Five Fallacies to Remove in Your Writing

Fallacies weaken arguments - it's as simple as that. Just like grammar and syntax problems (that you can correct with a software for English writing), learning to find them in your work can only help strengthen any position you take.

There are many types of fallacies your arguments can fall victim to. These are five of the most common:

Hasty generalizations. This happens when you make assumptions about a range of cases based on an inadequate sample, such as declaring an entire book poorly-written because you found the first chapter absolutely unreadable (it "could" pick up beyond that). The solution is either to seek out more evidence or settle for a less-sweeping conclusion.
Arguing the wrong point. Do the premises of your argument really support the conclusion you're proposing or does it seem to point to something else? This usually happens when you're trying to force the argument for a big conclusion, so be careful with those extreme situations. To fix it, take an objective stance and gauge how a reader would actually interpret those premises.
Making weak analogies. If your argument relies on analogy to make its case, make sure you put two things that are really alike in the relevant aspects. An analogy itself doesn't prove much - careful choice of the objects, ideas or situations you use will help it become more effective.
Using authority. Dropping authoritative sources is one way to help out a weak argument. Done poorly, it is very transparent, though. To make it work, make sure you cite actual experts (not just anyone with middling credentials) and detail the thought process they used to arrive at their specific conclusions.
Appealing to ignorance. This fallacy argues for the lack of a conclusive evidence, forcing the reader to then embrace whatever position you propose. Fixing it isn't easy - you'll have to actually come up with useful evidence that you can use in the piece.

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