TYPE OF FALLACY



|PERSUASIVE TECHNIQUE |DEFINITION |EXAMPLE |

|Fact |information that can be verified |Texans eat 50 tons of steak per year. |

|Opinion |a judgment or belief that cannot be verified |Texans eat too much steak each year. |

|Logical Appeal |reasoning and fact-based evidence of support |See p. 258-259 in Holt grammar text. |

|Logical Fallacy |the support is accurate but the conclusion is not |If Ms. Janszen sings in the car, and Tina Turner sings in her car, then Ms. |

| | |Janszen sings like Tina Turner. |

|Expert Opinion (compare to testimonial) |statements made by respected/recognized authority |A doctor supports a new x-ray technique. |

|Emotional Appeals |

|Anecdote |a brief story, personal or about someone else, that appeals to the audience |A politician speaking to a group of farmers tells a story about his first tractor|

| | |ride with Grandpa. |

|Bandwagon |Speaker asks listeners to “jump on the bandwagon” |Everyone is using this product. Everyone is throwing his support behind |

| |and to become part of the so-called majority |candidate Jones. |

| |You don’t want to be left out. | |

|Begging the Question (Circular |Speaker never really proves the point he/ she is trying to make. Talks in circles. |Jane is the best president we have ever had. |

|Reasoning) | |These useless math questions are a waste of time. |

|Card Stacking (stacking-the-deck) |Speaker only tells the audience the facts which support his or her position |This car gets 35 mpg, is only $14,000, and has front and side airbags. What |

| | |you’re not told is that an oil change will cost you $75 every 3,000 miles. |

|Either / Or |Only 2 possibilities presented. Allows no room for another opinion. |If I don’t pass this class, I’ll fail at everything. Either you are for us, or |

| | |you are against us. |

|False Analogy |Comparison of 2 unlike things |Skydiving is as easy as falling out of bed. |

|Faulty Cause/Effect (Non-sequitur/ Post |It doesn’t follow or make sense. |It rained today because I washed my car. |

|hoc) | |I am the best man for the job because I am well-respected at the office and play |

| | |a great game of tennis. |

|Fear |Gives a worst case scenario followed by what to do to avoid that negative consequence |Gas will cost over $4 per gallon within the next year. Buy your hybrid vehicle |

| | |now. |

|Glittering Generality (typically positive|Words or phrases so vague that the meaning is unclear. |Equal rights Freedom of speech |

|– compare to name-calling) | | |

|Hasty Generalization |Stereotyping |The younger generation has no respect for authority |

|Loaded Words |Focuses on connotation of word (positive or negative) |Motherhood, America, weakling, communist |

|Name Calling (Ad Hominem) |Speaker gives a person or idea a negative label without providing evidence |You are a liar, cheater, and a criminal. |

|Plain Folks (compare to bandwagon) |appeals to everyday person |Vote for Bob, the candidate who’s a citizen just like you. |

|Snob Appeal |Appeals to an elite group |“The few, the proud, the Marines.” |

| | |“L’oreal may cost a little more, but I’m worth it.” |

|Testimonial |Uses the opinion of a famous person who, although well-known, may not be an expert on | Celebrity endorsements. |

| |the subject. | |

|Transfer |projecting positive qualities of one thing to another to make the other acceptable – or |Naming a car Mustang after the wild and powerful horse |

| |– projecting negative qualities of one thing to another to make the other unacceptable |Referring to something as “ghetto” to suggest it’s not well-formed or fair |

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