Lexical manipulation is one aspect of the rhetorical features of idioms. The following EXCEPT ______ belong to lexical manipulation.

What he told us was more of a(n) ________ than a reality.

Perseverance is a kind of quality and that is _______ it takes to do anything well.

A good worker in a key spot could, so _______ as he kept up production, take all the coffee breaks he wanted.

Each of us should _______ aside a few minutes to have a rest every day.