Expertlatin
Chiasmus is the A-B-B-A order of words or phrases. Often in Latin this is represented with different bits of grammar, like the placement of verbs and nouns. Latin also uses chiasmus with adjective-noun combinations. With chiasmus, what's fair is foul and foul is fair.
- Why is chiasmus used?
- How do you use chiasmus in a sentence?
- What is an example of chiasmus in writing?
- What is the difference between chiasmus and antimetabole?
Why is chiasmus used?
The power of chiasmus is in adding emphasis. That's why it was originally a rhetorical device, that is, a tool for speaking persuasively. By establishing, then deliberately reversing, a verbal pattern, writers or speakers engage the audience's attention and make more powerful points.
How do you use chiasmus in a sentence?
Chiasmus is a figure of speech in which the grammar of one phrase is inverted in the following phrase, such that two key concepts from the original phrase reappear in the second phrase in inverted order. The sentence "She has all my love; my heart belongs to her," is an example of chiasmus.
What is an example of chiasmus in writing?
Chiasmus Definition. Chiasmus is a two-part sentence or phrase, where the second part is a reversal of the first. “When the going gets tough, the tough get going” is a simple example of this literary device.
What is the difference between chiasmus and antimetabole?
Antimetabole is the repetition of words or phrases. Chiasmus is the repetition of similar concepts within a repeated grammatical structure , but doesn't necessarily involve the repetition of the same words.
