Author Zoe M. McCarthy
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Author Zoe M. McCarthy
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Asyndeton & Polysyndeton in Story: Conjunctions, More & Less

May 4, 2017 | | 4 Comments

image by OpenClipart-Vectors

First, let’s look at syndeton and the examples we’re most familiar with.

Syndeton

Syndeton is the coordination of elements in a sentence, generally with a conjunction, such as and, or, but, for, nor, so, yet. The conjunctions can be used between words, phrases, and clauses.

Examples

  1. Anna could marry Lee or Doug.
  2. She could marry Lee, or she could wait for someone she loved.
  3. She received marriage offers  from Paul, Lee, and Doug.
  4. She’d gather information from recommendations, in interviews, and on one date.
  5. I came, I saw, and I conquered.

We’ll see how example 5 (Julius Caesar’s asyndetic quote) sounds in the three cases. Using the ending comma before the conjunction is up to you or your publisher’s preference.

Asyndeton

Asyndeton is the absence or omission of conjunctions between the parts of a sentence requiring coordination.

Examples

image by efrye

1. In quick succession, he looked surprised, puzzled, aware, euphoric.

2. I’m the best candidate—I’m a woman, I know what’s right, I can make progress happen.

3. She told me the materials needed were paper, paints, glue, a ruler, …

4. I will love you today, tomorrow, forever.

5. I came, I saw, I conquered.

 

The Importance of Asyndeton

Asyndeton is usually used to speed up a passage, emphasize the relations among the listed elements, and drive a reader toward a conclusion. It can give a sense that the list of similar elements has been left unfinished, i.e. there’s more, or the speaker has forgotten the rest as in example 3. Its style can make the sentence pop and be more easily remembered as in example 5.

Polysyndeton

Polysyndeton is the repeated use of the same conjunction, which is sometimes unnecessary.

Examples

image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images

1. You can choose pudding or cake or pie or bed.

2. Visitors to the museum will find historical clothes and furniture and weapons.

3. A successful romance involves understanding the differences between men and women and filling the story with conflict and presenting a happy ending.

4. The job entailed dusting all surfaces and vacuuming the garage and ironing sheets and polishing the silver and washing windows. No wonder she didn’t take the job.

5. I came and I saw and I conquered.

The Importance of Polysyndeton

Polysyndeton slows the rhythm of the passage. Although it can make a sentence or paragraph painstaking to read, it works well when the passage is about something that’s tiresome as in example 4. Polysyndeton can give the sense of meticulousness.

Another Example

From this passage in the Bible, Philippians 4:8-9 (New International Version), the Apostle Paul gives an example of asyndeton and one of polysyndeton.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Asyndeton & polysyndeton in your use of conjunctions could interest readers. Click to tweet.

Why have you veered from syndeton and used asyndeton or polysyndeton?

Amplification: Embellish What You Just Wrote With More Information

Apr 27, 2017 | | 0 Comments

image by geralt

What Amplification Is

Amplification is a literary device. Suppose you write a statement, but it doesn’t give the reader enough information to fully understand it or see the full impact of the object, idea, or event. So, you add information to further explain it or to emphasize it. You are using amplification.

image by warintr

Example

    Jeannie entered her apartment. Callie’s brother, lay on the sofa. What was her roommate’s brother doing—besides sleeping—in their apartment?
    She crossed her arms over her ribcage. “Ahem.”
    Justin’s eyes opened, and he looked around, confused. He turned his head toward her and startled.
     “Why are you here, Justin.” 
     “I’m sick. My temperature is up to 102 degrees, I have a sore throat, and my head is pounding. Callie went to the drugstore to get me some meds.”

The sentence in italics is an example of amplification. Justin and the author wanted Jeannie to realize how sick he is to justify his presence in the girls’ apartment.

Why Amplification Is Important

Amplification works well to:

  • reinforce a point.
  • highlight something important.
  • elicit emotion from the reader.
  • persuade why an idea should be considered.
  • make an object or an idea more vivid to the reader.
  • increase the reader’s understanding about something.
  • supplement an initial abrupt sentence.

More Examples

 

image by skeeze

1. Original Sentence: I stuck my head inside the opening in the stone face that stretched from the ground to my shoulders. The bat cave was a horror house inside.

The reader struggles to imagine what was going on in a bat “horror house.” The reader needs more information and description.

Rewrite: I stuck my head inside the opening in the stone face that stretched from the ground to my shoulders. The bat cave was a horror house inside. Black rodents with collapsed wings hung from every ridge in the stone ceiling. Flying bats dive-bombed two cats. The gray cat swiped a bat from the air. I jumped out of its way as it slinked outside with its squirming prey between its teeth. The biggest bat I’d ever seen swooped down and sunk its claws into the black cat’s coat. The cat screeched, performed three wrangling flips, and raced into the sunlight, the bat riding the cat as if it were a bucking bronco.

2. The 24-foot, food-laden table was the showpiece that—with its clawed feet, its massive armed chairs, and its purple brocade tablecloth presenting gold-rimmed china and crystal goblets filled with a red beverage—looked like a cross between a king’s feast and Dracula’s repast for vampires.

Use amplification to emphasize or add information to what you just stated. Click to tweet.

What reasons do you, or might you, use amplification?

Symbolism: Give Something in Your Story a Deeper and Wider Meaning

Apr 20, 2017 | | 2 Comments

image by LunarSeaArt

What Symbolism Is

As a literary device, symbolism gives an object a dual meaning. It imbues the object with ideas or qualities that are profound, far-reaching, and different from the object’s actual physical meaning.

Symbolism can enrich, provide a better understanding of the story, and show it has broader implications than itself.

A common example is a dove symbolizing peace.

Creating Symbolism in a Story

1.

Suppose Camellia wants to know who she is. She carries in her handbag the letter from her deceased grandmother, which reveals her parents’ names. She rereads the letter whenever she becomes discouraged in her search for her parents.

The letter becomes a symbol for the truth of her origin. It has profound meaning to Camellia. It also ties together the people she’ll interview and touch in some way during her search. It’s no longer only a letter.

2. 

You can have an object appear several times in your story to associate an emotion or mood. In my romance, Calculated Risk, sticky notes symbolize Cisney’s way of trying to manage chaos in her life.

One example is when she’s heard bad news and wants to leave Nick’s house. She writes the bus’s departure time on a sticky note and adheres it to her cell phone. Most people would’ve used Notes or some other reminder app in their cell.

Creating Symbolism in Context

A story symbol will be understood in the context of how you set it up. You may have an apple show up in scenes to symbolize knowledge.

For ages, people have associated an apple with the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden that, when eaten, revealed the knowledge of good and evil. For me, an apple left on a teacher’s desk or the apples on Apple devices also symbolize knowledge.

Or an apple in your story could symbolize a favored one as it did in the Old Testament when someone was “the apple of his eye.”

Attaching Symbolism to Something Other Than Objects

image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images

Sometimes an action or an event can symbolize something. For example, saying, “I knew your Aunt Louise,” could let a fellow spy know others are safe to receive messages of national importance. In New Testament times when Christians were thrown to the lions, Christians drew a simple fish in the dust to subtly reveal they were Christians. These two actions symbolize revealing safe people.

Receiving Aid from Other Literary Devices

Other literary devices, such as a metaphors, similes, allegories, and allusions, can help create symbolism.

  • When a symbol has something in common with an idea or quality, a metaphor or simile can show this. Suppose Alec shudders every time he passes the roller coaster at the fair. Symbolism: The author has Alec pass the roller coaster when bad or good events happen in his life. Life is (or is like) a roller coaster. Both have ups and downs.
  • When Jesus’ parable of a prodigal son symbolizes a character’s life, this uses an allegory, or, if someone in the story mentions the character’s life is like the Prodigal Son’s, he employs an allusion.

Use symbolism to give your reader a better understanding of your story. Click to tweet.

What symbolism have you noticed in a story?

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American Christian Fiction Writers

American Christian Fiction Writers

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