Syntax Terms Flashcards
inversion
Definition: reversal of normal word order
Ex: Blessed are the pure in heart…
Function: Repositioning a part of speech can emphasize or underscore.
Juxtaposition
Definition: placement of two things side by side for emphasis.
Ex: “With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.” (MLK)
Function: Implies correlation through comparison/contrast or may address varying viewpoints.
Anadiplosis
Definition: Figure that builds one thought on top of another by taking the last word of a clause and using it to begin the next clause.
Ex: “In education we find the measure of our own ignorance; in ignorance we find the beginning of wisdom.
Function: Creates emphasis/sense of climax
Anaphora
Definition: repeats the first word in succeeding phrases or clauses.
Ex: “We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans…”
Function: Work well in an emotional address to build a sense of climax.
Antimetabole
Definition: Repetition of words in an inverted order
Ex: Eat to live, not live to eat.
Function: Emphasizes repeated words, sharpens a contrast.
Antithesis
Definition: parallel structure that juxtaposes contrasting ideas
Ex: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Function: Make a point about the contrasts.
Appositive
Definition: word or phrase that juxtaposes contrasting ideas.
Ex: The “City of Brotherly Love,” Philadelphia is home to the Liberty Bell.
Function: Provides an extra/a concise description.
Asyndeton
Definition: leaves out conjunctions in a list or between clauses.
Ex: He was tall, dark, handsome.
Function: It can clarify, five the impression of spontaneity, create a fast pace, and invite the audience to continue the list.
Polysyndeton
Definition: figure that links clauses with a repeated conjunction.
Ex: They read and studied and wrote and drilled.
Function: Conveys urgency and power.
Epanalepsis
Definition: same word or phrase is found both in the beginning and at the end of a sentence
Ex: “The theory sounds all wrong, but if the machine works, we cannot worry about theory.
Function: Often employed in a kid of “yes, but” construction to establish common ground or admit a truth, and then to demonstrate how that truth relates to a more important context.
Epistrophe
Definition: same word or phrase is repeated at the end of multiple clauses or sentences. The opposite of anaphora.
Ex: “The cares do not sell because the engineering is inferior, the quality of materials is inferiors, and the workmanship is inferior.
Function: Repetition at the end emphasizes a final idea, which becomes a kind of “punctuation mark.”
Parallelism
Definition: use of the same general structure to provide links
Ex: The manor-designed for beauty and grace, built for durability and strength, and located for privacy and safety-was the ideal home for those three children.
Function: Maintains equal importance of ideas.
Conditional
Definition: use of the “if…then” clause
Ex: If fighting spills beyond Syria’s borders, (then) these weapons could threaten allies like Turkey, Jordan. and Israel.
Function: Suggests cause and effect; but watch that the cause and effect relationship is logical and not a slippery slope fallacy.
