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'She looked incredible. Then she looked at me'

English Language & Usage Asked by cunning linguist on December 3, 2020

Am I correct in saying that the verb ‘looked’ is intransitive in the first phrase, transitive in the second phrase? Is there a name for this type of rhetorical technique playing on the two senses of the verb ‘to look’?

One Answer

Apparently, this is an example of antanaclasis:

antanaclasis:

The repetition of a word whose meaning changes in the second instance.

[Rhetoric.byu.edu_Figures of Repetition]

John Lawler's analysis (in his comment) can hardly be improved upon, but flip verbs have been covered on several occasions.

Answered by Edwin Ashworth on December 3, 2020

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