aposiopesis
1
9.9
A sudden stop in a sentence to show strong feeling or because you do not want to continue
- noun
- /ˌæpəˌsaɪəˈpiːsɪs/
- Literature
:
aposiopesis
- The writer skillfully used aposiopesis to create tension in the story by leaving key details unsaid.
Examples
-
She started to explain her feelings but stopped abruptly, using aposiopesis to indicate her emotional struggle.
-
PRAECISIO: most rhetors equate this device with aposiopesis: stopping before finishing a sentence.
Academic text (1997) -
All preteritions, aposiopesis, and silence must be regarded as figures signaling unpresentability.
Academic text (2002) -
In his speech, he employed aposiopesis when he said, 'If only I could tell you what happened, but…'
How Abrupt
Surface Forms
aposiopesis singular
aposiopeses plural
Etymology
The word aposiopesis comes from Greek parts apo- 'away' and siope 'silence', so it means 'becoming silent', like the English word silent. Think of someone who stops in the middle of a sentence because they are too upset or do not want to say more, leaving the rest unsaid.