1. Repetition, repetition, repetition

2. The action of repeating sounds, words, phrases, lines, or stanzas that have already been said or written. Used to emphasize a point or an emotion.

3. What point do you think Robert Frost is trying to make by repeating the last line of the poem twice? “The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.” -Robert Frost

4. It can also be used to convey a feeling of anticipation or suspense.

5. “Although they could not see outside the cabin, they could hear the eerie tapping, tapping, tapping, of his knife upon their door.”

6. There are 3 main types of repetition you will see: 1. Words 2. Phrases 3. Ideas

7. Repetition of words: A writer may wish to repeat an important word within a sentence or paragraph to draw the reader’s attention to its importance. This word may alter its form, and that’s okay. Example: Volunteering offers individuals many rewarding experiences. A volunteer may change the lives of others while changing his or her own life. Many opportunities exist to volunteer in local communities. Considering volunteering today! – In this example, repeating different forms of volunteer focuses the reader’s attention on this topic.

8. Repetition of phrases: A writer may wish to repeat a specific phrase to center the reader’s attention on its importance. Example: Every year, millions of Americans do not vote. That’s millions of voices that the political system doesn’t hear. – In this example, repeating “millions of” alerts the reader to the extremely high number of people who do not vote.

9. Repetition of sentences: A writer may wish to repeat a sentence to emphasize the idea it contains to the reader. Example: Global warming will destroy the planet. If people do not take action to prevent it, many creatures’ habitats will vanish. Plant species will become extinct. Millions of people living in coastal areas will be displaced. Action needs to occur or global warming will destroy the planet. – Repeating the sentence regarding global warming emphasizes the idea of its negative impact on the planet

10. Dangers of Overuse: Repetition needs to be sparingly used in a text. The purpose of repetition is to draw the reader’s attention to a specific word, phrase or idea. If the writer repeats too many different words, phrases or ideas, then the reader will not assign importance to any of them.