Question

What is a zeugma ? How is it used?

Answer 1

Hint: The term zeugma is defined as a figure of speech that involves using a single word in order to join together more than one word or phrase. Example: She fished for her leisure and then for some compliments. The way the verb ‘fished’ is used for both the nouns ‘leisure’ and ‘compliment’ shows the use of zeugma. We will discuss the same in detail in the complete answer.

Complete answer:
Let us discuss what is zeugma and how we use it.

Zeugma is the joining of two parts of a sentence together through the use of a word or phrase. It is an important device used in literature. It helps the author to create a stylistic effect that makes a piece of writing more interesting and unique for the reader. By combining words and phrases together with a common word which is usually an adjective or a verb, it brings union to otherwise unrelated terms which can have a shocking and thoughtful effect for the audience.

Let is see how we use Zeugma with the help of some examples-
- George fished for trout and for compliments.
- He opened his mind and his diary every time he went out with his boss.
- He firmly held his tongue and her hand.
- At our first dance, I held my breath and the car door for her.
- When he came to pick me up from the secluded and the dark roads, I opened my door and my heart to him.

Note:The Zeugma is sometimes confused with “syllepsis.” Like zeugma, syllepsis also implies the technique of using a single verb for more than one part in a sentence, but where that single verb applies grammatically and logically to only one. For example, in the sentence, “They saw lots of thunder and lightning,” the verb “saw” is logically correct only for the lightning, as thunder is “heard.”