Syntax Terms

Question 1

reversal of normal word order (i.e. blessed are the pure in heart; across the living room dashed my tabby cat, followed seconds later by my german shepherd)

Answer 1

inversion

function: repositioning a part of speech can emphasize or underscore

Question 2

placement of two things side by side for emphasis (i.e. with this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood)

Answer 2

juxtaposition

function: implies correlation through comparison/contrast or may address varying viewpoints

Question 3

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 (i.e. in education we find the measure of our own ignorance; in ignorance we find the beginning of wisdom)

function: creates emphasis/sense of climax

Answer 3

anadiplosis

function: creates emphasis/sense of climax

Question 4

repeats the first word in succeeding phrases or clauses (i.e. we shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans)

Answer 4

anaphora

function: works well in an emotional address to build a sense of climax

Question 5

the repetition of words in an inverted order (similar to chiasmus) (i.e. eat to live, not live to eat)

Answer 5

antimetabole

function: emphasizes repeated words, sharpens a contrast

Question 6

parallel structure that juxtaposes contrasting ideas (i.e. that’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind)

Answer 6

antithesis

function: make a point about the contrasts

Question 7

word or phrase that renames a nearby noun or pronoun (i.e. The city of brotherly love, Philadelphia is home to the Liberty Bell)

Answer 7

appositive

function: provides an extra/a concise description

Question 8

leaves out conjunctions in a list or between clauses (i.e. he was tall, dark, handsome)

Answer 8

asyndeton

function: it can clarify, give the impression of spontaneity, create a fast pace, and invite the audience to continue the list

Question 9

figure that links clauses with a repeated conjunction (i.e. they read and studied and wrote and drilled. I laughed and played and talked and flunked.)

Answer 9

polysyndeton

function: this is often seen in the Bible and conveys urgency and power

Question 10

same word or phrase is found both in the beginning and at the end of a sentence/sentences (i.e. the theory sounds all wrong; but if the machine works, we cannot worry about theory)

Answer 10

epanalepsis

function: often employed in a kind 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

Question 11

same word or phrase is repeated at the end of multiple clauses or sentences (i.e. the cars do not sell because the engineering is inferior, the quality of materials is inferior, and the workmanship is inferior)

Answer 11

epistrophe

function: repetition at the end emphasizes a final idea, which becomes a kind of “punctuation mark”

Question 12

use of the same general structure to provide links (i.e. 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)

Answer 12

parallelism

function: maintains equal importance of ideas

Question 13

use of the “if…then” clause (i.e. if fighting spills beyond serious borders, then please weapons could threaten allies like turkey, Jordan and Israel)

Answer 13

conditional

function: suggests cause and effect; but watch that because and effect relationship is logical and not a slippery slope fallacy

Question 27

conditional

Answer 27

use of the “if…then” clause (i.e. if fighting spills beyond serious borders, then please weapons could threaten allies like turkey, Jordan and Israel)

function: suggests cause and effect; but watch that because and effect relationship is logical and not a slippery slope fallacy

Question 28

parallelism

Answer 28

use of the same general structure to provide links (i.e. 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

Question 29

epistrophe

Answer 29

same word or phrase is repeated at the end of multiple clauses or sentences (i.e. the cars do not sell because the engineering is inferior, the quality of materials is inferior, and the workmanship is inferior)

function: repetition at the end emphasizes a final idea, which becomes a kind of “punctuation mark”

Question 30

epanalepsis

Answer 30

same word or phrase is found both in the beginning and at the end of a sentence/sentences (i.e. the theory sounds all wrong; but if the machine works, we cannot worry about theory)

function: often employed in a kind 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

Question 31

polysyndeton

Answer 31

figure that links clauses with a repeated conjunction (i.e. they read and studied and wrote and drilled. I laughed and played and talked and flunked.)

function: this is often seen in the Bible and conveys urgency and power

Question 32

asyndeton

Answer 32

leaves out conjunctions in a list or between clauses (i.e. he was tall, dark, handsome)

function: it can clarify, give the impression of spontaneity, create a fast pace, and invite the audience to continue the list

Question 33

appositive

Answer 33

word or phrase that renames a nearby noun or pronoun (i.e. The city of brotherly love, Philadelphia is home to the Liberty Bell)

function: provides an extra/a concise description

Question 34

antithesis

Answer 34

parallel structure that juxtaposes contrasting ideas (i.e. that’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind)

function: make a point about the contrasts

Question 35

antimetabole

Answer 35

the repetition of words in an inverted order (similar to chiasmus) (i.e. eat to live, not live to eat)

function: emphasizes repeated words, sharpens a contrast

Question 36

anaphora

Answer 36

repeats the first word in succeeding phrases or clauses (i.e. we shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans)

function: works well in an emotional address to build a sense of climax

Question 37

anadiplosis

Answer 37

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 (i.e. in education we find the measure of our own ignorance; in ignorance we find the beginning of wisdom)

function: creates emphasis/sense of climax

Question 38

juxtaposition

Answer 38

placement of two things side by side for emphasis (i.e. with this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood)

function: implies correlation through comparison/contrast or may address varying viewpoints

Question 39

inversion

Answer 39

reversal of normal word order (i.e. blessed are the pure in heart; across the living room dashed my tabby cat, followed seconds later by my german shepherd)

function: repositioning a part of speech can emphasize or underscore