hypozeugma
Noun: A rhetorical device in which a single predicate (verb or verb phrase) follows and applies to a series of two or more subjects. This structure creates a sense of unity, emphasis, or cumulative effect by linking multiple subjects to a common action or state.
Hypozeugma is a stylistic technique used in writing and oratory to achieve conciseness, rhythm, and force. It is the opposite of zeugma (or more specifically, prozeugma), where a single subject governs multiple predicates. In hypozeugma, the predicate is placed at the end of the clause, after all the subjects have been listed.
- "Lust, envy, greed, and hatred fuel his actions." (The single predicate "fuel his actions" applies to all four subjects: lust, envy, greed, and hatred.)
- "The mountains, the valleys, the rivers stretched before us." (The predicate "stretched before us" is shared by the three subjects.)
- "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears." (From Shakespeare's ; the predicate "lend me your ears" follows the three subjects of address.)
Hypozeugma can be used to build suspense or dramatic effect, as the reader or listener must wait until the end of the series to discover the action that binds the elements together. It is a figure of speech closely related to other forms of zeugma and syllepsis, which involve different arrangements of shared grammatical elements.
- Zeugma: A broader term for any rhetorical construction in which a single word (often a verb or preposition) grammatically or logically governs two or more other words, but in different senses. (e.g., "He lost his coat and his temper.")
- Prozeugma (or Zeugma): A specific type where the governing word (the predicate) precedes the series of words it governs. (e.g., "He fought with courage, with skill, with desperation.")
- Syllepsis: A type of zeugma where the governing word must be understood in a different sense with each item it governs, often creating a pun or witty effect. (e.g., "She made no reply, up her mind, and a dash for the door.")
- Syntactic Brachylogy (a broader term for condensed grammatical construction)
- End-placed Predicate
- Prozeugma (front-placed predicate)
- Mesozoic (middle-placed predicate, a rarer form of zeugma)
As a specific rhetorical term, "hypozeugma" is not commonly used in everyday idioms. Its usage is primarily academic, literary, and analytical.
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use of a series of subjects with a single predicate