Manipulation Techniques

noun the act of deceiving or concealing one's true feelings or motives

adjective dissimulative (relating to or characterized by dissimulation)

• The politician's dissimulation was evident when he claimed to support the bill, but voted against it.
• She saw through his dissimulation and knew he was lying about his whereabouts.
• His dissimulation was so obvious, it was like he was trying to pull a fast one on us.
• The mask of dissimulation he wore to hide his true feelings eventually cracked, revealing his inner turmoil.

noun a statement that is only partially true; a statement that is intended to deceive or mislead

• It is important to distinguish between a complete truth and a half truth in any legal case.
• Don't believe everything you hear, it could just be a half truth.
• I wouldn't trust him, he's always spinning half truths to get what he wants.
• Her smile was like a half truth, hiding the pain she felt inside.

verb to control or influence someone in a manipulative or domineering manner

preposition a small word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence

article a word that is used with a noun to specify grammatical definiteness of the noun

• The CEO was accused of leading the employees by the nose, manipulating them to follow his every command.
• The teacher always leads the students by the nose, making sure they stay on track with their assignments.
• The coach leads the players by the nose, pushing them to give their all in every game.
• She refused to be led by the nose by her controlling ex-boyfriend, standing up for herself and ending the toxic relationship.

noun a group of words that functions as a single unit of meaning and includes a verb and its subject

verb a word that expresses an action, occurrence, or state of being

• The CEO was able to pull strings to secure a meeting with the foreign investors.
• I can try to pull some strings to get you a discount on the tickets.
• She always knows how to pull strings to get what she wants.
• In politics, it's common for powerful individuals to pull strings behind the scenes.

noun a person, place, thing, or idea

verb a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence

preposition a word governing, and usually preceding, a noun or pronoun and expressing a relation to another word or element in the clause

article a word that is used with a noun to specify grammatical definiteness of the noun

• The salesman tried to lead the customer up the garden path with false promises.
• Don't let him lead you up the garden path with his smooth talk.
• She's just leading you down the garden path, don't believe a word she says.
• The politician led the public down the garden path with his empty promises.