Page 480 - Wordsmith A Guide to College Writing

“Have the body of your dreams in just ten minutes a day!”

“Make $100,000 a year from home in your spare time!”

“Attract the person of your dreams with our phenomenal pheromone

spray!”

“Call our psychics now to find out what the future holds for you. They

already know you are going to call!”

Advertisements like these probably make you skeptical, even if they
tempt you just a bit. And you are right to be skeptical because the

claims of those ads are clearly exaggerated. In an argument essay,

you are expected to take a position and support it, but that does not

mean you want to exaggerate. Think through your topic thoroughly,

and be aware of the complexity of the problem you are discussing.

Sliding down a slippery slope. A “slippery slope” argument is one

that imagines a chain reaction that is in fact not inevitable. Here is an

example: Students should participate in organizations relating to their

major. If they do not, they will not have a network of future
professionals in their field. As many jobs are obtained through

networking, students without a network may not get jobs. Without jobs,

these students may end up homeless and living in cardboard boxes

behind a shopping center.

Cherry picking. A writer who engages in cherry picking chooses to
address only the evidence that supports his or her argument while

ignoring large and obvious pieces of evidence that counter that

argument.