaning.

Hasty Generalization

A fallacy where there is not enough evidence to support a particular conclusion.

Circular Reasoning

Repeating the claim as a way to provide evidence, resulting in no evidence at all.

Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc

Assumes that one event happened after another, so the first event must have caused the second one.

Appeal to False Authority

When someone who has no expertise to speak on an issue is cited as an authority.

Bandwagon Appeal

Argues that something is good or popular simply because it is popular.

Classical Oration Model

A common way to structure an argument, involving Introduction, Narration, Confirmation, Refutation, and Conclusion.

Induction

Reasoning from specific cases to general principles.

Deduction

Reasoning from general principles to specific conclusions.

Toulmin Model

A model focusing on the link between a claim and the evidence used to support it, framed as Because (evidence), therefore (claim), since (assumption).

Closed Thesis Statement

A statement that includes the main idea and the major points to be discussed.

Open Thesis Statement

A statement of the main idea without listing all points.

Counterargument Thesis Statement

A thesis that acknowledges opposing views before presenting an argument.

First-Hand Evidence

Evidence based on personal experience, observations, or knowledge.

Second-Hand Evidence

Evidence drawn from research, expert opinions, or historical data.

Straw man fallacy

A speaker chooses a deliberately poor or oversimplified example to refute an opponent's argument.

introduction

introduces the topic/ grabs attention

Narration/ Exposition

provides background information/ context

confirmation

presents claims and evidence supporting the argument

refutation

addresses opposing viewpoints and counters them

conclusion

summarizes the argument and leaves a strong impression