Schemes of Repetition Flashcards
— repetition of initial consonants in two or more adjacent words. Not to
be confused with Consonance which is the repetition of internal or ending consonant
sounds. Used sparingly, alliteration provides emphasis. Overused, it sounds silly.
“Somewhere at this very moment a child is being born in America. Let it be our cause to
give that child a happy home, a healthy family, and a hopeful future.” (Bill Clinton, 1992
DNC Acceptance Address)
Alliteration
— the repetition of similar vowel sounds, preceded and followed by
different consonants, in the stressed syllables of adjacent words.
“Refresh your zest for living.” (advertisement for French Line Ships) “Strips of tinfoil winking like people.” (Sylvia Plath)
Assonance
— repetition of the same word or groups of words at the beginnings of
successive phrases. This device produces a strong emotional effect, especially in speech.
It also establishes a marked change in rhythm.
Why should white people be running all the stores in our community? Why should
white people be running the banks of our community? Why should the economy of
our community be in the hands of the white man? Why?” (Malcolm X)
Anaphora
— repetition of the same word or group of words at the ends of
successive phrases.
“…and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish
from the earth.” (Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address)
Epistrophe
— repetition of the same word or words at
both beginning and ending of a phrase, clause, or sentence.
“Nothing is worse than doing nothing.”
“A minimum wage that is not a livable wage can never be a minimum wage.” (Ralph
Nader)
Epanalepsis
— repetition of the last word of one clause at
the beginning of the following clause.
“The crime was common, common be the pain”. (Alexander Pope, “Eloise to Abelard”
“Aboard my ship, excellent performance is standard. Standard performance is substandard. Sub-standard performance is not permitted to exist.” (Captain Queeg,
Herman Wouk’s The Caine Mutiny)
Anadiplosis
— arrangement of words, phrases, or clauses in an order of increasing
importance.
“And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a merry
Christmas, and God bless all of you, all of you on the good earth.” (Frank Borman,
astronaut)
Climax
— repetition of words, in successive
clauses, in reverse grammatical order.
“One should eat to live, not live to eat.” (Moliere, L’Avare)
“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” (John
F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address)
Antimetabole
— reversal of grammatical structures in
successive phrases or clauses.
“Exalts his enemies, his friends destroys.” (John Dryden, “Absalom and Achitophel”)
“It is boring to eat; to sleep is fulfilling.”
Chiasmus
— repetition of words derived from the same root
“With eager feeding food doth choke the feeder.” (Shakespeare’s Richard II 2.1.37)
“Let me assert my firm belief that the only
thing we have to fear is fear itself.” (Franklin
Roosevelt, First Inaugural Address
Polyptoton
