Word of the Day: Anaphora

Monday, October 28, 2024

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noun

1. The use of a word referring to or replacing a word used earlier in a sentence, to avoid repetition, such as "do" in "I like it and so do they."

2. The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.

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"The teacher used the repetition of 'I have a dream' in Dr. King's speech to teach the concept of anaphora."

"His skill in public speaking often relies on anaphora to drive home a message to the audience."

"The op-ed had too many uses of anaphora, making it seem frantic instead of convincing and forceful."

Latin, pre-1100

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness." This opening line from Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities" displays an example of the literary device anaphora, which is the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses. We see "it was the" repeated four times, then a contrast of "best" and "worst," and "age of wisdom" with "age of foolishness." ...