From My Perspective - - -
The English Language, Sentence Structure and Use of Nuance can be both challenging and humorous. This is the case with the use of the Paraprosdokian. It is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader or listener to reframe or reinterpret the first part. It is frequently used for humorous or dramatic effect.
Examples of Paraprosdokian (Taken From Patriot Humor/The Patriot Post) - - -
In A Proverbial Sense, it is stated:
As the tree falls, so shall it lie; As a man lives, so shall he die; As a man dies, so shall he be; Through all the aeons of eternity.
In Sentence Structure, some possibilities are:
• Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.
• I want to die peacefully in my sleep, like my grandfather. Not screaming and yelling like the passengers in his car.
• Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
• If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong.
• War does not determine who is right -- only who is left.
• Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
• The early bird might get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
• Evening news is where they begin with "Good evening," and then proceed to tell you why it isn't.
• To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research.
• A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. My desk is a work station.
• How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?
• Dolphins are so smart that within a few weeks of captivity, they can train people to stand on the very edge of the pool and throw them fish.
• I thought I wanted a career; turns out I just wanted pay checks.
• A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don't need it.
• Whenever I fill out an application, in the part that says "If an emergency, notify:" I put "DOCTOR."
• A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
• Always borrow money from a pessimist. He won't expect it back.
• Hospitality: making your guests feel like they're at home, even if you wish they were.
• Money can't buy happiness, but it sure makes misery easier to live with.
• Some cause happiness wherever they go. Others whenever they go.
• Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
• Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.
A Biblical Example of Paraprosdokian can be gleaned from Ecclesiastes 11 (NLT). Verse 3: When the clouds are heavy, the rains come down. When a tree falls, whether south or north, there it lies. Verse 4: If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done. Verse 8: When people live to be very old, let them rejoice in every day of life. But let them also remember that the dark days will be many. Everything still to come is meaningless. Verses 9-10: Young man, it's wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do. So banish grief and pain, but remember that youth, with a whole life before it, still faces the threat of meaninglessness. A Verse that has always elicited reflection – although simple, it is also profound – and causes one to reread it is I John 5:11-13, “This is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. No Paraprosdokian here – just basic Truth! Consider these things with me!
The English Language, Sentence Structure and Use of Nuance can be both challenging and humorous. This is the case with the use of the Paraprosdokian. It is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader or listener to reframe or reinterpret the first part. It is frequently used for humorous or dramatic effect.
Examples of Paraprosdokian (Taken From Patriot Humor/The Patriot Post) - - -
In A Proverbial Sense, it is stated:
As the tree falls, so shall it lie; As a man lives, so shall he die; As a man dies, so shall he be; Through all the aeons of eternity.
In Sentence Structure, some possibilities are:
• Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.
• I want to die peacefully in my sleep, like my grandfather. Not screaming and yelling like the passengers in his car.
• Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
• If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong.
• War does not determine who is right -- only who is left.
• Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
• The early bird might get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
• Evening news is where they begin with "Good evening," and then proceed to tell you why it isn't.
• To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research.
• A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. My desk is a work station.
• How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?
• Dolphins are so smart that within a few weeks of captivity, they can train people to stand on the very edge of the pool and throw them fish.
• I thought I wanted a career; turns out I just wanted pay checks.
• A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don't need it.
• Whenever I fill out an application, in the part that says "If an emergency, notify:" I put "DOCTOR."
• A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
• Always borrow money from a pessimist. He won't expect it back.
• Hospitality: making your guests feel like they're at home, even if you wish they were.
• Money can't buy happiness, but it sure makes misery easier to live with.
• Some cause happiness wherever they go. Others whenever they go.
• Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
• Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.
A Biblical Example of Paraprosdokian can be gleaned from Ecclesiastes 11 (NLT). Verse 3: When the clouds are heavy, the rains come down. When a tree falls, whether south or north, there it lies. Verse 4: If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done. Verse 8: When people live to be very old, let them rejoice in every day of life. But let them also remember that the dark days will be many. Everything still to come is meaningless. Verses 9-10: Young man, it's wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do. So banish grief and pain, but remember that youth, with a whole life before it, still faces the threat of meaninglessness. A Verse that has always elicited reflection – although simple, it is also profound – and causes one to reread it is I John 5:11-13, “This is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. No Paraprosdokian here – just basic Truth! Consider these things with me!
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