English 2 Pre-AP Fallacy

An act of argument directed against a person rather than the position they are maintaining.

This argument uses force, the threat of force, or some other unpleasant backlash to make the audience accept a conclusion. It commonly appears as a last resort when evidence or rational arguments fail to convince a reader.

The fallacy of supporting a position by attempting to provoke pity or guilt in your audience or opponent.

A logical fallacy in which a conclusion or side is supported solely because it has long been held to be true or superior.

Sometimes called the appeal to common belief or appeal to the masses because it’s all about getting people to do or think something because “everyone else is doing it” or “everything else thinks this.”

Occurs when an argument's premises assume the truth of the conclusion, instead of supporting it. In other words, you assume without proof the stand/position, or a significant part of the stand, that is in question.

Falsely assumes that one event causes another. Often a reader will mistake a time connection for a cause-effect connection.

An informal fallacy that occurs when one reasons that something that is true for a whole must also be true of all or some of its parts.

Assumes that there are only two possible choices when there are other choices available.

Occurs when a key term or phrase in an argument is used in an ambiguous way, with one meaning in one portion of the argument and then another meaning in another portion of the argument.