Do you know what commoratio is? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on commoratio, including its definition, usage, example sentences, and more!
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According to Grammar Monster, commoratio – also known as synonymia and communi – is the rhetorical device of deliberately repeating an idea back to back, but in different words. This is similar to anaphora, in which a word or phrase repeats at the start of adjacent clauses, as well as epiphora, which has the repetition of the same phrase at the end of adjacent clauses.
What are examples of commoratio?
Commoratio can be used in many different contexts in the English language. Trying to use a word or literary technique in a sentence is one of the best ways to memorize what it is, but you can also try making flashcards or quizzes that test your knowledge. Try using this term of the day in a sentence today! Below are a couple of examples of commoratio that can help get you started incorporating this tool into your everyday use. Take a look at these commoratio examples from Grammar Monster, Thought Co, and Manner of Speaking and see how many you know! Some are from famous authors and writers.
“With bad grace, [Shahid] had eventually conceded that [Iqbal] had to go. And then, yesterday, most amazing thing of all–he had gone! Moved out! Vamoosed! Iqbal was out of there! Elvis had left the building! The fat lady had sung! Mandela had been freed! Shahid had has life back!” (John Lanchester, Capital. W.W. Norton, 2012)
“‘He’s gone off his rocker!’ shouted one of the fathers, aghast, and the other parents joined in the chorus of frightened shouting. ‘He’s crazy!’ they shouted. ‘He’s balmy!’ ‘He’s nutty!’ ‘He’s screwy!’ ‘He’s batty!’ ‘He’s dippy!’
‘He’s dotty!’ ‘He’s daffy!’ ‘He’s goofy!’ ‘He’s beany!’ ‘He’s buggy!’ ‘He’s wacky!’ ‘He’s loony!’ ‘No, he is not!’ said Grandpa Joe.” (Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)
“That’s wrong. They were wrong. It’s The New York Times. They’re always wrong. They were wrong.” (President Trump about the New York Times)
“At this moment of her diving, as she is suspended in mid-jackknife, nothing happens on the East End of Long Island. Not a single nail is nailed. Not a single hedge is trimmed. Not a single bottle of Château Whatanamazingwine is sold. Not one compliment is paid to a tomato or an ear of corn or a peach. No one asks where the potato fields have gone. Likewise the duck farms. No Filipino housekeeper is yelled at for failing to position the fruit forks correctly. No year-round resident is pushed aside at a farmer’s market. No one asks anyone else to a small dinner just for close friends or wishes there were more time to spend reading quietly on the beach away from all the big parties. No one gives kudos. Or draws raves. No one embarks on an exciting new phase of his life, or enters a third act of his life, or comments that life is a journey. No one plans a benefit dance for a fatal disease. No one lowers his voice to say ‘Jew.’ Nothing moves. Nothing makes a sound. The universe lies in respectful silence as sex and commerce find their and apogee in Kathy Polite and her morning swim. For one brief moment in this day for what certainly will be the only such moment, I am at peace–all bitterness relieved, all burdens lifted from me. The wind kicks up. I bless her unaware.” (Roger Rosenblatt, Lapham Rising. HarperCollins, 2006)
“He’s passed on! This parrot is no more! He has ceased to be! He’s expired and gone to meet his maker! He’s a stiff! Bereft of life, he rests in peace! If you hadn’t nailed him to the perch he’d be pushing up the daisies! His metabolic processes are now history! He’s off the twig! He’s kicked the bucket, he’s shuffled off his mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin’ choir invisible! THIS IS AN EX-PARROT!!” (John Cleese in “The Dead Parrot Sketch,” Monty Python’s Flying Circus)
“If you go back to the swine flu, it was nothing like this [corona virus]. They didn’t do testing like this, and actually they lost approximately 14,000 people, and they didn’t do the testing. They started thinking about testing when it was far too late.” (President Trump comparing swine flu and corona virus)
“Space is big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind- bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist’s, but that’s just peanuts to space.” (Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy)
“Brave Sir Robin ran away Bravely ran away, away When danger reared its ugly head He bravely turned his tail and fled Yes, Brave Sir Robin turned about Undoubtedly he chickened out Bravely taking to his feet, He beat a very brave retreat . . ..” (Monty Python and the Holy Grail)
“On many days, the dampness of the air pervades al life, all living. Matches refuse to strike. The towel, hung to dry, grows wetter by the hour. The newspaper, with its headlines about integration, wilts in your hand and falls limply into the coffee and the egg. Envelopes seal themselves. Postage stamps mate with one another as shamelessly as grasshoppers.” (E. B. White, The Ring of Time)
Overall, the word commoratio refers to the rhetorical device of repeating the same idea in neighboring clauses, but using different words. This is similar to the devices anaphora and epiphora.
Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do's and don'ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.
Kevin
December 16, 2021
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