Epistrophe examples

Make an idea linger by landing multiple lines in the same place.

Featured example

The old desk can stay.
The battered chair can stay.

Flatmates decide what to keep.

Both decisions end in “can stay”, drawing them to the same conclusion.

In plain words: Both pieces of furniture are worth keeping.

You do not need a perfect script.
You do not need a printed script.
You need your own script.
- Repeated ending: “script”
A teacher encourages a learner to write in their own words.
Why it works
All three sentences end with “script”, while the words before it change. The first two also repeat an opening.
I brought the boxes for you, and Sam cleared the room for you.
- Repeated ending: “for you”
Friends explain their preparations for someone moving in.
Why it works
“For you” closes both clauses of one sentence and makes their shared purpose explicit.
First the date changed.
Next the room changed.
Then the speaker changed.
Now even the start time has changed.
- Repeated ending: “changed”
An organizer describes repeated disruptions.
Why it works
“Changed” ends all four sentences, so every disruption lands on the same word and the list feels endless.

We need clearer signs. We need a working bell.
Staff discuss access to a building.
What to notice
“We need” repeats at the beginnings, not the ends. That is anaphora.
Enough, enough. Let someone else speak.
The person leading a meeting stops someone who has talked for too long.
What to notice
“Enough” is repeated immediately. There are not different clauses sharing an ending.