Anaphora
Anaphora is the repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences, so each new statement lands on a rhythm the reader already expects.
We asked in March. We asked again in June. We asked in writing, twice, and we are asking now.
The repeated opening does two things at once. It builds, because each restatement lands harder than the last on a reader who is already anticipating it. And it insists, because the repetition implies a patience that has run out.
How anaphora works
Anaphora (pronounced uh-NAF-or-uh) is parallelism with the pattern made unmistakable. Once the reader hears the same opening twice, they expect it a third time, and that expectation is the engine: the writer can load more weight onto each new clause because the frame is already familiar.
It is the standard structure of public speech, from the Psalms of the King James Bible through Churchill to Martin Luther King Jr.'s I have a dream. Dickens opens A Tale of Two Cities with it: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, and the It was runs on for a whole paragraph.
More examples
- She lied to her mother. She lied to her sister. She lied, finally, to herself. Why it works: the list narrows from other people to the self, so the last clause lands heaviest.
- Not the money. Not the house. Not even the dog. Why it works: short fragments with a repeated Not read as a character refusing, item by item.
Craft notes
It needs an ending. A run of anaphora that simply stops is worse than no run at all. The last item should break the pattern, extend it, or land heavier than the ones before. The opening example ends on the only clause in the present tense.
Three is usually the number. Two reads as coincidence. Three is a figure. Five is a sermon, and it had better be one.
Match the speaker. Anaphora sounds prepared. It suits a character making a case, and sounds odd from one who is flustered or improvising.
Common mistakes
- Accidental anaphora. Three paragraphs in a row that start with She is not a figure, it is a habit. Vary the openings unless the repetition is doing a job.
- No build. If the clauses could be shuffled without loss, the run has no direction. Order them so the strongest comes last.
Its mirror image is epistrophe, which repeats the closing words instead. Do both at once and you have symploce.
Frequently asked questions
What is an anaphora in simple terms?
An anaphora is a run of sentences or clauses that all begin with the same word or words, such as 'We asked in March. We asked in June.' The repeated opening builds a rhythm and pushes the point harder each time.
What is anaphora in grammar, as opposed to rhetoric?
In grammar and linguistics, anaphora means something different: a word that refers back to something already mentioned, usually a pronoun. In 'Maya lost her keys', 'her' is anaphoric because it points back to Maya.
What is the difference between anaphora and epistrophe?
Anaphora repeats words at the start of each clause. Epistrophe repeats them at the end. Using both at once is called symploce.
How do you pronounce anaphora?
It is pronounced uh-NAF-or-uh, with the stress on the second syllable.