Hasty Generalization
A fallacy in which a faulty conclusion is reached because of inadequate evidence.
Faulty Cause and Effect
A statement asserting a false connection between cause and effect
Begging the Question
A fallacy in which a claim is based on evidence or support that is in doubt.
Circular Reasoning
A fallacy in which the argument repeats the claim as a way to provide evidence.
Either Or Fallacy
A person provides only two possible options or sides, without considering all other possible choices.
Ad Hominem
In an argument, this is an attack on the person rather than on the opponent's ideas. It comes from the Latin meaning "against the man.
Ad Populum
This fallacy occurs when evidence boils down to "everybody's doing it, so it must be a good thing to do.
Red Herring
A fallacy that introduces an irrelevant issue to divert attention from the subject under discussion
Straw Man
A logical fallacy that involves the creation of an easily refutable position; misrepresenting, then attacking an opponent's position.
Non-sequitur
A statement that does not follow logically from evidence
Slippery Slope
A fallacy that assumes that taking a first step will lead to subsequent steps that cannot be prevented
Bandwagon
A fallacy which assumes that because something is popular, it is therefore good, correct, or desirable.
Antithesis
the direct opposite, a sharp contrast
Apostrophe
A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love.
Periodic Sentence
A sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end.
Synecdoche
A figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa
Syllogism
A form of deductive reasoning consisting of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion.
loose sentence
A type of sentence in which the main idea comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units such as phrases and clauses