PARAPROSDOKIAN

NO, this is not a word with a common meaning used just to baffle the minds of the reader, it is a word we wanted to use like a billion times but didn't know that it existed. Actually, it is a literary device which is very common in regular speech and yet this word remains mysterious and unknown to the plenty.

Paraprosdokian is a derivative of a Greek word, which means beyond expectation. It is a wordplay type of literary device. Its final part of a phrase or sentence is unexpected. This unexpected or surprised shift in meaning appears at the end of a stanza, series, sentence or paragraph.

Paraprosdokians, in a way, are one of the many things that can tickle our brains and provide a plethora of deliciously crafted sentences that not only tantalise your appetite and is unequivocally wholesome. The thing about Paraprosdokians that catches our attension is that its true meaning unravels slowly as we read it over and over again. These never fail to subtly provide a slim grin or a sudden surprse to the readers.

Few famous examples of Paraprosdokian is given below-

1. I didn't say it was your fault; I said I was blaming you.

2. Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars but check when you say the paint is wet?

3. Why do Americans choose from just two people to run for president and 50 for Miss America?

4. The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some good ideas!

5. Always borrow money from a pessimist. He won't expect it back.

6. A diplomat is someone who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that you will look forward to the trip.

7. Some cause happiness wherever they go. Others whenever they go.

8. I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not sure.

9. Some cause happiness wherever they go. Others whenever they go.

10. I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not sure.

11. Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.

12. War does not determine who is right—only who is left.

13. Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

14. To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research.

I hope the readers liked this new term, and that they use it quite often in their regular speech. These Paraprosdokians will unleash a new wave of literary bombings that will blow the minds of the people we talk with. Happy Reading, and MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!