11/12

English
Quarter 2- Week 2
Strengthen your Arguments:
Fallacies and Counterclaims

Evora H. Mendoza
Author

MOST ESSENTIAL LEARNING COMPETENCY:

The learner defends a stand on an issue by presenting reasonable arguments
supported by properly cited factual evidences.
CS_EN11/12A-EAPPIIa-d-4

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 In this module, you will learn how to avoid fallacies in writing and strengthen your
arguments by using counterclaims.

After going through this lesson, you are expected to define fallacies and
counterclaims, differentiate the types of fallacies, and defend a stand on an issue
by presenting reasonable arguments supported by properly cited factual
evidences.

Before you delve deeper into the topic, you are asked to answer the Pre-Test
below.

Read the following questions and encircle the letter of your answer.
1. It is a type of fallacy that is unfortunate but irrelevant and distracting from the
main argument.
A. Either/ Or C. Post Hoc
B. Red Herring D. Straw Man
2. This fallacy is an argument that is repeated instead of proving it.
A. Slippery Slope C. Straw Man
B. Circular Argument D. Hasty Generalization
3. Which of the following is an example of either/or fallacy?
A. “Either you cook dinner, or you wash dishes.”
B. “At this time, people based their votes on their emotions as a substitute for
their brains.”
C. “But, Dad, I know you got married younger than me, so why can’t I do it
too?”
D. “Because going out half-naked is against the barangay’s policy, many
believe it is wrong.”
4. What fallacy is shown in the example below?
“She is an incompetent leader because she is a woman.”
A. Either /or C. Straw Man
B. Post Hoc D. Ad Hominem
5. This rebuts the previous claim.
A. Fallacies C. Argument
B. Counterclaims D. Evidence

Good job on answering the Pre-Test! You may request your facilitator to check
your work.

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 In the previous lesson, you have learned to identify the claim and evidence. Let
us test how well you remember the lesson by matching the words in column A with the
meaning in column B. Write the answer on the space provided before each number.

Column A Column B
_______1. Argument A. It appeals to audience’s logic.
_______2. Claim B. It supports the claim.
_______3. Evidence C. It is the main idea of the position
_______ 4. Logos paper.
_______ 5. Facts D. It is proven correct.
E. It is based on research.

An argument to be convincing must always be supported by evidences that can

be proven with factual basis. Unsound arguments or fallacies should be avoided in
supporting a claim.

Fallacies are mistaken beliefs which are logically incorrect but are still used in
arguments which maks it less effective. Avoiding fallacies will help eliminate errors in
writing your position paper.

Here are some fallacies commonly used by writers:

1. Hasty Generalization – This fallacy is grounded only on one unusual situation

the writer focused on because he has not studied enough examples before
writing an argument.
Example:
Men from Batangas are courageous. Therefore, there are many heroes
there.

2. Slippery Slope – This is a fallacy that falsely assumes the order of actions. This
means that first event will not automatically lead to such unlikely or unbelievable
result.
Example:
If I let your girlfriend stay at the house, then, any girls can stay there.

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 3. Circular Argument – A fallacy like this restates its claim as its conclusion
instead of strengthening the argument itself.
Example:
Mothers are always right because my mother says so.
4. Straw Man – This fallacy argues on a claim that the opponent did not state. It
includes misconceptions to make the argument appear weak.
Example:
Technology is the root of all evil.
Why do you hate using social media?

5. Either/ Or- This kind of argument fails because it limits the choices to only two
but in truth, there are more options to choose from.
Example:
“Either we change legal age for voting to 21, or teenagers will not be able
to vote at all.”

6. Red Herring - This uses unfortunate but useless information to mislead the main
argument.
Example:
“Attending a webinar is important, but it isn’t just as important as cleaning
the house which I do every day.”

7. Post Hoc- This fallacy makes use of the assumption of cause and its effect
stating that if the occurrence of A happens; then, B follows. A caused B.
Example:
I dreamt of a cat waving. The next day I won the lottery. Dreaming of
waving cats is good luck.

8. Ad Hominem – This fallacy uses insults and attacking the person’s character
instead of his/her arguments.
Example:
Don’t believe your sister, she is not a teacher.

9. Dicto Simpliciter – This fallacy uses a general rule or observation as universally

true regardless of the circumstances or the individuals concerned.
Example:
Eating fruits is a good way to be healthy, so everyone should eat fruits
every day.

Aside from avoiding fallacies in writing, knowing how to write counterclaims is

equally important for this makes the argument more effective.

Counterclaims are statements made to disagree with the previous claim. By

providing counterclaims, a writer displays competence and familiarity about the topic.

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Activity 1.1
Do this activity as directed.
1. Watch Coco Martin’s video on the shutdown of ABS-CBN.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfnji7f9G90

2. Then, answer the following questions.

a. What were his arguments against the shutdown of ABS-CBN?

b. In general, what was his tone throughout the video?

c. Why did this video gain mostly negative reactions?

Activity 1.2
Using the video of Coco Martin on the ABS-CBN Shutdown mentioned in the
previous activity, list three arguments that he enumerated which you disagree with,
then, provide your reason or explanation for each argument.

Argument #1:

Argument #2:

Argument #3:

In order to write an effective argument, bear the following things in mind:

 Fallacies are misguided beliefs which are not logical but are still used in
arguments.
 Some of the fallacies discussed in this module are:
o Hasty Generalization is grounded only on one unusual situation the writer
focused on because he has not studied enough examples before writing
an argument
o Slippery Slope assumes the order of actions.
o Circular Argument restates its claim as its conclusion instead of
strengthening the argument itself.
o Straw Man argues on a claim that the opponent did not state.
o Either/ Or is the kind of argument fails because it limits the choices by two
but in truth, there are more options to choose from.
o Red Herring - This uses unfortunate but useless information to mislead the
main argument.
o Post Hoc makes use of the assumption of cause and its effect.
o Ad Hominem uses insults and attacking the person’s character instead of
his/her arguments
o Dicto Simpliciter uses a general rule or observation as universally true
regardless of the circumstances or the individuals concerned.
 Counterclaims are made for rebutting the stated claim showing opposing
position.
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 Write your stand and claim about the given topic and issue. Strengthen your
claim by presenting three reasonable arguments supported by properly cited factual
evidences.

Topic: Public Transportation

Issue: Jeepney Phase-Out
Stand:
Claim:

Argument #1:

Argument #2:

Argument #3:

Match the fallacy in column A with its example in column B. Write the answer on the
space provided before the number.
A B
____1. Hasty Generalization A. The sky is dark. It will rain tonight.
____2. Post Hoc B. Mexican food has a lot of onions. Therefore, I
____3. Red Herring don't like Mexican food.
____4. Slippery Slope C. The boss is the law because he is the boss.
____5. Circular Argument D. Saving money is essential but shopping bags
and clothes takes a lot of time.
E. If you don’t bring me to school, I will not finish
it and will not get a good job.
F. Either you agree that LGBT should not vote,
or you don’t.

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 Having finished the lesson and different activities in this module, let us check
your assessment of them by answering the following questions in a separate sheet of
paper.

What have I learned from

the lesson?

What are the practical

applications of these
learnings I had from this
topic?

What do I want to know

more about the lesson?