Figures of Arrangement Vocabulary

a series of three parallel elements

“Veni, vidi, vici—Caesar's tricolon.”

parallel structures of equal length and rhythm

“The bigger they are, the harder they fall.”

arranging ideas in order of increasing importance

“I came, I saw, I conquered—building to the climax.”

a disappointing decline after a buildup

“For God, for country, and for Yale—anticlimax through bathos.”

omitting conjunctions for speed and impact

“I came, I saw, I conquered—asyndeton removes 'and.'”

using many conjunctions for emphasis

“And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew.”

using one word to govern several others in different senses

“She lowered her standards and her neckline.”

emphasizing something by claiming to pass over it

“I won't even mention his criminal record.”

asking a question then immediately answering it

“What makes a great leader? Vision, courage, and humility.”