Public Speaking Handbook

Crafting Memorable Word Structures 12.4 247

inversion Reversing the normal word order of a phrase or sentence is called
inversion. John F. Kennedy used inversion by changing the usual subject–verb–
object sentence pattern to object–subject–verb in this brief declaration from his
inaugural speech:

This much we pledge....^22

And at a prayer vigil for those killed in the 2012 school shooting in Newtown,
Connecticut, Barack Obama inverted the word order of his pledge to the griev­
ing families and community:

... whatever measure of comfort we can provide, we will provide.^23

susPension Placing a key word or phrase at the end of a sentence rather
than at the beginning is known as suspension. When you read a mystery novel,
you are held in suspense until you reach the end and learn “who done it.” The
stylistic technique of verbal suspension does something similar. Like inversion,
suspension changes the expected word order or sentence pattern, in this case to
give a key word or phrase the emphasis afforded by placement at the end of a
sentence.
Advertisers use the technique of suspension frequently. For example, the
Coca­Cola Company used suspension as the cornerstone of its worldwide
advertising campaign. Rather than saying “Coke goes better with everything,”
the copywriter decided to stylize the message by making Coke the last word
in the sentence. The slogan became “Things go better with Coke.” The stylized
version was more memorable because it used language in an unexpected way.

Quick Check

Word Structures with Drama

Short sentence Emphasizes an important idea

Omission Boils an idea down to its essence by leaving out understood

words

Inversion Reverses the expected order of words and phrases

Suspension Places a key word at the end of a phrase or sentence

Creating Cadence

British Prime Minister and gifted orator Winston Churchill used a “psalm form”
for his speech manuscripts, typing them so that they looked like blank verse
poetry on his page.^24 The cadence, or rhythm, of his speeches was evident from
their appearance.
Like Churchill, you can create cadence by using such stylistic devices as rep­
etition, parallelism, antithesis, and alliteration.