Hendiadys

"Two for one" redirects here. For the pub chain, see Two for One.

Hendiadys ( /hɛnˈdaɪ.ədɨs/; a Latinized form of the Greek phrase ἓν διὰ δυοῖν, hèn dià duoîn, "one through two") is a figure of speech used for emphasis — "The substitution of a conjunction for a subordination". The basic idea is to use two words linked by a conjunction to express a single complex idea.

English names for hendiadys include two for one and figure of twinnes.

Use and effect

The typical result of a hendiadys is to transform a noun-plus-adjective into two nouns joined by a conjunction. For example, "sound and fury" (from act V, scene 5 of Macbeth) seems to offer a more striking image than "furious sound". In this example, as typically, the subordinate idea originally present in the adjective is transformed into a noun in and of itself. Another example is Dieu et mon droit, present in the coat of arms of the United Kingdom. In fact, hendiadys is most effective in English when the adjective and noun form of the word are identical. Thus "the cold wind went down the hall" becomes "the cold and the wind went down the hall."

When hendiadys fails in its effects, it can sound merely redundant. For example, cum amicitia atque pace, “with friendship and peace” is often translated instead as “with peaceful friendship.” Fowler says that try and ... for try to ... is a "true example" of hendiadys.

In classical and biblical literature

Hendiadys is often used in Latin poetry; many examples occur in Virgil's Aeneid.

Hendiadys in the Bible is attested by many references, although not every case of two nouns linked by a conjunction is hendiadys. For example, Mark 2, 25 has "in need and hungry" which Richard Young considers hendiadys for "very hungry" but Wayne Leman suggests is instead an example of "semantic intensification due to Hebraic synonymous parallelism." "The kingdom, the power and the glory" (from the Lord's Prayer) extends the principle, transforming the idea of a "glorious, powerful kingdom" into a sequence of three nouns joined by a conjunction.

In Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" it occurs at 4.1.36: SHYLOCK: ...to have the due and forfeit of my bond.

Widespread examples

• vigour and verve

If we interpret hendiadys as a method of rearranging one or more statements into a phrase for the sake of smoother prose, then we could say the above example of the Lord's prayer would in effect be a combination of three separate statements into a single, shorter and smoother sentence. Using the above given sentence of traditional version of the Lord's Prayer, we can start with the final statement as hendiadys, of three statements, those being. 1. Thine is the kingdom 2. Thine is the power 3. Thine is the glory

Each is a clear statement of an attribute accredited to God. By combining them into the single statement, "Thine is the kingdom, power and glory" little of clarity is sacrificed for much which is gained in smoother prose and an easier to remember prayer. This method and combination of statements makes the Hendiady one of the most useful tools for conveying ideas briefly and concisely.

See also

• Hendiatris, one through three
• Hendiatetris (also hendiatetrakis), one through four
• Litotes, a form of understatement for emphasis

References

• Smyth, Herbert Weir (1920). Greek Grammar. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press. pp. 678. ISBN 0-674-36250-0. 
• Wright, George T. (1981). "Hendiadys and Hamlet". Publications of the Modern Language Association of America 96 (2): 168–93. 
• Wallace, Daniel B. (1996). Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics. Grand Rapids MI: Zondervan. pp. 276–7. ISBN 0-310-21895-0.