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Turning-away construction

Structure
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A syntactic arrangement that avoids direct statement through evasive phrasing

Detailed Definition
A Turning-away construction is a syntactic or rhetorical move where the speaker abruptly shifts focus from a painful or overwhelming subject, using digression, apostrophe, or silence; this evasion reveals emotional stakes through what is unsaid, as in elegies that glance at grief before turning to nature, heightening pathos through deflection.
Example
Example in poetry:
“I won’t speak of her eyes — too bright, too sad” — deliberate avoidance; “The war? Let’s talk of flowers instead.” — deflection as poetic strategy; “Not the wound, but the bandage” — focusing on aftermath, not cause; “I skip the part where you left” — narrative ellipsis for emotional protection
Additional Notes
Turning-away construction|A rhetorical figure, specifically apostrophe, where the speaker suddenly breaks off from the main narrative or address to speak directly to an absent person, object, or abstract concept; it signals a moment of high emotion or thematic shift.
Also Known As
Turning construction Shifted form Diverting figure Avertive construction
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