Argumentative Terms Complete your foldable with the following

Thesis Thesis statement – statement of the main idea and previews the major points the writer will make.

Argument A process of reasoned inquiry; a persuasive discourse resulting in a coherent and considered movement from a claim to a conclusion.

Counterargument An opposing argument to the counter side. A strong writer will usually address it through the process of: Concession – an acknowledgement that an opposing argument may be true or reasonable Refutation- a denial of the validity of an opposing argument

Appeals Ethos- demonstrates that the speaker is credible and trustworthy, often emphasized by shared values, sounding reasonable and well informed. Logos- presents clear rational ideas; thinking logically; using specific details, examples, facts, statistics, or expert testimony to back up the topic. Pathos- appeals to emotions, values, desires, hopes, fears and prejudice. Used through the tools of figurative language, personal anecdotes, and vivid images. An argument appealing exclusively to the emotions is by definition weak.

Evidence First hand evidence- based on personal observations or general knowledge. Quantitative evidence – evidence represented by numbers/ qualitative data; elements that can be measured, cited, counted, graphs, diagrams, etc. Second hand evidence- accessed through research, reading and investigation, factual and historical events, expert opinions.

Claim (assertion/ proposition) States the argument’s main idea or position. Claim differs from a topic or subject in that the claim has to be arguable. Claim of fact- asserts (states/ declares) that something is true or not true. Claim of policy – proposes a change. Claim of value – argues that something is good or bad, right or wrong.

Logical Fallacies Weaknesses in an argument, no logical connection between claim and evidence.

Cont. Logical Fallacies 1. Ad hominem (Latin – to the man) attack the character of the speaker. 2. Bandwagon – everybody is doing it so it must be a good thing. 3. Begging the question – claim is based on evidence or support that is in doubt. 4. Circular reasoning- writer repeats the claim as evidence. 5. False dilemma (either/or) – two extreme options are the only choices.

Cont. Logical Fallacies 6. Faulty analogy – comparing two items that are not comparable. 7. Hasty generalization- a faulty conclusion is reached due to inadequate evidence. 8. Straw Man- speaker chooses a deliberately poor or oversimplified example in order to ridicule and refute an idea. 9. False Cause – claim that something is a cause just because it happened earlier. (Correlation does not imply causation.)

Rhetoric Diction Connotation Tone Speaker/ persona Subject Purpose Audience Occasion Context Repetition Sentence structure Parallelism Imagery Figurative language

Organizational Patterns Which questions does your essay answer Clue Words Type of Organization What does it look like? What are its characteristics? furthermore,Descriptive What impression does it make? besides, next to Why did it happen? What caused it? consequently, asCause & Effect/ What does it cause? a result, hence,Problem & Solution What are its effects? therefore How is it like other things? unlike, on the other Compare & Contrast How is it different from other things? hand, besides, also

Cont. Organizational Pattern Which questions does your essay answer Clue Words Type of Organization