1. Elements of an Argument

2. Rhetorical Triangle
pathos
ethos
audience
speaker
message
logos

3. The Appeals
pathos – emotional appeal; stirs strong feelings within the audience
logos – logical appeal; constructs a message of a well-reasoned argument
ethos – ethical appeal; establishes credibility and authority of speaker

4. How do I identify pathos?
Connotative diction
Diction
Imagery
Figurative language (metaphor, personification, hyperbole, etc. )
Carefully-crafted syntax (sentence structure)
Personal anecdotes (experiences or stories)

5. How do I identify logos? Facts Statistics Research
Referring to experts
Cause & effect

6. How do I identify ethos? Stating qualifications for expertise
Using first person plural pronouns (“we”)
Citing relevant authorities
Citing relevant allusions

7. More parts to the construction of an argument…

8. Call to action – the action the speaker or writer is persuading the audience or reader to take
Claim – debatable controversial statement the speaker or writer intends to prove with evidence
Commentary – connecting the evidence to the claim (How does evidence support claim?)
Concession – respectful acknowledgement of opposing viewpoint

9. Hook – the beginning of a persuasive essay meant to capture the reader’s attention (quote, profound statement, imagery, etc.)
Evidence – support for writer’s claim (examples, anecdotes, facts, statistics, research, etc.)
Thesis – a sentence that expresses the writer’s position on a certain topic
Qualifier – puts limits on a claim (usually, sometimes, in most cases, etc.)

10. Constructing an Argument

11. 1. Introduction
a. Hook
b. Thesis
2. Body Paragraph 1
a. Claim
b. Evidence
c. Commentary
Body Paragraph 2
4. Body Paragraph 3
5. Conclusion
a. Refutation – (slight CONCESSION)
b. Make it memorable (CALL TO ACTION)

12. Terms of Concessions I concede that…; however, … Yes, but…
I recognize that …, but I must point out that…
While I agree that…, we must remember that…
Although I understand that…, I still believe that…