dai test

innocuous

not harmful or offensive.

tenure

give (someone) a permanent post, especially as a teacher or professor.

whorl

a pattern of spirals or concentric circles.

impale

pierce or transfix with a sharp instrument.

filch

pilfer or steal (something, especially a thing of small value) in a casual way.

frivolous

not having any serious purpose or value.

dawdle

waste time; be slow.

wistful

showing or evoking a sad longing for an often idealized past.

obstinate

stubbornly refusing to change one's opinion or chosen course of action, despite attempts to persuade one to do so.

demure

reserved, modest, and shy (typically used of a woman).

plaintive

showing or expressing sorrow : mournful, sad.

solicitous

showing attentive care or protectiveness.

insolent

showing a rude and arrogant lack of respect.

kowtow

act in an excessively subservient manner.

umbrage

offense or annoyance.

coterie

an intimate and often exclusive group of persons with a unifying common interest or purpose.

talisman

an object, typically an inscribed ring or stone, that is thought to have magic powers and to bring good luck.

lithe

(especially of a person's body) thin, supple, and graceful.

unabashed

not ashamed, embarrassed, or shy about something.

peremptory

(especially of a person's manner or actions) insisting on immediate attention or obedience, especially in a brusquely imperious way.

ethos

the power and credibility of the speaker.

pathos

the power of the audience’s emotions and values.

logos

the power of logic and reason.

exemplification

provides specific examples to support the assertion (high fat foods: fries, twinkies, burgers…).

enumeration

organizes by listing categories or details (there are three basic principles …, list all of an author’s works one by one).

analogy

making direct comparison between the subject and similar circumstances.

asyndeton

lack of conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses, or words (I came, I saw, I conquered).

cause to effect

presents the source that led to the problem.

effect to cause

presents the problem and then what caused it.

process

organized in step by step order (this, then this, then this).

repetition

the conscious and purposeful replication of words or phrases in order to make a point.

anaphora

the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines. (Please come back, please let me start over, please stay).

epistrophe

the last word or set of words in one sentence, clause, or phrase is repeated one or more times at the end of successive sentences, clauses, or phrases (see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil).

polysyndeton

the repetition of conjunctions in a series of coordinate words, phrases, or clauses (we have this and this and this and this).

anadiplosis

figure of repetition that occurs when the last word or terms in one sentence, clause, or phrase is repeated at or very near the beginning of the next sentence, clause or phrase (the general who became a slave, the slave who became a gladiator, the gladiator who defied an emperor).

parallelism

to give two or more parts of the sentences a similar grammatical form so as to give the whole a definite pattern.

paradox

an assertion seemingly opposed to common sense, but that may yet have some truth in it (the next time I have a daughter, I hope it's a boy).

euphemism

substitution of an agreeable or at least non-offensive expression for one whose plainer meaning might be harsh or unpleasant.

antimetabole

figure of emphasis in which the words in one phrase or clause are replicated exactly or closely, in reverse grammatical order in the next phrase or clause (a-b, b-a).

expletive

figure of emphasis in which a single word or short phrase, usually interrupting normal speech, is used to lend emphasis to the words on either side (I would like, if I may, to take you on a strange journey).

epizeuxis

figure of emphasis in which the same word is repeated two or more times in immediate succession (repetition of the same word, word, word).