Adjunction

Techniques > Use of language > Figures of speech > Adjunction

Method | Example | Discussion | See also

Description

Adjunction is the placement of the verb at the start of the phrase or sentence.

Example

Sings the bird as we walk on by.

Angry am I, storms across the sky.

Good, it is, that fights the master with his dark lord.

Discussion

The placement of verbs, nouns and other parts of speech in sentences is a curious structure that varies across languages. For example in English one says 'happy man' but in French they say 'homme heureux'.

Meaning is constructed as we read and we predict ahead what might be there, so is it better to know first that the subject is a man or that the descriptor is happiness? The latter certainly seems easier as you have to store the 'happy' and later apply it to the 'man'.

Putting the verb first in a sentence gives it primacy, emphasizing it. It also is an unusual structure and so grabs attention of readers, making them pause and think.

Classification: Rearrangement