I must admit that I am a punster. I enjoy a good pun and perhaps even a not-so-good pun and I am often the originator of puns much to the groans of my friends and relatives.
Since I find word play interesting and entertaining, I thought I would bring JBRish readers a few Paraprosdokians to “enjoy.”
A paraprosdokian is a form wordplay or literary device. It is a phrase or sentence that ends in an unexpected way which causes readers to reinterpret the opening phrase or sentence of a text. Often, it is used to create comic effect. Some paraprosdokians change the meaning of an initial phrase, and play on the double meanings of the words.
Simply put, a paraprosdokian is a linguistic U-turn that results in humor or surprise.
Source: Literary Devices and Terms
Today’s Paraprosdokians
- Today a man knocked on my door and asked for a small donation towards the local swimming pool, so I gave him a bottle of water.
- Take my advice — I’m not using it.
- Hospitality is the art of making guests feel like they’re at home when you wish they were.
- Is it wrong that only one company makes the game Monopoly?
- I was going to give him a nasty look, but he already had one.
If you enjoy language, wordplay, etc., check out other WordsWorth posts HERE.
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©Jeffrey B. Ross – 2017
