"Syllepsis" Pronounce,Meaning And Examples

"Syllepsis" Meaning

Syllepsis is a rhetorical device in which a word’s invariable inherent meaning is preserved while its extension or relation to a second word changes, or more specifically, in which a word that belongs to one of two conceived relations, such as a verb and its object or a noun and its qualifying modifier, is used for both, the extension being changed but the relation remaining the same.

"Syllepsis" Examples

Syllepsis Examples:

1. "While I love both coffee and dogs, they're not as much of a necessity as a good woman." Here, "a good woman" is closely tied to the phrase "necessity" rather than "love", an example of syllepsis as a remark or expression is used metaphorically.
2. "He stared at the painting with both eyes." In this sentence, both "eyes" are figuratively used together with "stared" to emphasize the gaze directed at the painting.
3. "I gave him my right hand in conversation and my left in politics." Here, the left and right hands in "conversation" and "politics" are contrasting and yet situated together with "gave", which implies that the speaker is able to separate their personal opinions from their professional behavior.
4. "She packed both kids in her briefcase." Here, "both kids" are collectively contained within "briefcase", an idiomatic way of expressing the action of packing children into a general container.
5. "The policy change will both bolster and weaken the company's standing." In this sentence, "bolster" applies to "the company's standing" as a whole, while "weaken" clarifies that the policy will also have a negative impact, an example of using one word or phrase to convey a seemingly dual idea.

Note: Syllepsis is the rhetorical device of using a word in a different sense or to join two or more unrelated concepts into one phrase. It can be confusing for readers, but sometimes it also creates more powerful and evocative expressions.