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This is a question I've wondered for a while.

Examples:

  1. I'm drained, confused, frustrated.

  2. I'm tired, lonely.

Can "and" be omitted if the sentence retains its clarity?

lintjosh
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2 Answers2

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A rhetorical device which can be used to good effect is called asyndeton, which obviates the use of a conjunction at the end of a series. Used in moderation it can serve to give your readers (or listeners) the feeling of a climax, especially when the last word in the series is perhaps the most important. Examples:

We spent the afternoon discussing, listening, learning, changing.

We could clearly see that the body was motionless, pale, dead.

What is the difference between the following two sentences, either in how they scan or in how they sound?

  • She was all grace, style, and perfection.

  • She was all grace, style, perfection.

Which of the following sentences gives the impression the list is somehow incomplete and, perhaps, could go on and on and on?

  • As a magician, I can make thing disappear: coins, cards, rabbits, and people.

  • As a magician, I can make things disappear: coins, cards, rabbits, people.

Play with asyndeton, but use it sparingly. There is a time for a nice, neat list which includes a conjunction. There is also a time for a nice, neat list with a twist: no conjunction!

Community
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rhetorician
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  • Julius Caesar said, "I came, I saw, I conquered." This is an isocolon--a figure of speech in which a sentence is composed by two or more parts (cola) that are perfectly equivalent in structure, length, and rhythm. The Latin "veni, vidi, vici" is classified as a hendiatris--a figure of speech used for emphasis, in which three words are used to express one idea (in this case, a swift, decisive victory). Omitting the conjunction can be poetic, dramatic, effective. But, as @rhetorician notes, do so sparingly. Too much and it becomes tired, trite, contrived. –  Dec 02 '15 at 19:41
  • @surlawda: But not your "tired, trite, contrived," of course! Don – rhetorician Dec 03 '15 at 01:22
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It's preferable to insert the cooordinator and before the last item in the list:

I'm drained, confused and frustrated.

I'm lonely and tired.

BillJ
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