5. 委婉 (euphemism)
用温和的、间接的词语代替生硬的、粗俗的词语，以免直接说出不愉快的事实冒犯别人或者造成令人窘迫、沮丧的局面。例如：
用to fall asleep; to cease thinking; to pass away; to go to heaven; to leave us 代替 to die
用senior citizens代替old people
用 a slow learner或者an under achiever代替a stupid pupil
用weight watcher代替 fat people
用mental hospital 代替 madhouse或者 asylum
用emotionally disturbed代替mad
用washroom, men’s / women’s room代替 lavatory
用 handicapped代替 crippled
用low income brackets; underprivileged; disadvantaged 代替 poor people
6. 双关 (pun)
用同音异义或者一词二义来达到诙谐幽默的效果：表面上是一个意思，而实际上却暗含另一个意思，这种暗含的意思才是句子真正的目的所在。例如：
A cannonball took off his legs, so he laid down his arms. (arms可指手臂或者武器)
一发炮弹打断了他的腿，所以他缴械投降了。
“Can I try on that gown in the window?” asked a would-be customer.
“Certainly not, madam!” replied the salesman. 我可以试穿一下橱窗里的那件睡袍吗？或者：我可以在橱窗里试穿那件睡袍吗？
Seven days without water make one weak (week). 七天没有水使一个人虚弱。或者：七天没有水就是一周没有水。
7. 反语 (irony)
使用与真正意义相反的词，正话反说或者反话正说，从对立的角度运用词义来产生特殊的效果。下面就是莎士比亚的戏剧 Julius Caesar 中的一个运用反语的很好的例子，Brutus出于野心刺杀了 Caesar, Caesar 的好友Antony 讥讽Brutus 说：
Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest—
For Brutus is an honorable man;
So are they all, all honorable men—
Come I to speak in Caesar’s funeral.
He was my friend, faithful and just to me:
But Brutus says he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honorable man.
在 Antony 的话里反复使用 honorable这个词就是一个反语的例子。