A paraprosdokian (from Greek,
meaning "beyond" and "expectation") 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, sometimes
producing an anticlimax. For this reason, it is extremely popular among
comedians and satirists.
Some
paraprosdokians not only change the meaning of an early phrase, but also play
on the double meaning of a particular word, creating a syllepsis.
Why make the
same mistake twice when there are so many new ones? - Unknown
Without
education, we are in a horrible and deadly danger of taking educated people
seriously. - Gilbert Chesterton
Women must come off
the pedestal. Men put us up there to get us out of the way. - Viscountess
Rhondda
Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street
with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy. - Unknown
Won't you come
into the garden? I would like my roses to see you. - Richard B. Sheridan
Work is the greatest thing in the
world, so we should always save some of it for tomorrow. - Don Herold
You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance. - Franklin P. Jones
You can tell
some fellows aren't afraid of work by the way they fight it. - Unknown
You can’t always control who walks
into your life … but you can control which window you throw them out of. - Unknown
You can’t have everything. Where would you put it? - Steven Wright
You can’t say
civilizations don’t advance... in every war they kill you in a new way. - Will Rogers
You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice. - Unknown
You're never too old to learn something stupid. - Unknown
Your future depends on your dreams. So go to sleep. - Unknown
Your first job
is to prepare the soil. The best tool for this is your neighbor's motorized
garden tiller. If your neighbor does not own a garden tiller, suggest that he
buy one. - Dave Barry
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