Aposiopesis

Aposiopesis (/ˌæpəsaɪ.əˈpiːsɪs/; Classical Greek: ἀποσιώπησις, "becoming silent") is a figure of speech wherein a sentence is deliberately broken off and left unfinished, the ending to be supplied by the imagination, giving an impression of unwillingness or inability to continue. An example would be the threat "Get out, or else—!" This device often portrays its users as overcome with passion (fear, anger, excitement) or modesty. To mark the occurrence of aposiopesis with punctuation, an em rule (—) or an ellipsis (…) may be used. Aposiopesis, also known as praecisio, reticentia, obticentia, interruptio, silence, and figure of silence, refers to the sudden termination of a sentence; it may or may not be marked with punctuation. Most simply, aposiopesis may be used when one is unable to continue speaking. For example, in Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 1, Henry Percy, about to die, utters: After which he dies, his sentence being ended on account of his inability to speak. Aposiopesis can also occur when one does not know what to say. For instance, in Shakespeare's King Lear, the eponymous protagonist, lacking an appropriate threat for his mischievous daughters, exclaims: Intentional use of aposiopesis can be both logical and emotional: this may encompass purposefully pausing, such as to allow an argument to situate with an audience or to stop oneself from speaking when it would compromise their own position, or because one is too overcome with intense emotion or passion such as fear, wrath, or sadness (though this latter reason may be obligatory, if one is so overcome they literally are unable to speak). In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Mark Antony interrupts his own speech and pauses suddenly during it: In this case, Mark Antony is purposefully pausing (citing the reason as being emotional) from speaking for rhetorical effect: this allows him to gauge the audience's reaction and allow his words to puncture the crowd.