Devices for interruption and omission

1. Adapted from: Everyday Use and http://humanities.byu.edu/rhetoric/silva.htm Devices for interruption and omission

2. Used to interrupt flow of passage to provide necessary information to the readers right away • Parenthesis – insertion of material that interrupts the flow of the sentence (like what you would put in parentheses) • Sports night at the school always brings out the would-be jocks—who would expect any different?—ready to show that they’re potentially as good as the varsity players. • Dashes – most commonly used punctuation to set off an interruptive word, phrase, or clause • Can also use parentheses interruption

3. Appositive – two coordinating elements are set side by side, and the second explains or modifies the first • Joe Weider, a pioneer in personal weight training, would marvel at the facilities open to today’s student athletes. • Notice that this scheme is set off by commas. • Also notice that we are modifying NOUNS with NOUN phrases Interruption (2)

4. Apostrophe – interrupts the discussion and directly addresses a person or personified thing, present or absent • Often used to display intense emotion, which can no longer be held back • O books who alone are liberal and free, who give to all who ask of you and enfranchise all who serve you faithfully! -- Richard de Bury • O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it! --Luke 13:34 (NASB) Interruption (3)

5. Writers sometimes omit material from a sentence so that its rhythm is heightened and sped up • Helps readers pay attention to the effect of the prose • Ellipsis – any omission of words • Context of the overall passage provides the meaning • In a hockey power play, if you pass the puck to the wing, and he to you, then you can close in on the goal. • The phrase “and he to you” omits the words “passes it” omission