I always thought an anacoluthon was someone who was crazy about--WAIT--that's wrong!
Rise and shine!
“So we were following along with the events transpiring in the Benghazi complex and then ... Squirrel!” — Embarrassador Susan Rice
I bet the most common anacoluthon was on Election eve:
“We’ll finally be rid of that- SUNUVABEECH!!!!”
I always thought an anacoluthon was someone who was crazy about--WAIT--that's wrong!
Giant Anacoluthon
Anacoluthons are not too different from paraprosdokians.
Example of a paraprosdokian: Where there’s a will, I want to be in it.
What’s the word for a sentence that abruptly stops mid-stream, usually after the verb? I’ve got a close relation who can simply not finish a sentence. Most just fade away about half-way through leaving the listener waiting endlessly for the end. Hasn’t improved in 30 years.
I just got dressed - and now I have my anacoluthon......
A little on the etymology: This word comes from the Greek akoloutheo, which means "to follow." When you put an "a-" in front of a word in Greek (or, in this case, an "an-," since it precedes a vowel sound), that is called an alpha privative, since the alpha prefix negates the word. So "anacoluthon" means "There is nothing following" or "It does not follow" (cf. the Latin non sequitur).
Another derivative of akoloutheo: "acolyte," someone who "follows" the priest around in the chancel.
My contractor friend took me with him to help with an estimate, and bought me lunch-
The art of anacoluthon
Makes a rather shaky case-
But then there is Hillary-
Who said saving grace?
Maybe she’ll just go with...
Oh, but then there is Obama
He’ll be the reluctant host
Of this year’s tax-o-rama
If you took congress to a roadhouse
Could they even find a beer,
Never mind an...oh, wait a minute-
Everybody quick-look over here...
That’s hard to do-the human mind works in straighter lines...