The 11th
session of „Text Production“ on January 18th was opened by the
presentation of a special rhetorical device.
Zeugma, from Greek “bonding”, is a figure of speech in which a word or a
phrase applies to more than one noun or verb. In other words, zeugma is when
you use for example a verb (or an adjective or a subject) in multiple ways at
the same time while only using it only once. It is also possible that this word can be literal
in one part of the sentence, and sometimes figurative in another. This
rhetorical device, which joins together two different parts of a sentence, is
an interesting device that can cause confusion in sentences or can create a
dramatic effect. Let´s take a look at an example:
The farmers in the
valley grew potatoes, peanuts and tomatoes.
à You can
see that the verb grew applies to multiple parts of the sentence. In
other words the farmers grew potatoes, they grew peanuts and they grew
tomatoes.
The farmers in
the valley grew potatoes,
peanuts, and bored.
à In this example you can see that the verb grew is
being used in two different senses: 1) literally; the farmers grew potatoes and
peanuts and 2) figuratively; the farmers
also grew bored.
Depending on the position of the verb/adjective there
are 3 different types of zeugma.
- Prozeugma: Her beauty pierced mine eye, her speech mine
woeful heart, her presence all the powers of my discourse.
à
The verb/adjective, which holds together the entire sentence, is expressed in
the beginning of the sentence and is skipped after.
- Mesozeugma: Neither his father nor his mother could persuade him; neither his
friends nor his kinsmen.
à The
verb/adjective is expressed in the middle clause.
- Hypozeugma: The foundation of freedom, the fountain of equity, the safeguard of
wealth, and custody of life is preserved by laws.
à The
verb/adjective is expressed in the last clause.
Special
types:
- The
seven of us discussed, argued, tried,
failed, tried again.
à Diazeugma: a single subject is accompanied by multiple verbs
à Diazeugma: a single subject is accompanied by multiple verbs
- I came, I saw, I
conquered.
à Hypozeuxis:
the use of a series of parallel clauses
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