To Wit: An E-zine On How To Be a Wit
03/04/2007

This is an E-zine from Thomas Christopher on how to be witty.

More Ways To Use Triples

The Rule of Three states that you should triples, triads, lists of three things. When you list items, prefer to list three words, or phrases, or sentences rather than more or fewer. In rhetoric, this technique is known as tricolon. It is even more effective when you link the items in some fashion. Here are several ways to link them.

Use rhyme, the repetition of vowel and trailing consonant sounds in stressed syllables, as in

Example (1) uses end rhymes, which lead people to expect formal poetry. Unless you also handle the meter well, the effect is worse than not using rhyme at all. Example (2) uses internal rhyme, which delights with a lighter touch. A rhyming dictionary helps with this.

Use alliteration, the repetition of initial consonant sounds, particularly in stressed syllables. You can find candidates for this just by looking in a thesaurus. Suppose we want to use a triple to say, "It was a time of joy." Here's what I found in under two minutes in a thesaurus:

Use anticlimax of length, ending the list with a shorter phrase, to give the list a punch, as in (3)'s "gaiety, gladness, and glee" and "blessedness, beatitude, and bliss." We expect climax, increasing importance or length of the items. Anticlimax gains attention by violating that expectation.

Link the first two items to make the third stand out. In (2) the first two rhyme, and the third one doesn't. Notice the same in this aphorism from Ben Franklin:

This example links the first two items with rhyme and the last two with alliteration.

Use anticlimax of importance for humor: make the first two items significant or serious and the final item trivial and light.

For these techniques, you need two books: a thesaurus and a rhyming dictionary. Remember that you can talk about one topic by talking about its opposite. If the thesaurus you consult is in Roget's order, you will find related and contrasting topics close together.

Remember, the best triples are not necessarily quick to find. You may look up and try out a lot of words, and you may try out several of these techniques before settling on one triple. Creativity mainly consists of creating an abundance of alternatives and selecting the best.

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