Controlling Pace and Creating Drama with Conjunctions Omitting conjunctions: asyndeton Multiplying conjunctions: polysyndeton Review A Review B

Omitting conjunctions: asyndeton Writers put words together to create fast action or slow motion. In his play Julius Caesar, Shakespeare gives these words to Mark Antony, to express Antony’s horror and grief at the sight of Caesar’s dead body: Are all thy conquests, glories, triumphs, spoils, Shrunk to this little measure? Usually the conjunction and would come before the last item in a series.conjunction and ^ Why did Shakespeare not use a conjunction?

A conjunction is a connecting word that links words, phrases, or clauses. Carl ran down the stairs and out the front door. Coordinating conjunctions connect words, phrases, and clauses of equal importance and include and, but, or, yet, nor, for, and so. WORDS We could turn right or left. PHRASES CLAUSES No one was home, so I left a message. Omitting conjunctions: coordinating conjunctions

Are all thy conquests, glories, triumphs, spoils, Shrunk to this little measure? To find out why a great writer makes a certain choice, we need to ask... In this case, Mark Antony’s four adjectives, without a conjunction to separate them, create intensity and abundance. Intensity Abundance Omitting conjunctions: asyndeton How does the writer’s choice affect the reader?

The technique of omitting conjunctions in a series is called asyndeton. a This term comes from an ancient Greek word that means “not together.” not syn together The prefix a- means “not” or “without,” as in amorphous, “without shape.” The root -syn- means “together” or “same,” as in synchronous, “at the same time.” The ending -deton makes the word a noun. deton (noun) Omitting conjunctions: asyndeton

Asyndeton speeds up the pace of the sentence and adds emphasis, as in this example from Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. No conjunction Notice how the pace would slow if we added and. The sentence would also sound less intense. Conjunction But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, and we cannot hallow this ground. Omitting Conjunctions: Asyndeton

2.We could go to a movie, a museum, or the library. 3.That experience left me frightened and cautious but wiser. Experiment with asyndeton by removing the conjunctions from each sentence. How does the pace, intensity, or meaning of the sentences change as a result? 1.The candidate promised more jobs, higher salaries, and lower taxes. Omitting conjunctions: asyndeton

Experiment with asyndeton by removing the conjunctions from each sentence. How does the pace, intensity, or meaning of the sentences change as a result? 1.The candidate promised more jobs, higher salaries, lower taxes. Omitting the conjunction and mimics the intense delivery of a political speech. Doing so also broadens the scope of the candidate’s promises, as if these are only three of many possibilities. Omitting conjunctions: asyndeton

Omitting the conjunction or adds abundance to the sentence by suggesting that our choices are not limited to these three activities. Experiment with asyndeton by removing the conjunctions from each sentence. How does the pace, intensity, or meaning of the sentences change as a result? 2.We could go to a movie, a museum, the library. Omitting conjunctions: asyndeton

Omitting the conjunctions and and but makes it seem as if the writer is taking stock of his or her experience. Without the conjunction but to signal a contrast between the last item and the first two, wiser comes as more of a surprise. Experiment with asyndeton by removing the conjunctions from each sentence. How does the pace, intensity, or meaning of the sentences change as a result? 3.That experience left me frightened, cautious, wiser. Omitting conjunctions: asyndeton

Multiplying conjunctions: polysyndeton Sometimes writers create drama and add emphasis by slowing down the pace. Nature is so uncomfortable. Grass is hard and lumpy and damp, and full of dreadful black insects. Notice how Oscar Wilde accomplishes these effects by using several conjunctions in a series. Nature is so uncomfortable. Grass is hard and lumpy and damp, and full of dreadful black insects.

Using only one conjunction at the end would take away the emphasis and speed up the pace. Multiplying conjunctions: polysyndeton Nature is so uncomfortable. Grass is hard, lumpy, damp, and full of dreadful black insects.

The technique of including conjunctions between every item in a series is called polysyndeton. poly This term, the opposite of asyndeton, means “many together” in ancient Greek. many syn together The prefix poly- means “many,” as in polygon, a shape having “many sides.” The second half of the word,–syndeton, means “together” just as in asyndeton. deton (noun) Multiplying conjunctions: polysyndeton

Polysyndeton adds emphasis by presenting each item in a series separately. Multiplying conjunctions: polysyndeton In Shakespeare’s play Othello, Iago prods Othello’s jealousy about his wife until Othello says passionately: If there be cords, or knives, Poison, or fire, or suffocating streams, I’ll not endure it.” (Othello, III, iii) The repetition of or makes Othello’s suffering stand out.

There were frowzy fields, and cow-houses, and dunghills, and dustheaps, and ditches, and gardens, and summer- houses, and carpet-beating grounds, at the very door of the Railway. Authors from Shakespeare to Hemingway use polysyndeton to capture the rhythm of speech and to have the reader focus on every detail. Adding conjunctions: polysyndeton How many coordinating conjunctions can you spot in this passage from Charles Dickens’ Dombey and Son? There were frowzy fields, and cow-houses, and dunghills, and dustheaps, and ditches, and gardens, and summer- houses, and carpet-beating grounds, at the very door of the Railway. 7

2.Outbursts, refusals, threats, or blackmail could end the peace negotiations. 3.I washed dishes, vacuumed, did laundry, dusted, and then took a nap. Practice polysyndeton by repeating the underlined conjunction between every item in each series. How does multiplying conjunctions affect the sentence? 1.There the settlers found disease, hunger, and backbreaking work. Multiplying conjunctions: polysyndeton

Multiplying conjunctions emphasizes the hardships that the settlers experienced. Multiplying conjunctions: polysyndeton Practice polysyndeton by repeating the underlined conjunction between every item in each series. How does multiplying conjunctions affect the sentence? 1.There the settlers found disease and hunger and backbreaking work.

Repeating or adds force to the declaration and implies that speaking angrily or being stubborn is equivalent to more hostile behavior. Multiplying conjunctions: polysyndeton Practice polysyndeton by repeating the underlined conjunction between every item in each series. How does multiplying conjunctions affect the sentence? 2.Outbursts or refusals or threats or blackmail could end the peace negotiations.

Separating each item with and emphasizes how much work the speaker did and how exhausting it was. Multiplying conjunctions: polysyndeton Practice polysyndeton by repeating the underlined conjunction between every item in each series. How does multiplying conjunctions affect the sentence? 3.I washed dishes and vacuumed and did laundry and dusted and then took a nap.

Controlling Pace and Creating Drama with Conjunctions [End of Section] On Your Own Rewrite the following sentences by either omitting or adding conjunctions. Use each strategy at least twice, and identify your revisions as either asyndeton (A) or polysyndeton (P). 1. Our picnic included wraps, drinks, pretzels, and fruit. 2.That sound could be an owl, a coyote, or the wind. 3.Planning, foresight, and dedication brought us here. 4.Left and right, up and down bobbed the kite. 5. The new office building is economical, spacious, and energy-efficient but extraordinarily ugly.

Controlling Pace and Creating Drama with Conjunctions Possible Answers Rewrite the following sentences by either omitting or adding conjunctions. Use each strategy at least twice, and identify your revisions as either asyndeton (A) or polysyndeton (P). 1. Our picnic included wraps, drinks, pretzels, fruit. 2.That sound could be an owl or a coyote or the wind. 3.Planning and foresight and dedication brought us here. 4.Left, right, up, down bobbed the kite. 5. The new office building is economical and spacious and energy efficient but extraordinarily ugly. A P P A P

Review A Describe an exciting scene in a movie. Use asyndeton in at least one sentence to create a sense of fast action for the reader.

Review A Taking the golden idol from the temple gives the adventurous archaeologist serious problems. He braves spiders, narrowly avoids falling into a pit, dodges poisonous darts, runs just ahead of a giant rolling boulder. All of this mayhem is much more exciting than spending hours in the dirt patiently digging and brushing. [possible answer]

Review B Write a paragraph that describes a suspenseful scene. Use polysyndeton in at least one sentence to allow the reader to focus on individual items in a series.

Review B [possible answer] Write a paragraph that describes a suspenseful scene. Use polysyndeton in at least one sentence to allow the reader to focus on individual items in a series. In return for his freedom, the genie offered to grant Sandra a single wish. Rather than offering her a bonanza, though, the choice was paralyzing. She knew that she wanted to help others, but what was the best option? Should she cure a disease, or end a war, or feed the hungry, or get rid of pollution?

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