Paraprosdokian leads readers toward an expected conclusion and then sharply redirects them with an unforeseen final phrase. In poetry, a line may begin as though it will offer praise, consolation, or wisdom before ending in disappointment or dark comedy. The device depends on timing: the reader’s assumption becomes part of the effect. It can produce humor, irony, bitterness, or sudden insight by revealing that a familiar pattern of thought has been unreliable.

Paraprosdokian leads readers toward an expected conclusion, then overturns it in the final words. The shift may be comic, bitter, or unsettling, so timing and line breaks matter in poetry. It resembles a punchline but can also reveal a serious contradiction.