PostanAPAformatpaperthatexplains · Selecttwooftherulesthateitheryouoroneofyourassociateshavebrokeninthepast. · Illustrateanexampleofanincorrectandacorrectuseofeachofthesetworules. · Discusswhytherulesareimportantinformulatingstrongarguments. TheNatureofArgumentRule 1 –Identifypremises&conclusion: Theveryfirststepinmakinganargumentistoaskyourselfwhatyouareconclusion?Rememberthattheconclusiontryingtoprove. Whatisyouristhestatementforwhichyouaregivingreasons.Thestatementsthatgiveyourreasonsareyourpremises. Rule 2 –Developyourideasinanaturalorder: Shortargumentsareusuallydevelopedinoneortwoparagraphs. Putthe conclusionfirst,followedbyanddrawtheconclusionattheend. Inanycase,setoutyourideasinanorderthatunfoldsyourlineofthoughtmostclearlyforthereader. Rule 3 – Startfromreliablepremises: Nomatterhowwellyouarguefrompremisestoconclusion,yourconclusionwillbeweakifyourifyourpremisesareweak. Rule 4 –Beconcreteandconcise: Avoidabstract,vague,andgeneralterms. “Wehikedforhoursinthesun” isahundredtimesbetterthan“Itwasanextendedperiodoflaboriousexertion.”Beconcisetoo. Airyelaborationjustloseseveryoneinafogofwords. Rule 5 –BuildonSubstancenotOvertone: Offeractualreasons;don’tjustplayontheovertonesofwords. Rule 6 – Useconsistentterms: Shortargumentsnormallyhaveasinglethemeorthread. Theycarryoneideathroughseveralsteps. Thereforecouchthatideainclearandcare- fullychosenterms,andmarkeachnewstepbyusingthoseverysametermsagain. LearningResources · Kirby,G.,&Goodpaster,J. (2007). Thinking (4th ed.). UpperSaddleRiver,NJ: PearsonEducation,Inc. · Weston,A. (2009). Arulebookforarguments (4thed.). Indianapolis,IN: HackettPublishingCompany.