Wise Wednesday Grammar: Isocolon

Figure of speech.

SCHEMES.

Isocolon

Isocolon is a figure of speech in which parallelism is reinforced by members that are of the same length. A well-known example of this isJulius Caesar's "Veni, vidi, vici" ("I came; I saw; I conquered), which also illustrates that a common form of isocolon is tricolon, or the use of three parallel members.

It is derived from the Greek ἴσος (ísos), "equal" and κῶλον (kôlon), "member, clause".

Examples

• "They have suffered severely, but they have fought well", Winston Churchill, Speech to the House of Commons, June 18, 1940. 
• "Let each man search his conscience and search his speeches." Winston Churchill Speech to the House of Commons, June 18, 1940. 
• "I speak Spanish to God, Italian to women, French to men, and German to my horse", Charles V. 
• "Many will enter. Few will win", Nabisco. 
• "No ifs, ands, or buts", English Proverb. 
• "With mirth in funeral, and with dirge in marriage", Claudius, Act 1 Scene 2 of Hamlet. 
• "Many are called, but few are chosen", Biblical Proverb Matthew 22:14

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