WRITING ENHANCEMENTS · THE ESSENTIALS: ORDER + ARRANGE
This article is part of Language Forging™.
Language Forging™ is the deliberate shaping of words and their delivery to optimally engage, influence, and inspire.
Drawing from fields like rhetoric, communications, advertising, and storytelling, Language Forging™ requires continuous development of two core competencies: Writing Enhancements for crafting magnetic language and Speaking Enhancements for presenting those words with impact. Through dedicated practice, a Language Forger™ perpetually hones these skills and applies them strategically to invite people in, spark curiosity, and inspire action.
Specifically, this article on tricolon is part of Writing Enhancements: The Essentials, which includes 25+ proven rhetorical devices that make your writing easier to read, easier to remember, and harder to ignore. Deliberate language is a learnable skill.
This article includes:
- Tricolon, with a plain-English definition, pronunciation, and a practical how-to
- Examples – notated so you can watch the device work
- Quick Exercises – On-the-spot exercises, with suggested answers at the bottom
- Your Turn – specific suggestions to use tricolon to your advantage, today
Write Deliberately. Be Remembered.
The Emphasize + Repeat category rests on a simple, durable finding. Repetition is one of the most powerful and reliable ways to strengthen memory (D. Hintzman, 1976).
Writing Enhancement Category: Order + Arrange. Word sequence helps decide what sticks. Writing Enhancements in this category arrange your ideas so they build. Group in threes, balance opposites, build to your strongest point. While structure seems invisible, its impact is felt and heard.
“Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” The Declaration of Independence could have named two rights, or seven. It names three. This is a tricolon. You group ideas in threes for rhythm, emphasis, and memorability. The first item starts a pattern, the second confirms it, and the third completes it. Your audience hears that rhythm even when reading silently. Group your key points in threes to make the pattern easier to follow and recall.
Below you will find the definition, examples, and ways to use tricolon today.
About Tricolon
| Definition | Arrange three parallel words, phrases, or clauses to create rhythm, emphasis, and a sense of completeness. |
| Explanation | The three parts share the same grammatical shape, so the ear hears a pattern, a confirmation, and a close. A list of three organizes information. A tricolon gives that information rhythm, progression, and force. |
| Pronunciation | TRY – koh – lon |
| Related to | Asyndeton, Auxesis, Eutrepismus, Hendiatris |
| Etymology | From the Greek τρικῶλον (trikōlon), from tri (“three”) and kōlon (“limb, clause”) |
| How to Use | Build the three parts in matching grammatical shape. Then, read them aloud. Cut every word the pattern doesn’t. Put the longest, strongest, or most surprising part third, because the third slot is where the ear expects the close. Use tricolon sparingly because it works by standing out. Remember that word order carries weight, especially when building narrative momentum. Do not add a weak third element to a strong pair merely to force a tricolon. Likewise, do not trim a strong sequence of four elements merely to produce one. In the end, let the impact of your words and delivery determine the structure. |
| Best for | – Vision + Strategy: Distill a complicated direction into three priorities people can understand, remember, and act on. – Calls to Action: Use three parallel commands to turn an abstract goal into a clear course of action: Simplify the process. Strengthen the team. Serve the customer. – Presentations + Keynotes: Build toward the central message in three stages, using repetition and escalation to give the conclusion greater force. – Proposals + Recommendations: Organize the case around three distinct benefits so your audience can grasp the argument without sorting through a crowded list. – Change Communications: Reinforce what is ending, what is changing, and what will remain consistent. – Leadership Messages: Express standards or expectations in a form your teams will repeat: Be prepared. Be candid. Be accountable. – Product + Service Positioning: Combine three complementary benefits into a concise value proposition such as faster to implement, easier to use, and simpler to scale. – Meeting Summaries: Summarize the discussion as three decisions, three commitments, or three next steps. |
EXAMPLES OF TRICOLON
Look at the examples below. See how tricolon is used to increase the effectiveness and impact of your words. Then experiment, mixing and combining other Writing Enhancements in your written, spoken, and social media communications.
Example 1: “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” Robert Frost, 1923
| Without Notation | The woods are lovely, dark and deep, … |
| With Notation |
The woods are { lovely }, { dark } and { deep }, … |
| Note: There are other writing enhancements found in this example: Note 1: { dark and deep } – sound repetition (alliteration). |
Example 2: A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens, 1859
| Without Notation | It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom. |
| With Notation |
{ It was the best of times }, { it was the worst of times }, { it was the age of wisdom }. |
| Note: There are other writing enhancements found in this example: Note 1: { it was the } – anaphora. Note 2: { It was the best of times }, { it was the worst of times } – paradox. Note 3: { It was the best of times }, { it was the worst of times } – antithesis. Note 4: { It was the best of times }, { it was the worst of times } – hyperbole. Note 5: { best of times }, { worst of times } – sound repetition (homoioptoton). Note 6: { of times }, { of times } – epiphora. Note 7: { It was the best of times }, { it was the worst of times }, { it was the age of wisdom } – isocolon. Note 8: { best of times }, { worst of times } – dirimens copulatio. |
Example 3: Warren Buffett, University of Florida School of Business, 1998
| Without Notation | There was a guy, Pete Kiewit in Omaha, who used to say, he looked for three things in hiring people: integrity, intelligence and energy. |
| With Notation |
There was a guy, Pete Kiewit in Omaha, who used to say, he looked for three things in hiring people: { integrity }, { intelligence } and { energy }. |
| Note: There are other writing enhancements found in this example: Note 1: { people } – synecdoche. |
Example 4: Gettysburg Address, President Abraham Lincoln, 1863
| Without Notation | …government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. |
| With Notation |
…government { of the people }, { by the people }, { for the people }, shall not perish from the earth. |
| Note: There are other writing enhancements found in this example: Note 1: { of the people }, { by the people }, { for the people } – asyndeton. Note 2: { the people } is an example of epiphora. Note 3: { people } is an example of synecdoche. Note 4: { people } repeated three times – diacope. Note 5: Repetition of { people } – sound repetition. Note 6: { of the people }, { by the people }, { for the people } – isocolon. |
Example 5: Julius Caesar, Act 3, Scene 2, Mark Antony, William Shakespeare, c. 1599
| Without Notation | Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears. |
| With Notation |
{ Friends }, { Romans }, { countrymen }, lend me your ears. |
| Note: There are other writing enhancements found in this example: Note 1: { Friends }, { Romans }, { countrymen } – asyndeton. Note 2: lend me your ears – synecdoche. |
Example 6: Simon Sinek, “How Great Leaders Inspire Action,” TEDxPuget Sound, 2009
| Without Notation | Why? How? What? This little idea explains why some organizations and some leaders are able to inspire where others aren’t. |
| With Notation |
{ Why? } { How? } { What? } This little idea explains why some organizations and some leaders are able to inspire where others aren’t. |
| Note: There are other writing enhancements found in this example: Note 1: { Why? } { How? } { What? } – asyndeton. Note 2: { Why? } { How? } { What? } – question. Note 3: { some organizations and some leaders are able to inspire where others aren’t } – antithesis. Note 4: { Why? } { How? } { What? } – isocolon. |
Example 7: Tim Cook, Announcing John Ternus as Apple’s next CEO, 2026
| Without Notation | John Ternus has the mind of an engineer, the soul of an innovator, and the heart to lead… |
| With Notation |
John Ternus has { the mind of an engineer }, { the soul of an innovator }, and { the heart to lead }… |
| Note: There are other writing enhancements found in this example: Note 1: { heart } – symbol. Note 2: The mind of an engineer, the soul of an innovator, and the heart to lead – auxesis. Note 3: { The mind of an engineer }, { the soul of an innovator }, and { the heart to lead } – isocolon. Note 4: mind, soul, heart – metaphor. |
ON-THE-SPOT EXERCISES
Below are three “Before” passages that do not yet use tricolon. Rewrite each one before reading further (no peeking!). Our suggested “After” versions are listed at the bottom.
On-the-Spot Exercise 1
Before: Our onboarding process takes too long and it costs more than it should. New hires also tell us they feel unsupported during their first month, which is a problem we keep hearing about.
On-the-Spot Exercise 2
Before: I think we should approve the budget. It funds the two hires we need, it covers the software renewal, there is a little left for training, and it keeps us under last year’s number.
On-the-Spot Exercise 3
Before: Clients come to us when their message is not landing. We help them figure out what to say and how to say it, and we coach them on delivery too.
Your Turn — Next Steps
This Week: Find one sentence in a draft where you listed reasons or examples. Rebuild it as three parallel parts. Read it aloud. Keep refining until it sounds natural.
This Month: Rewrite the opening of a recurring update or report around a tricolon. Then, track whether people quote it back to you in the following week.
Next Six Months: Build one tricolon you own. Three parts naming what you do, what you stand for, or what you promise. Test it across different meetings and audiences. Refine it until it sounds natural and consistently represents your message.
The Chief Storyteller® team coaches executives and teams on these exact techniques. Learn more. Contact us.
References and the Series
This article series goes beyond choosing better words. Drawing from rhetoric, communications, advertising, and storytelling, Language Forging™ builds two core competencies you develop continuously throughout your career.
Writing Enhancements craft magnetic language that draws readers and listeners into your message. The right word choices create impact. The perfect sentence rhythm maintains engagement. The strategic use of rhetorical devices captivates audiences. These elements combine to create prose that commands attention from the first word to the last.
Speaking Enhancements present those words with maximum impact. As Ira says, “great communicators create memorable experiences WITH YOU by blending together their voice, their body, and their words.” Vocal variety keeps audiences engaged. Strategic pauses create emphasis. Volume modulation signals importance. These techniques transform written words into memorable experiences.
Practice these techniques until they become habits: invite your audiences in, make them eager to learn more, and inspire them to act.
New to Writing Enhancements? Start with the series overview: Writing Enhancements
How The Chief Storyteller® Uses Tricolon with Clients + Students
Writing Enhancements run through everything: coaching, consulting, training, workshops, and keynotes. Ira Koretsky, CEO, has been teaching them in his class for more than a decade. He teaches public speaking, data storytelling, storytelling, and presentations as an adjunct professor at The Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland. The student final is a five-minute TED-style talk.
And Ira tells everyone the same thing:
“You never have to remember the actual Greek word or how to pronounce it. What I want you to remember is why use it and how to use it.”
Every Writing Enhancement is written first and spoken aloud second. On the page, tricolon reinforces your message. Aloud, in the meeting, on the stage, in the pitch, your voice and body language give your words oomph, force, impact. Small, deliberate choices, practiced until they become instinct. That is how great communicators are forged.
Sources
Ira’s 35+ years of coaching, speaking, training, and teaching; Ira’s 1,000+ page Writing Enhancements Resource Guide; Fellow communications professors; American Rhetoric; Encyclopedia Britannica; LitCharts; Literary Devices; Merriam-Webster Dictionary; Oxford English Dictionary; Silva Rhetoricae; ThoughtCo; and Wikipedia. Ira’s favorite books: A Handbook of Rhetorical Devices by Robert A. Harris; The Elements of Eloquence by Mark Forsyth; and A Handlist of Rhetorical Terms by Richard A. Lanham.
Curious what writing enhancements could do for your team’s next big presentation or leadership story? Ask us.
On-the-Spot Exercises: Suggested Answers
Suggested rewrites only. If yours reads better, use yours.
On-the-Spot Exercise 1
Before: Our onboarding process takes too long and it costs more than it should. New hires also tell us they feel unsupported during their first month, which is a problem we keep hearing about.
After: Our onboarding { takes too long }, { costs too much }, and { leaves new hires unsupported }.
On-the-Spot Exercise 2
Before: I think we should approve the budget. It funds the two hires we need, it covers the software renewal, there is a little left for training, and it keeps us under last year’s number.
After: Approve the budget. It { funds the two hires }, { covers the renewal }, and { comes in under budget }.
On-the-Spot Exercise 3
Before: Clients come to us when their message is not landing. We help them figure out what to say and how to say it, and we coach them on delivery too.
After: When your message is not landing, we help you { find your words }, { shape your words }, and { deliver your words }.
Updated 2026
Photography Source: Message Cloud/Word Cloud © Copyright, The Chief Storyteller®, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
