Abstract:
Offers an introduction to the art of writing and assessing arguments, organised around specific rules, each illustrated and explained soundly but briefly. This work is suitable for writers who seek straightforward guidance about how to assess arguments and how to cogently construct them.

Short arguments : some general rules: Identify premises and conclusion ; Develop your ideas in a natural order ; Start from reliable premises ; Be concrete and concise ; Build on substance, not overtone ; Use consistent terms --
Generalizations: Use more than one example ; Use representative examples ; Background rates may be crucial ; Statistics need a critical eye ; Consider counterexamples --
Arguments by analogy: Analogies require relevantly similar examples --
Sources: Cite your sources ; Seek informed sources ; Seek impartial sources ; Cross-check sources ; Use the Web with care --
Arguments about causes: Causal arguments start with correlations ; Correlations may have alternative explanations ; Work toward the most likely explanation ; Expect complexity --
Deductive arguments: Modus ponens ; Modus tollens ; Hypothetical syllogism ; Disjunctive syllogism ; Dilemma ; Reductio ad absurdum ; Deductive arguments in several steps --Extended arguments: Explore the issue ; Spell out basic ideas as arguments ; Defend basic premises with arguments of their own ; Consider objections ; Consider alternatives --
Argumentative essays: Jump right in ; Make a definite claim or proposal ; Your argument is your outline ; Detail objections and meet them ; Get feedback and use it ; Modesty, please! --
Oral arguments: Reach out to your audience ; Be fully present ; Signpost your argument ; Offer something positive ; Use visual aids sparingly ; End in style --
Appendix I: Some common fallacies --
Appendix II: Definitions: When terms are unclear, get specific ; When terms are contested, work from the clear cases ; Definitions don't replace arguments.

A Rulebook for Arguments is a succinct introduction to the art of writing and assessing arguments, organized around specific rules, each illustrated and explained soundly but briefly. This widely popular primer - translated into eight languages - remains the first choice in all disciplines for writers who seek straightforward guidance about how to assess arguments and how to cogently construct them. The fourth edition offers a revamped and more tightly focused approach to extended arguments, a new chapter on oral arguments, and updated examples and topics throughout.