Figures of Speech Served Fresh

Quote: "Because I was a victim of hate, I have dedicated my life to turn that hate into understanding, into tolerance and, why not say it, into love." Chilean president-elect Michelle Bachelet.

Figure of Speech: hyperbaton (hie PER ba ton), the interrupter.

The hyperbaton (Greek for "transposed") deliberately changes a sentence's usual word order, or — as in this case—sticks a phrase between words that usually go together. Chile's first woman president uses the device to shine a big rhetorical spotlight on "love." The pause makes it seem as though she must gather her chutzpah before she can utter it — a subtle kind of aporia.

Snappy Answer: "Then we're glad you weren't a victim of love."