polysyndeton
- noun
- /ˌpɒliˈsɪndɪtɒn/
- Literature
:
polisíndeton
- He also notes that polysyndeton can slow down a passage, "thereby adding dignity to what we say, much like the slow motion of a ceremony" (13).
- polysyndeton can be used
Examples
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POLYSYNDETON: see Zimmerman, "Catalogue" (755-56).
Academic text (1999) -
See also Corbett for more suggestions about how polysyndeton can be useful (435-36).
Academic text (1997) -
Polysyndeton can be used to indicate not only a series of things but also to emphasize an abundance of either objects or events passing.
Academic text (1997) -
Polysyndeton: the use of conjunctions (such as and or or) in a series of words, phrases, or clauses.
Academic text (1997) -
Occasionally, in the Bible and elsewhere, repeated polysyndetons have an almost hypnotic power (12).
Academic text (1997) -
The polysyndeton (see below) and obsolete language ("mine eyes") in the passage are, for me, anyway, a more convincing demonstration of Poe's "biblical" language.
Academic text (1999) -
Poe's one novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, similarly ends with foregrounded polysyndeton, complementing the Biblical themes in that work.
Academic text (1997) -
That is certainly the strategy employed by Mark Twain in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, for polysyndeton is indeed one of the most heavily featured stylistic aspects of Huck's narration.
Academic text (1997) -
In her speech, she used polysyndeton to create a rhythmic effect, repeating the conjunctions for emphasis.
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The author's use of polysyndeton in the sentence, "He bought a hat and a coat and shoes," adds a sense of abundance.
How Connected
Surface Forms
Morphology
polysyndeton = syndeton (opaque) = poly + syndeton
The word is built transparently from the Greek combining form poly- and the rhetorical term syndeton, but the base term is specialized and unlikely to be known by an average B1 learner.
Etymology
The word polysyndeton comes from Greek parts poly- 'many' and syn- 'together'. So it means 'many together' and helps you remember that it is a way of writing that uses many small joiners like 'and' to link items closely, as in 'she laughed and danced and sang'.
