How can you spot the premises and the conclusion of an argument from the words used?

Linguistic indicators: "because / since / given that" flag premises; "therefore / thus / hence / it follows that" flag conclusions.

Arguments leave verbal fingerprints — indicator words that signal which role a statement is playing:

• Premise indicators (a reason is coming): because, since, for, given that, owing to, in view of, considering that, as indicated by, on the basis of…
• Conclusion indicators (the supported point is coming): therefore, thus, hence, so, consequently, accordingly, it follows that, ergo, which shows that, this implies that…

These let you reconstruct an argument's structure even in messy prose: spot the indicator, then ask whether what follows is a ground or the point being grounded.

Tip: Watch out — "since" and "as" are ambiguous (they can be temporal). The reliable test isn't the word alone but the role: is this statement support, or the thing being supported?