Transcript Syntax: pt 3

SYNTAX, PART 3
Because we must read things well -written,
if we wish to write something worth
reading.
(GET IT?? THAT’S SYNTAX!)
ANADIPLOSIS
 Anadiplosis (a-nuh-duh-PLOH-suhs is the
repetition of the last word (or phrase)
from the previous line, clause or
sentence at the beginning of the next.
Mental preparation leads to training; training
builds muscle tone and coordination; muscle
tone and coordination, combined with focused
thinking, produce athletic excellence
POLYPTOTON
Polyptoton (po-LIP-to-ton) is the
repetition of words with the same root.
 With eager feeding food doth choke the feeder.
—John of Gaunt in Shakespeare's Richard II 2.1 .37
There is no end of it, the voiceless wailing,
No end to the withering of withered flowers,
To the movement of pain that is painless and motionless,
To the drift of the sea and the drifting wreckage,
The bone’s prayer to Death its God. Only the hardly, barely
prayable Prayer of the one Annunciation…. .
- “The Dry Salvages”, TS Eliot
ZEUGMA
It is the use of one subject with
two (or more) verbs, a verb with
two (or more) direct objects that
have different meanings, two (or
more) subjects with one verb,
and so forth.
The main benefit of the linking is
that it shows relationships
between ideas and actions more
clearly.
 He stole both her car and her heart
that fateful night.
 Fred excelled at sports, Harvey at
eating, Tom with girls.
ADVERTISEMENT FOR DOVE
CHOCOLATE
Hold hands
firmly,
hearts
gently.
RHETORICAL QUESTION
 For if we lose the ability to perceive our faults,
what is the good of living on? --Marcus Aurelius
“That’s O. K., Donald—’why do I even bother?’ is
a rhetorical question.”
ALLITERATION
Several words in a phrase begin with the same
or similar sounds.
…to have and to hold…
pride of place
cool as a cucumber
CLIMAX ORDERING
Three or four items in a series, with the
greatest emphasis at the end.
“In twenty campaigns, on one hundred
battlefields, around one thousand
campfires…” - General Douglas MacArthur
CLIMAX ORDERING
This is one planet in a solar system of
nine, floating around in a galaxy of
billions.
PUNCTUATION
Punctuation
reinforces meaning,
constructs effect,
and – of particular
interest to students
of writing -expresses the
writer’s voice.
THE SEMICOLON
The semicolon gives equal weight to two or
more independent clauses in a sentences
 It can reinforce parallel ideas: “E.T., don’t phone home; it’s
too expensive.” El Paso Herald-Post
 It imparts equal importance to both (or all) of the clauses: “ It
was the best of times; it was the worst of times, it was the
age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness. . .” Dickens, A
Tale of Two Cities
THE COLON
The colon directs the reader’s attention to the
words that follow, placing greater emphasis to
the words after the colon
 It is also used if between independent clauses if the
second summarizes or explains the first.
 A colon sets the expectation that important, closely
related information will follow; words after the colon
are emphasized .
EXAMPLE
The seven years’ difference in our ages lay between
us like a chasm: I wondered if these years would ever
operate between us as a bridge.
James Baldwin, “Sonny’s Blues”
The “chasm” of the first clause is connected to
the “bridge” of the second clause, and the
possibility of reconciliation for the characters
is raised through the syntax.
THE DASH
 The dash marks a sudden change in thought or
tone, sets off a brief summary, and often adds
drama.
“But the show’s most famous motto – “Live long and
prosper!” – proved to be downright prophetic.” Michael
Logan, TV Guide
 It may be used to elaborate on a previously stated
idea, often changing the meaning of the
sentence. In fact, many times good writers will
use a dash to create an anomaly, a departure
from the expected.
“In Moulmein, in Lower Burma, I was hated by large
numbers of people -- the only time in my life that I have
been important enough for this to happen to me.” George
Orwell, “Shooting an Elephant”
THE PARENTHESES
The parentheses are used to whisper a witty
aside to the reader.
Parentheses can make a remark seem more
confidential.
“Tourists...swarm all over the Statue of Liberty (where
many a resident of the town has never set foot), they
invade the Automat, visit radio stations, St. Patrick’s
Cathedral, and they window shop.” --E.B.White
“In a trice (which, in Bangladesh, is two and a half
hours) we were back in our hired cab.” --P.J.
O’Rourke
Punctuation, in the hands of a skilled writer, is
not just a basic tool for construction; it is an
instrument with which a writer crafts their
rhetorical impact at the most foundational
level. Rhetoric, without calling attention to
the rhetoric. In essence, music.