Argument Techniques

Front 1

Ad hominem attack

Back 1

Attacking or insulting a person rather than their opinion or facts

Front 2

Analogy

Back 2

A comparison between two things that helps the reader to draw conclusions about their similarities.

Front 3

Anecdote

Back 3

A story about someone or something that the writer has experienced or heard about

Front 4

Appeal to family values

Back 4

Suggests that families are good especially traditional nuclear families

Front 5

Appeal to fear and insecurity

Back 5

Arouses fear and anxiety by suggesting that harmful or unpleasant effects will follow.

Front 6

Appeal to the hip-pocket nerve

Back 6

Suggests that people should pay the least amount possible either individually or as a society

Front 7

Appeal to loyalty and patriotism

Back 7

Suggests that readers should be loyal to their group and love their country

Front 8

Appeal to tradition and custom

Back 8

Suggests that traditional customs are valuable and should be preserved

Front 9

Begging the question

Back 9

Occurs when the premise of an argument is the same as the conclusion

Front 10

Deductive reasoning

Back 10

Examining general rules and facts about a group to form a specific conclusion about one part of the group

Front 11

Evidence

Back 11

The use of facts and figures to suggest a rational or scientific basis for a point of view

Front 12

Reason and logic

Back 12

Used to link ideas together and develop an argument in support of the main contention

Front 13

Straw man argument

Back 13

The misrepresentation of an opponent's argument in order to make it easier to rebut