WRITING ENHANCEMENTS · THE ESSENTIALS: AMPLIFY + INTENSIFY
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 polysyndeton 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:
- Polysyndeton, 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 polysyndeton to your advantage, today
Write Deliberately. Be Remembered.
Amplification is not decoration, and the extra word is often the one doing the work. Every category in this series has a reason behind it, and the reason behind this one is old, measured, and mathematical. Everyday language is built with redundancy on purpose where extra words are what let meaning survive a distracted reader or a noisy room (C. Shannon, 1951).
Writing Enhancement Category: Amplify + Intensify. “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” The inscription on New York’s James A. Farley Post Office could have read “neither snow, rain, heat, nor gloom of night.” Instead, it repeats “nor” before every hazard, and each one gets its own moment. This is polysyndeton, with the same connector placed between every item on purpose.
Potential connectors include conjunctions and prepositions. Example conjunctions include and, for, nor, or, so, yet. Example prepositions include across, after, before, between, beyond, by, of, over, through, under, with, within, without.
Caesar cut the connectors to create speed with “I came, I saw, I conquered,” which is tricolon and asyndeton. Polysyndeton adds the connectors to create emphasis. Your audience cannot rush to the end of the list. Rather, they stop at each item and feel the emphasis, the weight, of what you are describing, one word/phrase at a time.
Below you will find the definition, examples, and ways to use polysyndeton today.
About Polysyndeton
| Definition | Amplify your point with a series of three or more intentional conjunctions or prepositions. |
| Explanation | A standard list puts commas between the items and a single “and” before the last one: “We missed the deadline, exceeded the budget, damaged the client’s trust, and lost the account.” Polysyndeton swaps every comma for the same connector: “We missed the deadline and exceeded the budget and damaged the client’s trust and lost the account.” That small change slows your reader down. Instead of skimming to the end, your reader pauses on each item, so every one feels important on its own. The list sounds heavier, more deliberate, and harder to ignore. Your reader feels the full weight of your point, one phrase at a time. |
| Pronunciation | pah – lee – SIN – duh – ton |
| Related to | Anaphora, Asyndeton, Epiphora, Pleonasm, Synonymia |
| Etymology | From the Greek πολυσύνδετον (polysyndeton), meaning “bound together with many,” from poly (“many”) and syndeton (“bound together”). |
| Connectors | Conjunctions: and, for, nor, or, so, yet Prepositions: across, after, before, between, beyond, by, of, over, through, under, with, within, without |
| How to Use | Reach for polysyndeton when you want a list to feel weighty. Replace the commas in a series with the same connector every time. Three connectors is the working minimum, which means at least four items, and five connectors is usually the ceiling. Why? Because more than five feels like too, too much and weakens the impact you want. Keep the connector identical throughout; switch it midway and it is no longer polysyndeton. Save it for the one or two sentences that carry your main point. |
| Best for | – Keynotes + Speeches: The repeated connector builds its own rhythm and gives your voice a place to breathe between items. – Executive Summaries + Proposals: A list with polysyndeton makes scope feel weighty, so a reviewer registers the weight instead of skimming the bullets. – Stories, Success Stories, + Case Studies: Stacking connectors slows time inside a scene, which is exactly where you want your audience to linger. – Fundraising + Advocacy Writing: Accumulation makes a need feel continuous and unfinished rather than neat and handled. – Social Posts + Captions: One long, deliberately overloaded sentence stands out in a feed built on fragments. |
EXAMPLES OF POLYSYNDETON
See how polysyndeton increases 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: U.S. Coast Guard Academy Commencement Address, 2008 – DeCarol Davis
| Without Notation | I simply ask you to think. I ask you to look back on your moments of powerlessness. Look back to that moment where you had to get on your knees and scrub and sweep and mop and wax and buff and buff and buff and rebuff, and buff again, a floor that someone was going to walk on and probably scuff two minutes later. That feeling is what it is to be human. |
| With Notation |
I simply ask you to think. I ask you to look back on your moments of powerlessness. Look back to that moment where you had to get on your knees { and } scrub { and } sweep { and } mop { and } wax { and } buff { and } buff { and } buff { and } rebuff, { and } buff again, a floor that someone was going to walk on and probably scuff two minutes later. That feeling is what it is to be human. |
| Note: There are other writing enhancements found in this passage: Note 1: “I ask you” starts two sentences – this is an example of anaphora. Note 2: Look back in the second sentence then starts the next sentence – this is an example of anadiplosis. Note 3: Repeated use of buff – this is an example of diacope. |
Example 2: U.S. Postal Service Informal Motto
| Without Notation | “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” |
| With Notation |
“Neither snow { nor } rain { nor } heat { nor } gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” |
Example 3: President Ronald Reagan’s Speech on the Challenger Disaster
| Without Notation | We will always remember them, these skilled professionals, scientists and adventurers, these artists and teachers and family men and women, and we will cherish each of their stories—stories of triumph and bravery, stories of true American heroes. |
| With Notation |
We will always remember them, these skilled professionals, scientists and adventurers, these artists { and } teachers { and } family men { and } women, { and } we will cherish each of their stories—stories of triumph and bravery, stories of true American heroes. |
Example 4: Quentin Fottrell, MarketWatch column, 2022
| Without Notation | When you have spent your life being a good mother and a good wife, and a good daughter, and a good person overall, and have cooperated and acquiesced and supported others, it’s a change of perspective to have the means and freedom to turn all of that energy on yourself. |
| With Notation |
When you have spent your life being a good mother { and } a good wife { and } a good daughter { and } a good person overall, and have cooperated and acquiesced and supported others, it’s a change of perspective to have the means and freedom to turn all of that energy on yourself. |
Example 5: New York Times Article by Helen Macdonald, 2021
| Without Notation | The screenwriter Jon Spaihts described him as “generous and humble and charming and everything you could want in a creative partner.” |
| With Notation |
The screenwriter Jon Spaihts described him as “generous { and } humble { and } charming { and } everything you could want in a creative partner.” |
Example 6: Meg Walter, Deseret News, April 26, 2024
| Without Notation | The [Godzilla x Kong] movie is a surprise hit, having grossed more than $485 million on a budget of $135 million… I really don’t think anyone going to a sequel of a sequel of a sequel is expecting prestige. |
| With Notation |
The [Godzilla x Kong] movie is a surprise hit, having grossed more than $485 million on a budget of $135 million… I really don’t think anyone going { to a } sequel { of a } sequel { of a } sequel is expecting prestige. |
Example 7: Lyndsey Parker, Editor in Chief, Yahoo Music, August 30, 2022
| Without Notation | If I’m being honest, as Simon [Cowell] himself would say, it was just disappointment after disappointment after disappointment Tuesday. |
| With Notation |
If I’m being honest, as Simon [Cowell] himself would say, it was just disappointment { after } disappointment { after } disappointment Tuesday. |
ON-THE-SPOT EXERCISES
Below are three “Before” passages that do not yet use polysyndeton. Rewrite each one before reading further (no peeking!). Our suggested “After” versions are listed at the bottom.
On-the-Spot Exercise 1
Before: Since January, this team rebuilt the pipeline, retrained the reps, rewrote the deck, and doubled the win rate.
On-the-Spot Exercise 2
Before: She handled the crisis with confidence, transparency, empathy, and determination.
On-the-Spot Exercise 3
Before: You can upgrade the software, replace the hardware, redesign the workflow, or maintain the current approach.
On-the-Spot Exercise 4
Before: Daisy became a trusted leader through listening, coaching, mentoring, and supporting others.
On-the-Spot Exercise 5
Before: We need to validate the requirements, confirm the budget, align the stakeholders, and define success metrics before implementation.
Your Turn — Next Steps
This Week: Find one list of three or more items in an email you already need to send. Replace its commas with a single repeated connector. Then, read both versions aloud. Keep the version that emphasizes your points the best.
This Month: Place one sentence with polysyndeton in a high-stakes deliverable such as a proposal, a board update, or the opening of a talk. Put polysyndeton where you want the emphasis to stand out. Rehearse it aloud so each connector gets its beat.
Next Six Months: Build the pair as a habit. Keep a running file of your own sentences written twice. One “without” polysyndeton. One “with” polysyndeton. Review and review until you are comfortable choosing between speed and emphasis. And the choosing becomes a habit you bring to every draft.
Questions about applying polysyndeton to your written or spoken communication materials? 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 Polysyndeton 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, polysyndeton sharpens 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. Favorite books: A Handbook of Rhetorical Devices by Robert A. Harris; Elements of Eloquence by Mark Forsyth; and A Handlist of Rhetorical Terms by Richard A. Lanham.
Every signature story, keynote, and pitch we help build uses Writing Enhancements such as polysyndeton. Yours can too. Contact us.
On-the-Spot Exercises: Suggested Answers
Suggested rewrites only. If yours reads better, use yours.
On-the-Spot Exercise 1
Before: Since January, this team rebuilt the pipeline, retrained the reps, rewrote the deck, and doubled the win rate.
After: Since January, this team rebuilt the pipeline { and } retrained the reps { and } rewrote the deck { and } doubled the win rate.
On-the-Spot Exercise 2
Before: She handled the crisis with confidence, transparency, empathy, and determination.
After: She handled the crisis { with } confidence { with } transparency { with } empathy { with } determination.
On-the-Spot Exercise 3
Before: You can upgrade the software, replace the hardware, redesign the workflow, or maintain the current approach.
After: You can upgrade the software { or } replace the hardware { or } redesign the workflow { or } maintain the current approach.
On-the-Spot Exercise 4
Before: Daisy became a trusted leader through listening, coaching, mentoring, and supporting others.
After: Daisy became a trusted leader { by } listening { by } coaching { by } mentoring { by } supporting others.
On-the-Spot Exercise 5
Before: We need to validate the requirements, confirm the budget, align the stakeholders, and define success metrics before implementation.
After: We need to validate the requirements { and } confirm the budget { and } align the stakeholders { and } define success metrics <pause> before implementation.
Updated 2026
Photography Source: Message Cloud/Word Cloud © Copyright The Chief Storyteller®, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
