Debate · Glossary

Debate Glossary

126 words you’ll hear at practice and tournaments, in plain English. Formats name some things differently; where a word belongs to one format, it says so.

A

Ad hominem: Attacking the person instead of the argument. A fallacy. See also: Fallacy. More →
Advantage Policy: A good result of the affirmative’s plan; a policy case usually has one to three. See also: Plan, Impact.
Affirmative: The side that supports the resolution. Also called pro, proposition or government in some formats. See also: Negative, Resolution.
Authorship speech Congress: In Congress, the first speech on a piece of legislation, given by its author (or a sponsor), followed by a longer questioning period.

B

Ballot: The form a judge fills out with the winner, speaker points and the reason for the decision. See also: Reason for decision, Speaker points. More →
Bench BP: In British Parliamentary debate, the two teams on the same side: the government bench or the opposition bench.
Block: A prepared set of answers to an argument you expect. In policy, “the negative block” also means the back-to-back 2NC and 1NR.
Brink Policy: The point at which a disadvantage’s harm is about to happen; the reason the plan would push things over the edge. See also: Disadvantage.
Burden of proof: The duty to prove a claim. The side asking the judge to accept something new usually carries it. See also: Presumption. More →
Burden of rebuttal: Each side’s duty to answer the other side’s arguments; an unanswered argument may be treated as true. See also: Dropped argument.

C

Card: A quoted piece of evidence with its tag and full citation. See also: Tag, Cite. More →
Case: A side’s prepared opening speech: its framework and main arguments. See also: Contention. More →
Chamber Congress: The group of students debating together in a Congress session.
Cite: The source information for a card: author, qualifications, date, title, publication and page or URL. See also: Card.
Claim: The point an argument makes, stated in a sentence. See also: Warrant, Impact.
Clash: Direct engagement between the two sides’ arguments. Judges reward rounds where debaters answer each other.
Clipping: Claiming to read parts of a card you actually skipped. A serious ethics violation. See also: Distortion. More →
Closing BP: In British Parliamentary debate, the second pair of teams on each bench (closing government and closing opposition). See also: Extension.
Coin flip PF: In Public Forum, the toss that decides which team picks its side or its speaking order.
Collapse: Narrowing to your best one or two arguments in the final speeches. More →
Competition Policy: The requirement that a counterplan give a reason to reject the plan, usually because doing both is impossible or worse.
Concede: To agree with or not contest an argument, on purpose or by not answering it.
Constructive: A speech that builds a case; the first speeches in most formats. See also: Rebuttal.
Contention: One main argument in a case, with its claim, warrant, evidence and impact.
Counterplan Policy: A negative’s alternative to the affirmative plan that it argues is better. Often called a CP. See also: Competition.
Criterion LD: In Lincoln-Douglas, the standard for measuring whether the value is achieved. Also called the value criterion or standard. See also: Value. More →
Cross-examination: A period in which one debater questions another. Often called CX. More →
Crossfire PF: Public Forum’s questioning periods, in which both debaters ask and answer. See also: Grand crossfire.
Crystallize: To boil the round down to its key issues in a final speech.
Cutting cards: Preparing evidence: choosing a passage, writing a tag, adding the cite, and highlighting what you’ll read. See also: Card.

D

Definition: The meaning a side gives to a key word in the resolution, ideally from a reliable source. More →
Deputy BP: In British Parliamentary debate, the second speaker of an opening team (Deputy Prime Minister or Deputy Leader of the Opposition).
Direct questioning Congress: A Congress questioning style in which one questioner gets a short segment (often 30 seconds) for back-and-forth questions.
Disadvantage Policy: A negative argument that the plan causes a harm, with uniqueness, a link and an impact. Often called a DA. See also: Link, Uniqueness.
Disclosure: Sharing which arguments you’ve run so future opponents can prepare; common on some circuits.
Distortion: Changing a quotation’s meaning by adding or removing words. A serious ethics violation. See also: Clipping.
Docket Congress: The list of legislation a Congress chamber will debate.
Dropped argument: An argument the other side never answered. Point it out and extend it. See also: Extend.

E

Elimination round: A round after the preliminary rounds in which the loser leaves the tournament. Also called an outround.
Enthymeme: Aristotle’s word for a speech argument that starts from what the audience already accepts and often leaves a step unstated. More →
Ethos: Persuasion through the speaker’s character as shown in the speech: good sense, good character and good will. See also: Pathos, Logos.
Even if: A phrase that shows your argument wins under the other side’s assumptions too (“even if they’re right about cost, we outweigh”).
Evidence: Facts, data, expert testimony or examples that support a claim.
Extemporaneous speaking: A speech event in which students answer a current-events question after 30 minutes of preparation. Often called extemp. More →
Extend: To carry an argument into a later speech by restating its claim, warrant and impact.
Extension BP: In British Parliamentary debate, the new line of argument a closing team must add.

F

Fallacy: A mistake in reasoning that can make a weak argument look strong. More →
Final focus PF: The last two-minute speech for each team in Public Forum.
Flow: Notes taken in columns, one per speech, so arguments and answers line up. Also a verb: to flow a round. More →
Flow judge: An experienced judge who keeps a detailed flow and decides from it. See also: Lay judge.
Four-step refutation: A way to answer any argument: they say, but, because, therefore. More →
Framework: The standard a side asks the judge to use in deciding the round. More →
Frontline: Prepared answers that defend your own case against expected attacks.

G

Grace period: A few seconds allowed to finish a sentence after time runs out, set by each tournament.
Grand crossfire PF: Public Forum’s three-minute questioning period with all four debaters.
Ground: The arguments each side can fairly make under a resolution or definition.

H

Harms Policy: The problem in the present system that the affirmative plan aims to solve. See also: Stock issues.

I

Impact: Why an argument matters: who is affected and how much. See also: Weighing.
Impact turn: Arguing that the result the other side calls bad is actually good (or the reverse). See also: Turn.
Impromptu: Speaking with only a few minutes to prepare. More →
Inherency Policy: Why the present system won’t solve the problem on its own. See also: Stock issues.

K

Kritik Policy, LD: An argument that challenges the assumptions or language behind the other side’s case. Often called a K.

L

Lay judge: A judge without debate experience, such as a parent or community member. See also: Flow judge.
Leader of the Opposition BP, Parli: The first opposition speaker in parliamentary formats.
Legislation Congress: A bill or resolution debated in Congress.
Link: The connection showing that a plan or position causes a particular result. See also: Disadvantage.
Link turn: Arguing that the plan actually causes the opposite of what the other side claims. See also: Turn.
Logos: Persuasion through argument and evidence. See also: Ethos, Pathos.
Low-point win: Winning the round while receiving fewer speaker points than the losing side.

M

Magnitude: How big an impact is. One of the main ways to weigh. See also: Weighing.
Member BP: In British Parliamentary debate, the first speaker of a closing team.
Motion: The topic in parliamentary and World Schools debate, often “This House would…”; also a procedural request in Congress. See also: Resolution.

N

Negative: The side that opposes the resolution. Also called con or opposition. See also: Affirmative.
Non-unique: An answer saying the harm will happen anyway, with or without the plan. See also: Uniqueness.
Novice: A first-year or beginning debater; many tournaments have novice divisions.

O

Off-case Policy: Negative positions that aren’t direct answers to the affirmative’s case, such as disadvantages and counterplans.
On-case Policy: Arguments that answer the affirmative’s case directly.
Opening BP: In British Parliamentary debate, the first pair of teams on each bench.

P

Pairings: The posted list of who debates whom, where, on which side and with which judge.
Paradigm: A judge’s statement of how they judge, often posted online.
Pathos: Persuasion through the listeners’ emotions, fairly used when tied to real impacts. See also: Ethos, Logos.
Plan Policy: The specific policy the affirmative proposes to carry out the resolution.
Point of information BP, WSD, Parli: A short question or statement offered during the other side’s speech, outside protected time; the speaker may accept or decline. Often called a POI.
Point of order Parli: In parliamentary debate, an objection that the other side has made a new argument in a rebuttal.
Precedence Congress: In Congress, the rule that students who have spoken less are called on first. See also: Recency.
Preliminary round: One of the rounds every entry debates before elimination rounds. Often called a prelim.
Prep time: Time each side may use during the round to prepare its next speech.
Presiding officer Congress: The student elected to run a Congress session. Often called the PO.
Presumption: The side the judge favors if neither side proves its case; in policy debate, traditionally the negative. See also: Burden of proof.
Prime Minister BP, Parli: The first government speaker in parliamentary formats.
Principle of charity: Reading an argument in its most reasonable form; the idea behind steelmanning. More →
Probability: How likely an impact is to happen. One of the main ways to weigh. See also: Weighing.
Protected time BP, WSD, Parli: The first and last minute of a speech, when points of information may not be offered.

Q

Questioning period Congress: In Congress, the time after a speech when other legislators ask questions.

R

Reason for decision: The judge’s explanation of why one side won. Often called the RFD.
Rebuild: To defend your own arguments after the other side attacks them.
Rebuttal: A speech that answers the other side, defends your case and sums up. Also any answer to an argument. More →
Recency Congress: In Congress, the rule that, among students who have spoken equally often, the one who spoke longest ago is called on first. See also: Precedence.
Refutation: Showing that an argument is wrong or doesn’t matter. See also: Four-step refutation.
Reply speech WSD: In World Schools debate, the four-minute summary given by each side’s first or second speaker, opposition first.
Resolution: The statement being debated, often beginning “Resolved:”. More →
Reversibility: Whether an impact can be undone. Irreversible harms are often weighed more heavily. See also: Weighing.
Roadmap: A short preview of the order of your speech, given before the clock starts in many leagues.
Round robin: A tournament in which every team debates every other team.

S

Signposting: Telling the judge where you are in your speech (“On their first contention…”). More →
Solvency Policy: Whether the plan actually solves the problem. See also: Stock issues.
Speaker points: A score for each debater’s speaking and argument, separate from the win.
Spreading: Speaking very fast to fit more arguments in; accepted by some judges and not others.
Status quo: The way things are now, without the proposed change.
Steelman: The other side’s argument restated in its strongest form; also the verb for answering that version. See also: Strawman. More →
Stock issues Policy: The classic parts of a policy case: harms, inherency, plan and solvency (and often topicality).
Strawman: A distorted, weaker version of someone’s argument, built to be knocked down. A fallacy. See also: Steelman. More →
Summary PF: The third speech for each team in Public Forum, which narrows the round to key issues.

T

Tab room: The tournament office that pairs rounds, collects ballots and tallies results.
Tag: A card’s one-line summary, written by the debater. See also: Card.
Tagline: A short, memorable name for a contention, easy for a judge to write down.
Theory: Arguments about what debaters should be allowed to do, such as which counterplans are fair.
Timeframe: How soon an impact happens. One of the main ways to weigh. See also: Weighing.
Topicality Policy: Whether the affirmative’s plan fits the resolution’s words. Often called T.
Turn: Showing that the other side’s argument actually supports your side. See also: Link turn, Impact turn.

U

Uniqueness: Showing that a harm isn’t happening now and would happen only because of the plan. See also: Disadvantage.

V

Value LD: In Lincoln-Douglas, the highest goal the round should be judged by, such as justice. Also called the value premise. See also: Criterion.
Voters: The main reasons a debater gives the judge to vote for them, usually in the last speech. Also called voting issues.

W

Warrant: The reason a claim is true; what connects the evidence to the claim. See also: Claim.
Weighing: Comparing impacts to show the judge why yours matter more, using magnitude, probability, timeframe and reversibility. More →
Whip BP: In British Parliamentary debate, the last speaker on each bench, who sums up without new arguments.