Syntactical stylistic devices with missing elements

Aposiopesis stopping abruptly and leaving a statement unfinished.

Aposiopesis “a stopping short for rhetorical effect” (I.R.Galperin). Used mainly in the dialogue or in the other forms of narrative imitating spontaneous oral speech because the speaker’s emotions prevent him from finishing the sentence (V.A.Kucharenko). e.g. You just come home or I’ll...; e.g. Good intentions, but...

Ellipsis. The omission of a word or a part of a sentence that follows logically. Typical of oral speech.

Ellipsis a deliberate omission of at least one member of the sentence. e.g. What! all my pretty chickens and their dam at one fell swoop? (W.Shakespeare); e.g. In manner, close and dry. In voice, husky and low. In face, watchful behind a blind. (Dickens); e.g. His forehead was narrow, his face wide, his head large, and his nose all one side. (Dickens).

Apokoinu is the omission of coordinative or subordinative words. Typical of spontaneous or illiterate speech.

apo-koinu constructions (Greek "with a common element"). e.g. There was a door led into the kitchen. (Sh. Anderson); e.g. He was the man killed that deer. (R. Warren); e.g. There was no breeze came through the door. (E.Hemingway); e.g. I bring him news will raise his dropping spirits. (O. Jespersen)

 

 

Syntactical stylistic devices with redundant elements

Syntactical SD:

Syntactical SD with missing elements

Syntactical SD with redundant elements

Inversion

Syntactical SD with redundant elements

Asyndeton. Consists of omitting conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses. In a list of items, asyndeton gives the effect of unpremeditated (преднамеренный) multiplicity, of an extemporaneous (импровизированный) rather than a labored account.

Asyndeton is a deliberate omission of conjunctions, cutting off connecting words. Helps to create the effect of terse, energetic, active prose. (V.A.Kucharenko). e.g. Soames turned away; he had an utter disinclination for talk, like one standing before an open grave, watching a coffin slowly lowered. (Galsworthy)

Polysyndeton. Is the use of conjunction between each word, phrase, or clause, and it thus structurally the opposite of asyndeton. The rhetorical effect of polysyndeton, however, often shares with that of asyndeton a feeling of multiplicity, energetic, enumeration and building up. Polysyndeton is a repeated use of conjunctions. Is to strengthen the idea of equal logical/emotive importance of connected sentences(V.A. Kucharenko). e.g. By the time he had got all the bottles and dishes and knives and forks and glasses and plates and spoons and things piled up on big trays, he was getting very hot, and red in the face, and annoyed. (A.Tolkien)

Anadiplosis (or catch repetition). Repeats the last word of one phrase, clause, or sentence at or very near the beginning of the text. It can be generated in series for the sake of beauty or to give a sense of logical progression (…a, a…).  e.g.: Pleasure might cause her read, reading might make her know, …

Anaphora. Is the repetition of the same word or words at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses or sentences, commonly in conjunctions with climax and with parallelism (a…, a…). e.g.: Slowly and grimly they advanced, not knowing what lay ahead, not knowing what they find at the top of the hill.

Epistrophe (also called antistrophe or epiphora). Forms the counterpart to anaphora, because the repetition of the same word or words comes at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences (…a, …a). e.g.: I wake up and I’m alone and I walk round Warley and I’m alone; and I talk with people and I’m alone and I look at his face when I’m home and it’s dead. (J.Braine)

Symploce. Combining anaphora and epiphora, so that one word or phrase is repeated at the beginning and another word or phrase is repeated at the end of successive phrases, clauses or sentences (a…b, a…b). Eg. To think clearly and rationally should be a major goal for man; but to think clearly and rationally is always the greatest difficulty faced by man.

Amplification. Involves repeating a word or expression while adding more detail to it, in order to emphasize what might otherwise be passed over. e.g.: Pride – boundless pride – is the bone of civilisation.

Prolepsis. Is the use of co-referential pronoun after a noun or a proper name. Typical of spontaneous speech. e.g.: John, he doesn’t like loud music.

Hypophora. Consists of raising one or more questions and then proceeding to answer them, usually at some length. A common usage is it ask the question at the beginning of a paragraph and then use that paragraph to answer it.

Rhetorical question (or erotesis). Differs from hypophora in that it is not answered by the writer, because its answer is obvious or obviously desired, and usually just a ‘yes’ or ‘no’. It is used for effect, emphasis or provocation, or for drawing a conclusionary statement from the facts at hand. e.g. For if we lose the ability to perceive our faults, what is the good of living on?

 

Types of repetition

Repetition is an expressive means of language used when the speaker is under the stress of strong emotion. It shows the state of speaker. As a SD repetition is recurrence of the same word, word combination, phrase for two and more times. According to the place which repeated unit occupies in the sentence (utterance), repetition is classified:

anaphora: the beginning of two or more successive sentences (clauses) is repeated – a.., a..,a… The main stylistic function of anaphora is hot so much to emphasize the repeated unit as to create the background textile non-repeated unit, which, through its novelty, becomes foreground.

epiphora: the end of two or more successive sentence (clauses) is repeated-..a,…a,…a. The main function of epiphora is to add stress to the final words of the sentences.

framing: the beginning of the sentence is repeated in the end, thus forming the “frame” for the non- repeated part of the sentence (utterance)-a..a. The function of framing is to elucidate the notion mentioned in the beginning of the sentence.

catch repetition (anadiplosis or linking or reduplication) the end of one clause (sentence) is repeated in the beginning of the following one -…a,a… it makes the whole utterance more compact and complete. Framing is most effective in singling out paragraphs.

chain repetition presents several successive anadiplosis-..a,a…b, b…c, c. The effect is that of the smoothly developing logical reasoning.

ordinary repetition has no definite place in the sentence and the repeated unit occurs in various positions- …a, …a…, a…/ ordinary repetition emphasizes both the logical and emotional meanings of the reiterated word.

successive repetition is a string of closely following each other reiterated units-..a,a,a… this is the most emphatic type of repetition which signifies the peak of emotions of the speaker.

Synonym repetition. The repetition of the same idea by using synonymous words and phrases which by adding a slightly different nuance of meaning intensify the impact of the utterance.: there are two terms frequently used to show the negative attitude of the critic to all kinds of synonym repetition: a) pleonasm – the use of more words in a sentence than are necessary to express the meaning; redundancy of expression; b )tautology -defined as the repetition of the same statement; the repetition of the same word or phrase or of the same idea or statement in the other words; usually as a fault of style