Premise indicators include, for instance, 'since,' 'because,' 'given that,' 'assuming,' and others.
Conclusion indicators include 'thus,' 'therefore,' 'it follows that,' 'consequently,' 'in conclusion,' etc.
Directional cues are words that alert you to subtle changes in a clarification or justification that may alter the overall meaning of the author's point. These words include 'but,' 'however,' 'although,' 'moreover,' 'further,' 'in addition to,' etc. ('But,' 'however,' and 'although' change the direction of the analysis, whereas 'moreover,' 'further,' and 'in addition to' extend the direction of the analysis.)
An Example
Consider the following sentence:
Since the car is ugly but cheap, and we are on a budget, we should therefore purchase it.
This is a simple argument. Let's restate the argument more carefully.
The premises are:
Two unstated assumptions might be:1. The car is ugly, but
2. the car is cheap, and
3. we are on a budget.
4. If a cheap car works and we are on a budget, we should purchase it.
5. This car works.
'Therefore' precedes the conclusion, which is that we should purchase that fine vehicle. Notice that the conclusion is in the same sentence. 'Since' indicated the premises and 'but' is a qualifier intended to direct our attention to the fact that although the car is ugly (a reason some would accept for not buying it) another consideration should override that first fact; that is, 'but' changes the intended direction of the evaluation.
Consider a similar sentence:
The car is cheap but ugly, and, although we are on a budget, we should not purchase it.
Notice how the change in the word order of 'ugly' and 'cheap' from the previous sentence and the use of the word 'although' both work to support a different conclusion. Notice also that the premise indicator and the conclusion indicator have been dropped, but could easily be inferred from the context.
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