Schemes of Word Order
Figures that achieve effect through unusual or unexpected arrangement of words.
5 figures across 1 subcategory
Syntactic Rearrangement
Departures from standard word order for rhetorical emphasis or effect.
B A instead of A B — inverted normal order
Inversion of the normal word order of a sentence, typically placing an adjective after its noun or a verb before its subject.
A (—aside—) B — interrupting insertion
Insertion of a word, phrase, or clause into a sentence as an aside or explanation, interrupting the normal flow.
X, [equivalent], ... — explanatory noun beside noun
Placing a noun or noun phrase next to another as an explanatory equivalent, without a conjunction.
A...B where A B normally adjacent — separated for emphasis
Deliberate separation of words that naturally belong together, or extreme disruption of expected word order for emphasis.
B then A instead of A then B — inverted temporal/logical order
Reversal of the logical or chronological order of events, placing what should come last first.