The Shape of an Argument

Eight words for building a case the reader cannot poke a hole in.

Meet each word one at a time, then take the quiz to lock them in.

1. 1 principle noun
2. 2 criterion noun
3. 3 compile verb
4. 4 emphasize verb
5. 5 plausible adjective
6. 6 coherent adjective
7. 7 invariably adverb
8. 8 conceivably adverb

Nelson's word

noun

Principle. A noun, and one I file near the very front of the drawer, because a principle is a basic truth or rule that other reasoning stands upon. Fairness is a principle. Honesty is a principle. When a scientist says the study followed sound principles, she means it obeyed rules everyone in the field agrees are true. Mind the spelling, because principle with an -le at the end is the rule, while its cousin principal, with -pal, is the head of a school or the chief thing. State it precisely: a principle is a foundation you build the rest of your thinking on.

The debate rested on one principle: every claim needs evidence behind it.

Nelson's word

noun

Criterion. A noun, and a useful one to file, because a criterion is a single standard you use to judge or decide something. If a contest is judged on originality, then originality is the criterion. Note the shape of it: one standard is a criterion, but two or more are criteria, with an -a at the end, the way one datum becomes many data. When someone lists the criteria for a scholarship, they are naming every standard your application must meet. State it precisely: a criterion is the measuring stick you hold a thing up against.

Speed was the only criterion the judges used to rank the swimmers.

Vinny's word

verb

Compile! To gather scattered material from a dozen sources and ASSEMBLE it into one whole, that is the verb, and it is mine! When the researchers compile their findings, they hunt down every study, every table, every stray fact, and they stack them into a single report that stands on its own. That is heroic work, because the truth is rarely sitting in one place; you must go and gather it. Do not confuse compiling with merely copying. To compile is to build, source by source, until the pile becomes a structure.

The researchers compile their findings into one careful report.

Vinny's word

verb

Emphasize! To take one point out of many and give it special WEIGHT, to lean on it so the listener knows it matters most, that is the verb, and it is mine! When good speakers emphasize their strongest point, they slow down, they raise their voice, they let it ring. Everything cannot matter equally, or nothing does; the hero of an argument chooses what to stress. You can emphasize with your voice, with bold letters, or with the plain force of putting a thing last. Emphasize the right point, and your whole case leans its weight behind it.

Good speakers emphasize their strongest point and let it ring.

Jake's word

adjective

Plausible. An adjective, and a subtle one, mine to describe a claim that seems reasonable or believable, one you could accept without proof yet. A plausible excuse, a plausible theory, a plausible outcome: none of them are proven, but none of them are absurd either. That is the delicate part. Plausible does not mean true; it means believable enough to take seriously. Could we be more specific than saying an idea sounded okay? We could say it sounded plausible, which tells the reader it holds together and deserves a hearing. Magnifique.

Her alibi was plausible, so the detective wrote it down and kept it in mind.

Jake's word

adjective

Coherent. An adjective, and mine, describing a thing whose parts are logically connected and easy to follow, so the reader never gets lost. A coherent argument, a coherent plan, a coherent paragraph: each piece links to the next, and the whole thing holds together. Its Frown is muddled, the thing whose parts wander and contradict. The word shares a root with cohere, to stick together, and that is exactly the picture. Could we be more specific than saying a paper made sense? We could call it coherent, and mean that every part was joined to the rest.

Her essay was coherent, each paragraph leading cleanly into the next.

Benny's word

adverb

Invariably. Now here is a strong adverb, and I want you to feel how strong. Invariably means in every single case, without one exception, every time. When we say the lock invariably jams on cold mornings, we are promising it happens always, never sometimes. Look inside the word: in- means not, and vary means to change, so invariably means in a way that does not change. That is a big claim to make, so make it only when it is true. When you have earned it, though, invariably is a powerful word, and I want you reaching for it. You can do better than always. You can be exact.

The stubborn lock invariably jams on cold mornings.

Benny's word

adverb

Conceivably. Here is the careful cousin of invariably, and I want you to hear the difference like a coach hears a footstep. Conceivably means in a way that could possibly be true, that we can at least imagine happening. When we say the team could conceivably win, we are not promising it; we are saying it is within reach of imagining. The word comes from conceive, to form an idea in the mind, so conceivably marks the edge of what the mind can picture. Reach for it when a thing is possible but far from certain. Sharpen your meaning, and let the adverb carry the doubt for you.

The team could conceivably win, though the odds run against them.