Vocabulary
An appeal to emotion.
Pathos
All of my cats like sitting in boxes. Therefore cats must like boxes.
Inductive
Janet might have a good point, but she has a tendency to pick fights with Steve.
Ad hominem
A cheerios box claims that it will lower cholesterol 4% in just 6 weeks!
Logos
An appeal to timeliness.
Kairos
The freezing point of water is 32 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s hotter than 32 degrees Fahrenheit, so water will not freeze.
Deductive
Pasta is made with eggs and flour. Cake is made with eggs and flour. Cake must be pasta.
Red herring OR False Analogy
In August and September there are usually sales on writing utensils, paper, and other school supplies.
Kairos
An error in logical reasoning.
Logical Fallacy
We live in Florida and the sign says “no swimming.” There are probably alligators here.
Abductive
Some teachers prefer students to write in pencil because they have erasers. However, pencils need to be sharpened.
Strawman
I was so overwhelmed by my little sister crying every day that I couldn’t focus on my essay. Can I please, please have an extension?
Pathos
The three types of logical reasoning.
Deductive, inductive, and abductive
There are a total of 20 apples and oranges in a basket. I pulled out five; four apples and one orange, therefore there are 16 apples and four oranges in the basket.
Inductive
None of my cats have scratched anyone on purpose, therefore all cats are nice and would never hurt you.
Hasty Generalization
You point out that you have been a very good student this year, you have done all of your chores, and you are a very responsible youngster who deserves to have a new video game.
Ethos
Qualities of an argument that make it persuasive.
Rhetorical appeals
Percy and Annabeth are close friends, though I heard they got into a big fight and weren’t speaking. I saw them on a walk together the other day. I guess they must have made up.
Abductive
Tomatoes are the easiest plant to grow because I think it’s easiest to grow tomatoes.
What is wrong with this argument?
You argue that video games improve hand-eye coordination and studies have shown that video games improve problem-solving ability and critical thinking.
Logos