Tricolon
Encyclopedia
In rhetoric
, a bicolon, tricolon, or tetracolon (pl. -cola) is a sentence with two, three, or four clearly defined parts (cola
), usually independent clauses and of increasing power.
The plural of tricolon is either tricola or tricolons.
A tricolon that comprises parts that increase in size, magnitude, intensity, or word length is called a tricolon crescens, or an ascending tricolon, whereas a tricolon that comprises parts that decrease in size, magnitude, intensity, or word length is called a tricolon diminuens, or a descending tricolon. Sometimes, two short cola are followed by a long colon.
Abraham Lincoln
used tricola in many of his speeches. His Gettysburg Address
has the following phrase: "We cannot dedicate -- we cannot consecrate -- we cannot hallow..." Lincoln wrote in his second inaugural address
, "with malice toward none, with charity toward all, with firmness in the right...", which became the most famous expression in the speech.
).
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
, a bicolon, tricolon, or tetracolon (pl. -cola) is a sentence with two, three, or four clearly defined parts (cola
Colon (rhetoric)
A colon is a rhetorical figure consisting of a clause which is grammatically, but not logically, complete. In Latin, it is called a membrum or membrum orationis....
), usually independent clauses and of increasing power.
Tricolon
A tricolon is a sentence composed of three clearly defined parts called cola.The plural of tricolon is either tricola or tricolons.
- Veni, vidi, vici
- — (Julius CaesarJulius CaesarGaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
)
- — (Julius Caesar
- "I came; I saw; I conquered."
A tricolon that comprises parts that increase in size, magnitude, intensity, or word length is called a tricolon crescens, or an ascending tricolon, whereas a tricolon that comprises parts that decrease in size, magnitude, intensity, or word length is called a tricolon diminuens, or a descending tricolon. Sometimes, two short cola are followed by a long colon.
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
used tricola in many of his speeches. His Gettysburg Address
Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg Address is a speech by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and is one of the most well-known speeches in United States history. It was delivered by Lincoln during the American Civil War, on the afternoon of Thursday, November 19, 1863, at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery...
has the following phrase: "We cannot dedicate -- we cannot consecrate -- we cannot hallow..." Lincoln wrote in his second inaugural address
Lincoln's second inaugural address
Abraham Lincoln delivered his second inaugural address on March 4, 1865, during his second inauguration as President of the United States. At a time when victory over the secessionists in the American Civil War was within days and slavery was near an end, Lincoln did not speak of happiness, but of...
, "with malice toward none, with charity toward all, with firmness in the right...", which became the most famous expression in the speech.
Tetracolon
Tetracola are sometimes called "quatrains" (cf. the usual meaning of quatrainQuatrain
A quatrain is a stanza, or a complete poem, consisting of four lines of verse. Existing in various forms, the quatrain appears in poems from the poetic traditions of various ancient civilizations including Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, and China; and, continues into the 21st century, where it is...
).