Handouts
Appeal to force- You will be kicked out from the group if
Logical fallacy- is an error of reasoning. These are flawed
statements that often sound true.
The word “fallacy” derives from the Latin word fallere meaning,
“to deceive, to trip, to lead into error or to trick.” The word also
derives from the Greek phelos, meaning “deceitful.”
1. Bandwagon
 “It must be cool because everyone is doing it…
 Cassandra’s friends have joined social media sites, so Cathy
feels like she needs to create an account as wellGolden State
Warriors have the most number of fans!
2. Ad Hominem: Latin for “To the man” – pointing out a negative
characteristic to support one’s argument.
 ex: how could Mary know anything about cars? She’s a
woman!
 Who are you to talk about politics and immigration laws, when
you didn’t even pass our Oral Communication Subject?
3. Appeal to Authority – Using a celebrity or authority figure’s
name to support an issue which if not really his or her expertise.
 I'm not a doctor, but I play one on the hit series "Bimbos and
Studmuffins in the OR." You can take it from me that when you
need a fast acting, effective and safe painkiller there is nothing
better than MorphiDope 2000. That is my considered medical
opinion.
 Boysen is highly recommended by Gordon Ramsey, world class
chef, culinary curator, and host of America’s Master Chef.
4. Hasty Generalization- generalizing without enough evidence
 Ex: I know three redheads who have terrible tempers, and since
Annabel has red hair, I bet she has a terrible temper too.
I was in a plane boarding to Malaysia for a business trip. I
happen to sit beside an Indian, and he is bossy and arrogant. I
think that Indian’s have bad manners.
5. False Dilemma- either or argument
 You are either with us or against us
 It’s either you support the War on Drugs program of the
government, or you are in favor of the opposition.
6. Post Hoc- The arguer infers that because one event follows
another, the first event must be the cause of the second event.
 Ex: Lily Cruz stared at the mirror for too long during night time,
this must be the reason why she passed away last night, her
soul must be trapped inside the mirror.
7. Wrong direction - cause and effect are reversed. The cause is
said to be the effect and vice versa.
EX: Damage on the liver leads to alcoholism
 Lung diseases like, lung cancer and tuberculosis cause
cigarette smoking addiction and unhealthy habits.
8. Anonymous Authority - unknown "expert" is cited in order to
validate the claims made.
 EX: Neurologists say that sleeping with wet hair is not good for
your mental health as it might cause imbalance to brain
chemicals and might lead to schizophrenia.
9. Appeal to ignorance - ignorance represents "a lack of
contrary evidence”
 Heza does not talk about the connections between the victim’s
killer and his sister, so there must be none
 It asserts that a proposition is true because it has not yet been
proven false or a proposition is false because it has not yet
been proven true.
 EX: The Policeman did not mention anything about the possible
relation of drugs to the homicide of 2 men in the bar last night.
Therefore, there was no drugs involved and it was just a crime
of passion.
10. Complex question – asks a question that presupposes
something that has not been proven or accepted by all the
people involved.
 Ex: So have you stop beating your wife?
11.
you don’t agree with our insights about same sex marriage.
 Jaywalking is not allowed, so you should not have done that
even when terrorists were chasing you.
CLAIMS - It is a single statement that becomes the topic of the
argument.
Claim of fact - debates whether it is true or false.
Ex. Homosexuality is rooted in Genetics.
Claim of value - asserts judgement whether it is good or bad,
more or less desirable.
Ex. E-learning is better than a tradition classroom setting.
Claim of policy - is something that should or should not be
done. The key word is the verb “should.”
Ex. The divorce should be implemented here in the
Philippines.
THE THESIS STATEMENT IS A SENTENCE IN YOUR TEXT that
contains the focus of your essay and tells your reader what the
essay is going to be about.
A GOOD THESIS STATEMENT:
 takes a stand, expressing your point of view
 is a statement, not a question
 needs to be narrow enough to lead to a well-focused paper
 tells the reader something about the topic, something with which
some people could disagree
 is expressed in one sentence
HOW TO EVALUATE YOUR THESIS STATEMENT:
 Is it a complete sentence (and not a question)?
 Does it have an opposing argument?
 Is every word clear and unambiguous in meaning?
 Does the statement make too large a claim to prove in an
assignment of this length?
 Does the thesis statement reveal how you are going to develop
your argument?
 What evidence will your reader need from you to agree that the
thesis is true?
Example:
Our school offers quality education. (This is the right thesis
statement)
It also provides state-of-the-art facilities.
Our school employs competent teachers.
The environment is conducive for learning.
Jogging prevents heart disease.
Jogging helps prevent chronic illnesses. (This is the right thesis
statement)
Jogging helps treat diabetes.
Internet pornography is one of the widespread issue nowadays.
Internet has negative effects on society and to human mind. (This
is the right thesis statement)
It is being used to bully other people.
Academic and Professional Writing
Academic writing is just that-- writing for a scholarly or
university audience. It typically emphasizes clarity, evidence, and
depth of thought. Common styles are theses, academic papers,
monographs (books), and presentations.
Professional writing is usually for a business or
applied setting (a company, a hospital, a courtroom, a factory). It
typically emphasizes brevity and format, and perhaps legal
niceties. Common styles are reports, briefs, resumes, and
business letters.