Inversion
Stylistic inversion aims at attaching logical stress or additional emotional colouring to the surface meaning of the utterance. Therefore a specific intonation pattern is the inevitable satellite of inversion.
The following patterns of stylistic inversion are most frequently met in both English prose and English poetry.
1. The object is placed at the beginning of the sentence, e.g. Talent Mr.Micawber has, capital Mr.Micawber has not.
2. The attribute is placed after the word it modifies, e. g. With fingers weary and worn.
3. The predicate is placed before the subject, e.g. A good generous prayer it was.
4. The adverbial modifier is placed at the beginning of the sentence.
e.g. My dearest daughter, at your feet I fall.
5. Both modifier and predicate stand before the subject, e. g. In went Mr. Pickwick.
Detached Construction
Detached Construction is a secondary part of a sentence, placed so that it seems formally independent of the word it logically refers to. The detached part, being torn away from its referent, assumes a greater degree of significance.
Steyne rose up, grinding his teeth, pale, and with fury in his eyes.
This stylistic device is akin to inversion, detached construction produces a much stronger effect.
‘I want to go’, he said, miserable.’
Repetition
Repetition as a stylistic device is a direct successor of repetition as an expressive language means, which serves to emphasize certain statements of the speaker, and so possesses considerable emotive force.
As to the position occupied by the repeated unit in the sentence or utterance, we shall mention four main types, most frequently occurring in English literature:
Anaphora
Anaphora-is a type of expression whose reference depends upon another referential element. E.g., in the sentence 'Sally preferred the company of herself', 'herself' is an anaphoric expression in that it is coreferential with the expression in subject position.
Example
Epiphora – the repetition of the final word (… a, … a, … a);Epiphora is the repetition at the end of a phrase.
Example:
I am exactly the man to be placed in a superior position in such a case as that. I am above the rest of mankind, in such a case as that. I can act with philosophy in such a case as that.
Anadiplosis or catch repetition – the repetition of the same unit (word or phrase) at the end of the preceding and at the beginning of the sentence (…a, a …);
The combination of several catch repetitions produces a chain repetition.
Framing or ring repetition – the repetition of the same unit at the beginning and at the end of the same sentence (a …, … a).
Suspense
Suspense is the deliberate slowing down of the thought, postponing its completion till the very end of the utterance.
Very often the stylistic device of suspense is formed by various kinds of parenthetical words and sentences.
e.g. I have been accused of bad taste. This has disturbed me, not so much for my own sake as for the sake of criticism in general.
Detachment
Detached Construction is a secondary part of a sentence, placed so that it seems formally independent of the word it logically refers to. The detached part, being torn away from its referent, assumes a greater degree of significance.
Example
Steyne rose up, grinding his teeth, pale, and with fury in his eyes.
This stylistic device is akin to inversion, detached construction produces a much stronger effect.
‘I want to go’, he said, miserable.’