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A sentence that begins and ends with the same word – such as “Nice to see you; to see you nice!”– is called an epanadiplosis, according to Haggard Hawks, one of Twitter’s best word-mavens. So I asked for 10 more.
1. “Vanity of vanities, says the preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.” Ecclesiastes 1:2. From James of Nazareth, who also nominated “Hope that is seen is not hope” (Romans 8:24).
2. “Nation shall speak peace unto nation.” Motto of the BBC, dating from its founding in 1927. Thanks to John Peters.
3. “The king is dead: long live the king.” Steven Fogel.
4. “Yes because he never did a thing like that before … and his heart was going like mad and yes I said yes I will Yes.” The final sentence of Ulysses, James Joyce, 121 pages long. Nominated by Jim.
5. “Infamy, infamy, they’ve all got it infamy.” Kenneth Williams as Julius Caesar in Carry On Cleo, 1964. Thanks to Phil Riley and Stewart Lambie.
6. “One for all, and all for one.” The Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas, 1844. Often inverted as “All for one and one for all”, which also works. Nominated by Craig Nicholson, Darren Sugg and Lynda Bearne.
7. “Events, dear boy, events.” Attributed to Harold Macmillan. Thanks to Dickon Fethers.
8. “Mankind must put an end to war – or war will put an end to mankind.” John F Kennedy, 1961. From Chris Jones.
9. “Brexit means Brexit.” Theresa May. Nominated by Jack Blanchard.
10. “Nothing? Nothing will come of nothing.” King Lear; another nomination from Jim. There are a few in Shakespeare. Nicole Galvin also nominated “Fair is foul and foul is fair” (Macbeth).
Not quite making the cut: “Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose.” Line from a poem by Gertrude Stein, 1913, usually used (including by Stein herself) with an extra “A” at the beginning. “Next time there won’t be a next time.” Phil Leotardo in The Sopranos. Also attributed to Eminem. Thanks to Graham Kirby and Steven Fogel, but it begins and ends with the same phrase rather than word. Hamish McRae, my colleague, recently quoted Warren Buffett as saying that investors should be “fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful”, as Steven Fogel reminded me, but that’s not a complete sentence.
Finally, James Dinsdale nominated “I’m Henery the Eighth, I Am”, a British music hall ditty from the 1910s that bizarrely became the fastest-selling single in US chart history in 1965 when re-recorded by Herman’s Hermits. It’s “I’m” and “I am” but James pleads that it knocked The Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” off the top of the Billboard 100.
Next week: Shocking falsehoods in historical dramas, inspired by the fuss over The Crown.
Coming soon: Inspired by 24 hours of clips of Christopher Plummer not actually singing “Edelweiss”, things people are remembered for that they didn’t actually do (excluding things they didn’t actually say).
Your suggestions please, and ideas for future Top 10s, to me on Twitter, or by email to top10@independent.co.uk
You are describing word association football, a variation on the classic rhetorical device anadiplosis, “the repetition of the last word (or phrase) from the previous line, clause, or sentence at the beginning of the next”.1 In this variation, anadiplosis is combined with ellipsis, “omission of a word or short phrase easily understood in context”.2
Word association football is essentially surprising in a humorous and literary sort of way, like a pun. Your examples are typical.
While not necessarily the originators of this rhetorical device, Monty Python get widespread credit for naming it.4 The name stems from one of their monologues.
Here is an example of anadiplosis, followed by the canonical example of word association football. Bolding, italics, and line breaks are added to emphasize the rhetorical structure.
Glad You Came (example of anadiplosis)
Turn the lights out now
Now, I’ll take you by the hand
Hand you another drink
Drink it if you can
Can you spend a little time
Time is slipping away
Away from us, so stay
Stay with me I can make
Make you glad you came
—The Wanted3Word Association Football
Tonight’s the night
I shall be talking about of flu
the subject of word association football.
This is a technique out a living
much used in the practice makes perfect
of psychoanalysister and brother
and one that has occupied piper
the majority rule
of my attention squad by the right number one two three
four the last five years to the memory.
It is quite remarkable baker charlie
how much the miller’s son
this so-called while you were out
word association immigrants’ problems
influences the manner from heaven
in which we sleekit cowering timrous beasties all-American
speak, the famous explorer.
And the really well that is
surprising partner in crime
is that a lot and his wife
of the lions’ feeding
time we may be c d e
effectively quite unaware of the fact or fiction section of the Watford Public Library
that we are even doing it is a far, far better thing that I do now then, now then, what’s going Onward Christian Barnard the famous hearty part of the lettuce now praise famous mental homes for loonies like me.
So on the button,
my contention causing all the headaches,
is that unless we take into account of Monte Cristo
in our thinking George the Fifth
this phenomenon the other hand
we shall not be able satisfactor fiction section of the Watford Public Library again
ily to understand to attention when I’m talking to you and stop laughing
about human nature, man’s psychological make-up some story the wife’ll believe
and hence the very meaning of life itselfish bastard, I’ll kick him in the balls Pond Road.
—Monty Python
You have heard the old saying “variety is the spice of life,” right? That’s definitely true for writing! If your prose is full of repetitions, your readers will quickly become bored.
So your task during the revision process is to go over your manuscript and keep an eye out for repetitions such as:
- Repetitive paragraph and sentence beginnings
- Repetitive paragraph and sentence length
- Repetitive sentence structure
- Overused words and words that are repeated in close proximity
In this post, I’ll focus on avoiding repetitions on the paragraph and sentence level. Read my previous posts on how to avoid overused words and overused body language.
Issue #1: Repetitive paragraph and sentence beginnings
To avoid repetitive sentence beginnings, keep an eye out for multiple sentences in a row beginning with the same word. Most often, repetitive sentence beginnings start with:
- a pronoun (he, she, I, they, it, her, his)
- a character name
- an article (a, the)
- a conjunction (but, and)
- a conjunctive adverb (then).
That kind of repetitive sentence structure leads to a monotonous rhythm, causing readers’ attention to flag. It’s important to vary the structure of your sentences. Try mixing it up—start some sentences with words other than names or pronouns.
There are no hard-and-fast rules about how many repetitions are too many, but I’d say two times in a row is fine; three times might be too much.
The same is true for paragraph beginnings. Keep an eye on how many paragraphs in a row start with the same word, and if more than two start with the same one, switch it up.
Are repetitive paragraph and sentence beginnings always a bad thing?
In most cases, repetitive paragraph and sentence beginnings are a problem you should fix, but there’s an exception: Sometimes, repetitions are used to create an effect.
Example:
She couldn’t move. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think.
How should you revise repetitive paragraph and sentence beginnings?
Here are a few suggestions on how to fix repetitive sentence beginnings. Since the overused sentence beginning I encounter most often in manuscripts is “she” or “he” or a character name, I’ll focus mostly on that issue.
- First, check to see if you are using filters. If you’re not sure what that is, take a look at this blog post on filter words. Filters often result in sentences starting with a character name or a pronoun (he, she, etc.).
Example:
She heard the door slam shut. She whirled around and glared at him.
Rewrite without the filter: The door slammed shut. She whirled around and glared at him.
- If you find yourself starting too many sentences with a character name or “she/he,” take a look at the verb. Can you turn it into a noun without leaching the power from the sentence?
Example:
She smiled.
Rewrite: A smile lingered on her lips.
- Break up a row of actions with dialogue, description, and internalization.
Example: She regarded him for several moments. She wondered how he could return her gaze so coolly.
Rewrite with a direct question (internalization): She regarded him for several moments. How could he return her gaze so coolly?
- Sometimes, switching around the order of clauses within a sentence can work. But be careful to put the elements of your sentences in the correct chronological order.
Example:
She called him immediately when she got home. She just hadn’t expected him to pick up.
Rewrite: Once home, she called him immediately. She just hadn’t expected him to pick up.
- If two sentences starting with the same word are both relatively short, see if you can combine them.
Example:
It took both of them to get Tina out of her sports bra. It stuck to her damp skin.
Rewrite: It took both of them to get Tina out of her sports bra, which stuck to her damp skin.
How you SHOULDN’T revise repetitive paragraph and sentence beginnings
Sometimes, trying to avoid pronouns or names at sentence beginnings can result in other problems. The following rewrites are NOT good solutions:
-
Replacing each and every (or most) character name and pronoun at sentence beginnings with something else. Remember that our goal is to avoid too many sentences in a row starting with the same word. We are NOT trying to avoid any and all pronouns or names.
-
Participles: Please don’t try to solve the problem by tacking participle phrases in front of your sentences. More often than not, participles cause additional problems in your manuscript.
Example: She entered the house. She took a shower and went straight to bed but couldn’t fall asleep until 3 a.m.
Not a good rewrite: Entering the house, she took a shower and went straight to bed but couldn’t fall asleep until 3 a.m.
That’s not a good solution since the participle implies that these actions—entering the house, taking a shower, and going to bed—happen at the same time, which is impossible.
Better rewrite: Once she had entered the house, she took a shower and went straight to bed but couldn’t fall asleep until 3 a.m.
-
Sentence fragments—incomplete sentences that are missing a noun—are also not a good solution.
Example: She could look after herself. She didn’t need watching over.
Not so great rewrite: She could look after herself. Didn’t need watching over.
Better rewrite: She could look after herself.
-
Passive constructions: Don’t rewrite sentences from active voice to passive voice to avoid names or pronouns at the beginning of sentences. Passive voice makes your writing…well, passive, and it distances readers from the characters.
Example:
She knew the fever was much too high. She wasted no time calling the doctor.
Not a good rewrite: She knew the fever was much too high. No time was wasted calling the doctor.
Better rewrite: The fever was much too high. She rushed to the phone and called the doctor.
-
“There was”: Starting sentences with “there was” or “there were” or “there had been” to avoid a name or pronoun. “There was” is a very weak verb. Revise it and use strong, dynamic verbs whenever possible.
Example:
She knew her allergies would act up soon. She had seen three cats in the house.
Not so great rewrite: She knew her allergies would act up soon. There had been three cats in the house.
Better rewrite: Three cats roamed the house, so her allergies would probably act up soon.
Issue #2: Repetitive paragraph and sentence length
Not only the beginnings of sentences and paragraphs, but also their lengths can become repetitive. Too many short sentences in a row create a choppy effect, while too many long sentences slow the pace and become hard to follow.
Make sure you vary the length of your sentences too and mix up short and long sentences.
Vary paragraph length too.
If your sentences mostly have the same structure, that creates a monotonous effect that will lull readers to sleep instead of keeping them turning the pages. During the revision process, make sure that you vary your sentence structure too.
Keep the four different sentence types in mind:
- Simple sentence: consists of an independent clause without a dependent clause.
Example:
She walked toward the apartment building. It started to rain.
- Compound sentence: consists of two independent clauses joined by a conjunction (FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).
Example:
She walked toward the apartment building, and it started to rain.
- Complex sentence: consists of one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.
Example:
It started to rain as she walked toward the apartment building.
- Compound-complex sentence: consists of multiple independent clauses and at least one dependent clause.
Example:
It started to rain as she walked toward the apartment building, so she picked up her pace.
Take a look at your manuscript and try to find out whether you have a sentence type that comes most naturally to you. Which type do you find yourself using most often? Are you using one type too often?
Avoid using multiple sentences of the same type in a row.
While you are revising your manuscript, also keep an eye on using the same conjunction repeatedly in close proximity.
Example:
Jake’s lips trembled, but he didn’t say anything.
Tina didn’t like confrontations either, but silence wasn’t an option.
Rewrite:
Jake’s lips trembled, but he didn’t say anything.
While Tina didn’t like confrontations either, silence wasn’t an option.
Typical sentence structures many writers use too often
The three sentence structures that are overused most often in the manuscripts I have edited are “as” phrases, compound sentences with “but,” and participial phrases. They can be especially problematic when they are used repeatedly within the same paragraph.
- Too many “as” (or “as if”) phrases
Example:
Chaos ensued as everyone hugged and greeted each other.
“Where are the kids?” Eliza asked as she hugged her brother.
Rewrite:
Chaos ensued as everyone hugged and greeted each other.
Eliza hugged her brother. “Where are the kids?”
- Too many sentences with participles
Example:
Sidestepping a hit, he finally found some open space. His legs churning, he sailed into not only the end zone but also the record books.
Rewrite:
Sidestepping a hit, he finally found some open space. His legs churned as he sailed into not only the end zone but also the record books.
- Too many sentences with “but”
Example:
Jennifer was still lovely beyond measure, but a wariness sat at the edges of her eyes. It had probably always been there, but Ben had never noticed until now.
Rewrite:
Jennifer was still lovely beyond measure, but a wariness sat at the edges of her eyes. It had probably always been there; Ben just hadn’t noticed until now.
What sentence beginnings or sentence structures do you find yourself using too often? Let us know in the comments!
Is there a way to write «for» loop and «If Else» in python that searches through a sentence and find the number of words that start and end with the same letter?
I’ve tried writing something like:
sentence = "Mom knock the door"
list = sentence.split()
for word in sentence:
if ...
Ha Bom
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asked Dec 29, 2018 at 8:44
0
simply compare the character at the beginning of the string with the character at the end of the string like so:
if word[0] == word[-1]:
If it shouldn’t be case sensitive, lower the word first by calling:
word = word.lower()
answered Dec 29, 2018 at 8:48
DWuestDWuest
6191 gold badge8 silver badges17 bronze badges
2
words_list = sentence.split()
new_words_list = []
for word in words_list:
if word[0] == word[-1]:
new_words_list.append(word)
print('Number of words that starts and ends with same letter - {}'.format(len(new_words_list)))
Also you can do it with list comprehension:
new_words_list = [word for word in words_list if word[0] == word[-1]]
If you want not to have it case sensitive use word[0].lower() and word[-1].lower() instead of word[0] and word[-1]
answered Dec 29, 2018 at 8:48
Sergey PugachSergey Pugach
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2
The answers above are all smart, I prefer to deal with it in functional programming way, like this:
sentence = "Mom knock the door"
def is_same_letter_at_begin_end(word):
return word and word[0].lower() == word[-1].lower()
target_words = list(filter(is_same_letter_at_begin_end, sentence.split()))
print(target_words)
print(len(target_words))
answered Dec 29, 2018 at 9:06
Menglong LiMenglong Li
2,15716 silver badges19 bronze badges
0
list = sentence.split(" ")
count = 0
for word in list:
lc_word = word.lower()
if lc_word[0] == lc_word[-1]:
count +=1
answered Dec 29, 2018 at 8:48
Will WardWill Ward
1,8261 gold badge9 silver badges11 bronze badges
lst = sentence.split()
num_words = 0
for i in lst:
low = i.lower()
if low[0] == low[len(low)-1]:
num_words += 1
return num_words
answered Dec 29, 2018 at 9:00
1
list or set comprehension case insensitive:
sentence = "Mom knock the door, mom"
all_words_count = len([ word for word in sentence.split() if word[0].lower() == word[-1].lower() ])
uniq_words_count = len({word.lower() for word in sentence.split() if word[0].lower() == word[-1].lower()})
print(all_words_count) #=> 3
print(uniq_words_count) #=> 2
answered Dec 29, 2018 at 9:22
iGianiGian
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<< return to list of rules
This is one of many errors that LanguageTool can detect. Visit the LanguageTool homepage to use it online or download it for free.
| Description: | Successive sentences beginning with the same word |
| Category: |
Style
(ID: STYLE) |
| Incorrect sentences that this rule can detect: |
|
| Correct sentences for comparison: |
|
| Pattern: |
[Java Rule] Sourcecode |
| Check the following text against just this rule: | |
| ID: |
ENGLISH_WORD_REPEAT_BEGINNING_RULE |
| Version: | 6.2-SNAPSHOT (2023-04-13 20:33:02 +0000) |