What Is an Example of a Premise Indicator?

A premise indicator is a word or short series of words that are used when supporting an assertion or conclusion. For example, the word “because” is a premise indicator in the following sentence: Prison is an effective form of punishment because it incapacitates criminals.

Other common terms and phrases used as premise indicators include: “for,” “since,” “as,” “as indicated by,” “given that,” “owing to,” “in as much as,” “for the reason that” and “may be deduced from.” These terms and phrases are used as a signpost when forming an argument to notify the reader or listener of the basis for a claim.