Argument Terms*
     
  •  Ethos: Argument based on ethical appeal.
  •  Logos: Argument based on logical appeal.
  •  Pathos: Argument based on emotional appeal.
    		•
Concession:
Recognizing the merit of a specific point or two of a counter argument.

Conclusion:
The key assertion/claim/thesis for which all the premises support.

Counter argument:
The opposite position toward a writer's arguments.

Issue:
Topic of concern or controversy.

Premises:
The reasons which support the conclusion.
  • Premise #1: If Minneapolis doesn't build a stadium, the Twins may leave.
  • Premise #2: Minneapolis, a major city, deserves a baseball team.
  • Premise #3: If children don't have baseball, they lose out on good memories.
  • Conclusion: Minneapolis should build a downtown stadium.

Syllogisms:
The classic format for deductive reasoning is the syllogism, which consistsof a series of carefully limited premises, pursued to a circumscribed conclusion.
Example:
  • All Major League Baseball teams improve the quality of life in the their home cities.
  • Minneapolis is the home city to the Minnesota Twins.
  • Therefore, the quality of life in Minneapolis is better than it would be if the Twins didn't play there.
Question-at-issue:
A particular aspect of the issue under consideration.

Example:
Should affirmative action play a role in university admission?
    (The elaborated answer is the writer's thesis.)

Reasoning:
The logical form of an argument (inductive, deductive, etc.).
Refutation:
After presenting a counter argument or making a concession to a counter argument (through paraphrase or summary), the writer explains why a certain point is false, misleading, irrelevant, or weak.
Support:
The premises which defend a claim/conclusion/thesis.

Thesis:
The writer's main, overall conclusion regarding a specific question-at-issue/debate, which is supported by premises and sub-claims. For a problem/solution argument form, it is the clear proposed solution.

*Based on information taken from Writing Logically, Thinking Critically by Sheila Cooper and Rosemary Patton.

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Last Updated 3-1-00
jeanette.corey-gruenes@mankato.msus.edu