Arguments that have ambiguous phrases or sloppy grammatical structure

(Ambiguous = when there is more than one meaning and it is unclear which is being used)

An argument contains a grammatical mistake which allows more than one conclusion to be drawn

Example: "Thank goodness! The student loan company says this is the last notice I'm going to get!"

An erroneous inference from the characteristics of an entire set or group about a member of that group or set

Example: Men are taller than women. Danny DeVito is a man. Therefore, Danny DeVito is taller than the average woman.

The use or threat of force in an attempt to get another person to accept a conclusion as correct

Example: "Don't disagree with me! Remember who pays your college tuition!"

Pity is evoked in an argument when pity is irrelevant to the conclusion

Example: "I don't have time to type my assignment for class tomorrow because I promised I'd meet Justin for a movie tonight. And you know better than anyone that it's wrong to break a promise. Please type my assignment for me! If you don't, I might fail the class."

An appeal to popular opinion to gain support for our conclusion

Example: Idea that everyone is doing it - "The ban on assault weapons should be extended. A recent poll found that 70% of Americans support a ban on assault weapons."

The claim that something is true simply because no one has proven it false, or that something is false simply because no one has proven it true.

Example: "UFOs obviously don't exist. No one has been able to prove that they do."

Generalization is made from a sample that is too small or biased

Example: "My father was an abuser, and so was my ex-boyfriend. All men are mean."

An opponent's argument is distorted or misrepresented in order to make it easier to refute

Example: "I'm opposed to legalizing same-sex marriages. Proponents of same-sex marriage want to destroy traditional marriage and make gay marriage the norm."

A response is directed toward a conclusion that is different from that proposed by the original argument

Example: A politician who is asked about a nationalized health care plan to cover all Americans may change the topic to the less controversial one of how it is important for all Americans to be healthy.

A fallacious argument that contains an assumption that is not supported by evidence

The conclusion of an argument is simply a rewording of the premise

Example: "Capital punishment is wrong because it is immoral to inflict death as a punishment for crime."

We look to an authority in a field other than that under investigation

Example: Pop singer Britney Spears promoting Pepsi

A particular answer is presumed to an unasked question

Example: Often used in court - "Have you stopped beating your girlfriend?"

Responses to complex issues are reduced to an either/or choice

Example: "America - love it or leave it! If you don't like the U.S. policy, then move somewhere else."

A person assumes, without sufficient evidence, that one thing is the cause of the other

Example: "I wore my red sweater to the exam last week and aced it. I guess the sweater brought me good luck."

The faulty assumption that if certain actions were permitted, then all actions of this type will soon be allowed.

Example: "If we allow any form of human cloning, then before we know it there will be armies of clones taking over our jobs."

A fallacy based on the assumption that what is natural is what is good.

Example: An ad claiming that a tobacco product is "100% natural tobacco."