Anadiplosis Definition: Powerful Writing Trick You Must Know!

Anadiplosis is a literary technique where a word or phrase at the end of one sentence or clause is repeated at the beginning of the next sentence or clause. I’ve used it to make my writing flow better and to guide readers through a line of argument.

This kind of repetition adds emphasis, connects ideas, and gives the writing a smooth, clear rhythm.

Anadiplosis Definition

Anadiplosis, repetition, word, phrase, sentence, clause, beginning, end, next clause, next sentence, clause or sentence, word or phrase, repeated, repetition of a word, repetition of a phrase, word or phrase at the end, word or phrase at the beginning, impact, create.

It can be used to emphasize a key idea, create a flow of thought, and make writing or speech more memorable. 

Anadiplosis Pronunciation

The word Anadiplosis is pronounced an-uh-dih-ploh-sis. It has four syllables and the stress falls on the third one: ploh. Saying it slowly—an (like “an apple”), uh, dih (like “dip”), ploh (rhymes with “glow”), and sis (like “sister”)—helps get it right.

Practicing the pronunciation out loud makes it easier to remember and use confidently in conversation or when discussing literature.

A Close Look at Anadiplosis

It is found that when writers add it without specific details or clear intent, it feels forced and loses its effect. But when used thoughtfully, it can truly work by giving weight to a point or creating a strong emotional beat.

Anadiplosis Can Repeat a Single Word or Multiple Words

Anadiplosis can repeat just one word or even a group of words at the end of one clause and the beginning of the next. This doubling or repetition helps to link ideas closely and adds rhythm to both speech and text. From my own writing experience, repeating a single word is great for simple emphasis, while repeating a phrase can highlight a bigger concept or feeling.

For example, repeating a word:

• “Hope leads to faith. Faith moves mountains.”
  

And repeating a group of words:

• “She fought for justice and truth. Justice and truth guided her every step.”
  

Both ways work well to create a smooth flow and stronger connection between thoughts. Repeated Words Don’t Have to be Adjacent

Anadiplosis can happen between different clauses or even across different sentences. This means the repetition of a word or phrase at the end of one clause can be carried over to the start of the next, whether inside the same sentence or the following one. From my experience, this flexibility makes anadiplosis useful in both short, sharp statements and longer, flowing passages.

For example, inside one sentence:

• “He knew fear, fear that held him back.”
  

Or across two sentences:

• “She sought freedom. Freedom was all she wanted.”

This ability to stretch across clauses or sentences helps writers and speakers build rhythm and connect ideas more clearly.

Anadiplosis Can Take Place in Different Clauses or Different Sentences

Anadiplosis isn’t limited by punctuation—it can appear within one clause or stretch across sentences. I remember writing a story where a phrase like “She had a dream.

A dream she never gave up on” made the scene more emotional. This simple repetition made readers pause and feel the heart of the moment.

Whether it’s in a single sentence or flows into more, the effect remains powerful. Like, “We ordered a pizza pie. A pizza pie that changed our lives.”

This style helps emphasize what matters and links ideas with emotion. Even small words like with, all, or your play a role in making it smooth and easy to follow.

Anadiplosis Often Appears in a String of Related Ideas

Anadiplosis is useful when you want to create a smooth sequence of related ideas, where one thought leads to the next.

In my writing classes, I show how this repetition can build a strong flow from philosophy to action, just like Malcolm X did. His quote is a great example of how thought becomes attitude, and attitude shapes behavior.

Writers often use anadiplosis in a string of clauses or sentences, sometimes with at least three steps. When it stretches this far, it’s also called gradatio.

This method is helpful when explaining a process like personal growth or change in pattern. It gives structure and rhythm to complex ideas.

Concept	Explanation
Anadiplosis	A form of repetition that links related ideas across clauses or sentences.
Sequence	Builds a logical flow, where each idea leads to the next one.
Example	Malcolm X’s quote: from philosophy → thought → attitude → behavior → action.
String of Clauses	Often used in a string or chain of at least three connected parts.
Gradatio	When the pattern extends over three or more steps, it is called gradatio.
Purpose	Explains a process like personal growth with clarity and rhythm.

Anadiplosis Figure of Speech 

Anadiplosis is a figure of speech where a word or phrase is repeated, ending one clause and beginning the next. It’s often used to create a sense of rhythm, emphasis, or a logical progression of ideas. 

Anadiplosis Examples 

When you recognize anadiplosis, you see it everywhere—in movies, the Bible, and many places. This repetition has power to persuade, evoke emotion, and present a clear logical progression or sequence of steps with rhythm that pleases the ear.

It is common in nursery rhymes, everyday speech, writing, and political speeches, where kids and adults respond naturally.

Why Do Writers Use Anadiplosis?

Writers, like speechwriters and poets, use anadiplosis for its stylistic power to persuade and beautify words by adding rhythm, cadence, and a natural sound to prose that mimics how we speak.

This literary technique improves writing style, adds emphasis, and enhances language and communication for a stronger effect and smooth flow. It sharpens expression, changes tone, provides clarity and impact, sparks creativity, strengthens voice, and helps deliver the message clearly.

Anadiplosis is a Powerful Device in Persuasion

Anadiplosis strengthens persuasive language by linking ideas through repetition, making statements more memorable and impactful. It creates a natural flow and rhythm that commands attention and enhances clarity.

Consider this famous example from Winston Churchill’s wartime speeches:

“Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”

This line uses anadiplosis to connect emotional stages logically and forcefully. Without the repeated words, the progression would lose its dramatic build-up and persuasive punch.

Reference:
The quote is widely attributed to Churchill’s speeches during World War II, often cited in analyses of his rhetoric (e.g., Churchill Centre, https://winstonchurchill.org/resources/speeches/).

Another notable example is from Theodore Roosevelt’s speech, Citizenship in a Republic (1910), where he uses anadiplosis to emphasize effort and perseverance:

“The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again… but who does actually strive to do the deeds.”

Here, the repetition of “who” at the end and beginning of phrases builds momentum and drives home the valor of persistent effort.

Reference:
Roosevelt, T. (1910). Citizenship in a Republic. Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris. Full text: https://www.theodore-roosevelt.com/trsorbonnespeech.html

Anadiplosis’ Reflective Stylistic Effect 

Anadiplosis often gives writing a conversational or reflective tone, as if the speaker is thinking aloud or reliving a moment. This makes the style feel intimate and natural rather than overly formal.

For example, in Joan Didion’s essay “On Keeping a Notebook” (1968), Didion uses anadiplosis to mimic the flow of memory and internal dialogue:

“The notes I take are not for publication. Publication is not the purpose of the notes I take. The purpose of the notes I take is to remember.”

The repetition of “purpose of the notes I take” ties the thoughts together gently, giving the sense of gradual reflection and emphasis.

Reference:
Didion, J. (1968). On Keeping a Notebook. In Slouching Towards Bethlehem. [Excerpt available in literary analyses and collections]

Anadiplosis Examples in Literature

Anadiplosis appears often in poetry and prose to highlight an important word or concept while adding a beautiful musicality to the text.

In Jamaica Kincaid’s essay Those Words that Echo, the repeated name Mr. Potter shows the deep emotional space her dead father holds in her life.

This repetition helps focus on key themes like coping with death through art to reincarnate a lost loved one. The effect is so strong, it even crosses a paragraph break.

Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita uses anadiplosis as a clever tactic of deceit, where Humbert Humbert recalls a letter verbatim to convince an imagined jury. Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet shows Juliet’s plea for forgiveness, where this technique makes her begging more dramatic and convincing.

Similarly, William Butler Yeats’ poem The Lake Isle of Innisfree uses it to create a peaceful rhythm that evokes a dreamy yearning for nature and tranquility. Shakespeare’s Sonnet 29 also uses it to express disgrace, hope, and fate with strong emotional effect.

Anadiplosis Examples in Children’s Stories 

Anadiplosis is commonly found in children’s songs and stories due to its rhythmic and memorable quality, which helps with language learning and engagement.

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Anadiplosis in There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly

This classic cumulative rhyme, first recorded in the 1940s and popularized in book form by Simms Taback (1997), uses anadiplosis to create a humorous chain of cause and effect.

Each line repeats part of the previous one, reinforcing memory and building a playful, absurd narrative.

Reference:
Taback, S. (1997). There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. Viking Books for Young Readers.

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Anadiplosis in Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

Published in 1960, this beloved book by Dr. Seuss uses repetition and anadiplosis to emphasize a character’s strong feelings about trying unfamiliar food.

“I do not like green eggs and ham.
I do not like them, Sam-I-Am.”

The repetition strengthens rhythm and reinforces the book’s central theme of openness and curiosity.

Reference:
Geisel, T. S. (1960). Green Eggs and Ham. Random House.

Anadiplosis Examples in Speeches

Many public figures like politicians, attorneys, and other orators often use anadiplosis in speeches to evoke a specific response from the audience.

The repetition adds emphasis, making the message more persuasive and powerfully effective. These public figures rely on such examples to create lasting impact.

Anadiplosis in Martin Luther King Jr.’s “The American Dream” (1964)

In his 1964 speech at Drew University, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. utilized anadiplosis to underscore the interconnectedness of societal issues and the imperative for justice:

“I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.”

Here, the repetition of “dream” links his personal vision to the broader national ethos, reinforcing the shared aspirations for equality and freedom.

Reference: King, M. L. Jr. (1964). The American Dream. Drew University. PDF Transcriptdepts

Anadiplosis in Bill Clinton’s 1993 Inaugural Address

In his inaugural address, President Bill Clinton employed anadiplosis to highlight the reciprocal relationship between national and global progress:

“We cannot build our own future without helping others to build theirs.”

The repetition of “build” emphasizes the mutual responsibility and inter0connectedness of nations in shaping a collective future.

Reference: Clinton, B. (1993). First Inaugural Address. The Avalon Project. Full TextWikipedia+2Avalon Project+2

Anadiplosis and Antimetabole

Anadiplosis and antimetabole are similar literary phrases involving repetition of words. However, antimetabole repeats the words in reverse order between clauses or sentences, creating a mirroring effect and punchy maxims.

While all examples of antimetabole are a part of anadiplosis, not all anadiplosis cases involve antimetabole.

Type	Example	Explanation
Anadiplosis	Strength builds confidence. Confidence breeds success.	The word at the end of the first clause (“confidence”) repeats at the start of the next.
	Knowledge grows through learning. Learning shapes your future.	Repetition links ideas, creating a smooth flow and emphasis.
Antimetabole	Eat to live, don’t live to eat.	Words are repeated in reverse order to create a mirrored effect.
	You forget what you want to remember, and you remember what you want to forget.	Clauses mirror each other, with repeated words flipped in order.