Master Rhetorical Strategies: Critical Thinking and Writing Guide

Sentence Fragments

Ever wonder why some groups of words just don't sound right as sentences? A complete sentence needs three essential components: a subject (who or what), a predicate (what they're doing), and a complete thought that makes sense on its own.

Sentence fragments occur when one or more of these components is missing. For instance, "Came to Motlow to learn" lacks a subject, while "The student to Motlow to learn" is missing a verb. Even "Since the student came to Motlow to learn" isn't complete because it leaves us hanging.

You can fix fragments in several ways. If a subject or predicate is missing, simply add the appropriate noun or verb (turning "The damaged tail light" into "The tail light was damaged"). For dependent clauses without independent clauses, either add an independent clause or remove the subordinating conjunction. When a subordinating conjunction incorrectly links sentences, replace it with a connector like "however" or "therefore."

Quick Fix Tip: When proofreading, check each sentence by asking: Who or what is doing something? What are they doing? Does the thought feel complete on its own? If any answer is no, you've found a fragment!

Rhetorical Strategies: Logos, Pathos, and Ethos

Imagine you're trying to convince your parents to increase your allowance. Would you use facts and figures, emotional appeals, or your track record of responsibility? These approaches represent the three main rhetorical strategies that speakers and writers use to persuade their audience.

Logos appeals to logic and rational thinking. When you use logos, you're bringing in facts, statistics, cause-and-effect relationships, and logical reasoning. Think population graphs, scientific evidence, or step-by-step explanations that make your argument impossible to deny based on pure reasoning.

Pathos targets your audience's emotions. This strategy uses personal stories, vivid imagery, and powerful language to create an emotional connection. Those commercials showing sad puppies in shelters? Pure pathos at work, designed to make you feel something that drives you to action.

Ethos establishes credibility and trustworthiness. When using ethos, you demonstrate why people should believe you through qualifications, character, appropriate language, and citing credible sources. Phrases like "As a certified nutritionist..." or "According to Harvard researchers..." build ethos.

Power Tip: The most effective persuasive writing uses a strategic combination of logos, pathos, and ethos rather than relying on just one approach. Match your strategy to your audience!

Assessing Critical Thinking

Want to strengthen your arguments and analyze others' thinking more effectively? These critical thinking questions will help you dig deeper into any subject and avoid surface-level understanding.

Start by checking for clarity and precision by asking for examples, illustrations, or more specific details. This ensures you're not dealing with vague ideas. Then examine accuracy by questioning how claims could be verified or tested against reliable evidence.

Assess relevance by determining how ideas connect to the main issue, and explore depth by identifying complexities and difficulties within the problem. Don't forget to consider breadth by looking at multiple perspectives and alternative viewpoints.

The strongest thinking also demonstrates logic (do all parts make sense together?), focuses on significance (prioritizing what matters most), and shows fairness by accounting for potential bias and considering others' viewpoints.

Think Like a Pro: The next time you write an essay or analyze an argument, run through these critical thinking questions. They'll help you spot weaknesses in reasoning and develop more nuanced positions on complex topics.