| A | B |
|---|
| argument | noun: A verbal disagreement; a debate; a statement in support of something At the debate, Zack and Aaron each presented a strong _argument_ on the subject of school vouchers but got into a more spirited argument later over whose viewpoint was right. |
| cogent | adj: Appealing to the intellect or powers of reason; sound; compelling Riley made a very _cogent_ argument for a vacation at the beach, so we chose Rio de Janeiro over Katmandu |
| conclusive | adj: Serving to put an end to a question; decisive Daffodil offered _conclusive_ proof to her schoolmates that in the original version of Snow White, the dwarves did not have names. |
| corollary | noun: A consequence that follows naturally; an easily drawn conclusion When you hear thunder, an obvious _corollary_ is that there has been lightning. |
| corroborate | verb: To support with evidence; to make certain Prosecutors are required to corroborate allegations before taking the suspect to trial. |
| declaim | verb: To make a speech in a dramatic manner; to speak against Sent: Fiona declaimed against the health care system, arguing that the neediest people in our county receive the worst medical attention. |
| diplomatic | adj: Relating to diplomacy; tactful Sent: Hamish looked for a diplomatic way to tell Tabby that her see-through blouse was inappropriate office attire. |
| dissuade | verb: To persuade not to do something Sent: The gruesome video recording of traffic accidents was shown to the drivers ed students to dissuade them from drinking and driving. |
| extrapolate | verb: To infer or estimate from something that is known Sent: Sam asked the painter to extrapolate when he would be finished painting the four bedrooms based on how long it took him to do one. |
| fallacy | noun: A false notion or belief; a statement based on a false belief; reasoning that is logically unsound. Sent: Many people believe that stinging insects can only sting once, but that is a fallacy. |
| hyperbole | noun: An exaggeration not meant to be taken seriously Sent: Advertisers like to use hyperbole such as the "the best ever" to attract consumers to their products. |
| implicit | adj: Implied but not directly expressed Sent: When Monica told me she was spending all night washing her hair, I understood the implicit meaning; she just did not want to go to the dance with me. |
| plausible | adj: Apparently true; credible Sent: Though the space opera had a plausible plot and an outstanding cast, the special effects were unremarkable. |
| premise | noun: A proposition on which an argument is based; matters previously stated Sent: The argument that Piaget's research in child development was accurate depends on the premise that his children were representative of the population as a whole. |
| presumptive | adj: Based on probability or presumption; having a reasonable basis for belief. Sent: The muddy prints were presumptive evidence to deduce that raccoons had been at the garbage in the night. |
| rebut | verb: To refute by offering evidence or argument to the contrary Sent: Lisa was able to rebut her father's accusations that she hadn't actually gone to the movie theater by showing him the ticket stub. |
| sophistry | noun: A false argument; superficially plausible but false reasoning Sent: Tsering's philosophy paper was dismissed as sophistry; though its conclusion seemed legitimate, there wasn't a shred of evidence to back up his claim. |
| trenchant | adj: Keen, forceful, and penetrating in thought; biting, distinct Sent: Though Yvette was right about the paint color, her trenchant remarks hurt Yvonne's feelings. |
| validity | noun: The state of being valid; the state of having legal force Sent: All the misspellings on the will led the executor to question the validity of the document. |
| waver | verb: To exhibit indecision; to move unsteadily back and forth; to falter Sent: Despite tears and tantrums, Wolfgang's mother would not waver; he could not go to the concert. |
