Omission & Flow
Polysyndeton
Repeating conjunctions beyond what a list normally requires: “and … and … and.” Each conjunction gives another item a separate beat, which can suggest accumulation or slow the pace.
"And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house…" — Matthew 7:25
Don't confuse it with Asyndeton, Parataxis. Asyndeton deletes the connectives instead. Parataxis is the broader habit of coordination over subordination; polysyndeton is its most audible form.
A similar example that does not qualify
We carried blankets and chairs.
One conjunction joining two items is ordinary coordination, not an excess of conjunctions.
Counterexample written for practice.
Compare sentences using Polysyndeton →Examples
We packed blankets and medicines and maps and food.
The repeated conjunction gives every item a separate connection.
And the rain fell, and the river rose, and the road disappeared.
Each clause carries an explicit “and,” creating a repeated connective pattern.
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
“And” is repeated between all three occurrences of “tomorrow,” beyond an ordinary final conjunction.
A possible effect: The added beats can make each day feel like one more weary installment.
Practice explaining this example →That perches in the soul - And sings the tune without the words - And never stops - at all -
Both later coordinated predicates begin with “And,” where the first could have been joined by punctuation alone.
A possible effect: The repeated additions prolong the description of hope’s activity, ending on its refusal to stop.
Practice explaining this example →We carried blankets and kettles and chairs.
“And” is repeated where ordinary list punctuation would suffice.
A possible effect: Each added “and” gives another object a separate beat, suggesting a growing load.
Practice explaining this example →There were shoes and coats and books and toys on the stairs.
“And” connects every item rather than only the final pair.
A possible effect: Each added conjunction gives the clutter another beat and makes it seem to pile up.
Practice explaining this example →Often used alongside this device
Explore devices that often appear in the same passages as polysyndeton.
Anaphora 23 Litotes 10 Parallelism 9 Asyndeton 8 Chiasmus 8 Metaphor 7 Parataxis 7 Antithesis 6