📌 Hysteron Proteron
Definition:
Hysteron proteron is a rhetorical device (and a type of hyperbaton) in which the natural or logical order of ideas is reversed, often placing the more important or striking idea first for emphasis. The term literally means “the latter put before.”
✅ Example:
- “I die! I faint! I fail!” (Keats) – death is mentioned first, though fainting or failing would logically precede it.
- “Let’s hide him and catch him!” – the order of events is reversed since one would have to catch him before killing.
👉 It’s often used in poetry and dramatic speech to heighten intensity by presenting the climax first, even if it’s not the actual sequence of events.
And there it is! Now go ahead and use hysteron proteron in your CXC prep/ CSEC prep.
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