WEEK 5

Rhetorical Devices
&
Informal Fallacy
AP02520 | AISYAH SOFIYYA BINTI HASSAN
 Rhetorical
Devices
The techniques of delivering your
message or persuasion to make it
more appealing, convincing and
effective.
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 Types of Rhetorical Devices
LITOTES
Verbal irony in which
understatement is used to
emphasize a point by
stating a negative to
further affirm a positive,
often incorporating
double negatives for
effect.
e.g.:
I didn’t do nothing =
I did something
I don’t have no
money = I have
money
RHETORICAL JARGON
EUPHEMISM
QUESTION
Specialized words or
Words or phrases that are phrases used by
used as substitute to those professionals specialized in
A question asked not for
that might sound harsh or that specified fields.
the answer, but for the
blunt to soften the blow
effect. (making the
of something unpleasant
audience think) e.g.:
or embarrassing.
“bull run” = used in
stock market or stock
exchange to describe
e.g.: a long, extended
e.g.:
died = passed away period in the market
Do you want to be a
prostitutes = call when stock prices are
failure for the rest of
girls, “VIP escorts” on the rise.
your life?
euthanize = mercy computer words –
Can we do better
killing of animals html, alt, fn
next time?
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 Types of Rhetorical Devices

BUZZWORD
Similar to jargon, but are
currently fashionable or
widely used in current statement, sometimes
context. (doesn’t
necessarily an acronym)
e.g.: e.g.:
COVID-19, MCO,
PKPB, PKP, PKPD,
plane crash
(abundant case)
Not OTP, OTT
SMOKESCREE
HYPERBOLE PARALEPSIS
N
When a person complains
To exaggerate a about something, and yet
says he doesn’t wish to
known as auxesis. make a complain about it.
e.g.:
I don’t want to say
anything bad about
I’m so hungry, I another doctor,
especially one who’s a
could eat you.
useless drunk.
There's enough
I don’t want to
food in the
comment anything, but
cupboard to feed an your work is really a
entire army! mess.
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INFORMAL
FALLACY
RED HERRING
(Appeal To Irrelevant Authority)

Using an alleged authority as evidence when

he/she is not really an authority on facts
relevant to the argument.

e.g.:
Oprah says it is bad to eat after 6pm, so we
have to follow her instructions.
(this is a fallacy because she is not a
specialist in dietetic field)

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AD HOMINEM

Attacking an argument based on claims about

the person making that argument, such as
personality, appearance, background.
e.g.:
You are wrong because you are ugly.
You can’t possible accept her conclusion that
vaccination is safe. Look at her job title: she’s
the pay of the pharmaceutical lobby!

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FALLACY OF
AMBIGUITY
(Linguistic Fallacy)

An argument using ambiguous words or phrases,

whose meaning shifts and changes (to various
degrees of subtlety) during the course of the
argument. Easy for people to misunderstand due to
ambiguity.
e.g.:
1. Everything that is fair is beautiful
2. Killing people in war is fair.
3. Therefore, killing people in war is beautiful.
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FALSE DILEMMA

A logical fallacy that gives you only two

choices, makes people feel bad and torn to
choose.

e.g.:
George Bush warned nations he considers
“harboring terrorists” in the middle east
“you’re either with the enemy or with us”.
Either you drink water to be healthy, or drink
cola to be unhealthy
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FAULTY GENERALIZATION
(Hasty Conclusion)

It is sometimes called the over-generalization

fallacy. It is basically a claim that is made based
on very little evidence.

e.g.:
5 teenagers in the neighborhood vandalized the car,
and the adults concluded that all teenagers are
irresponsible.
All men are the same.

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ANECDOTAL FALLACY

Using personal experience or an isolated

example instead of a sound argument.
Something that occurred to oneself does not
necessarily happen to others as well.
e.g.:
Pfizer vaccine is not safe because some people
died from it. (This case is minority, so not valid)

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AD POPULUM
(Bandwagon Fallacy)

Similar to appeal to popularity, believing

something is true or acceptable only because it is
popular. It is believed only after others agreed to
it.

e.g.:
This assignment is due next week, because
everyone said so, despite the lecturer’s instructions
to turn it in tomorrow.

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SLIPPERY SLOPE
FALLACY
(Exaggerated Conclusion)

When a person makes a claim that one event

leads to another event and so on until we come to
some awful conclusion, without adequate
EVIDENCE.
e.g.:

If you don’t know how to cook, you will be

single forever
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LOADED QUESTION

Question that contains a controversial

assumption the question attempts to limit direct
replies to be those that serve the questioner’s
agenda.

e.g.:
“Have you stopped beating your wife?”
(If the person being questioned answered yes, means
he’s admitting that he had beaten his wife before)

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Thank
You!
Have a nice day

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