Anacoluthon

an-a-co-lu'-thon / From Greek: "lacking sequence"

A grammatical interruption or lack of implied sequence within a sentence.
That is, beginning a sentence in a way that implies a certain logical resolution, but concluding it differently than the grammar leads one to expect. Anacoluthon can be either a grammatical fault or a stylistic virtue, depending on its use. In either case, it is an interruption or a verbal lack of symmetry. Anacolouthon is characteristic of spoken language or interior thought, and thus suggests those domains when it occurs in writing. (Not to be confused with anacoloutha)

Example:

Athletes convicted of drug-related crimes —are they to be forgiven with just a slap on the wrist?

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Acknowledgement

The above information on individual rhetorical techniques is reproduced from the website “Silva Rhetoricae” (www.rhetoric.byu.edu ) under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence. Credit for this content lies with Professor Gideon O Burton of Brigham Young University.