Cataphora is a linguistic term for a sentence structure where the pronoun or reference precedes the thing it refers to. It is moderately common in English and can refer to a single sentence or a series of sentences. In literature, it can be used to build tension and keep the reader reading. Anaphora is the opposite structure where the pronoun or reference comes after the noun.
The linguistic term “cataphora” describes a form of sentence structure or phrasing in which a pronoun or other reference precedes the thing to which it refers. In linguistics, this expression is said to “co-refer” to the following expression. It can refer to either a single sentence or a series of sentences. The cataphora is moderately common in English, although it is the opposite of the normal structure, called an anaphora.
In the anaphora, a pronoun or other reference comes after the noun. For example, the sentence “as soon as Jane got home, she went to bed” is an example of an anaphora. The pronoun (“she”) occurs after the antecedent (“Jane”), letting the reader know that Jane is the subject of the sentence before referring to her as “her” later. The pronoun in anaphora is referred to as “anaphora” and this usage is transferred to cataphora.
In the cataphor, on the other hand, the reference order is reversed. Consider the phrase “as soon as she got home, she Jane went to bed.” In this case, the pronoun (“she”) occurs before the referent (“Jane”). The pronoun therefore occurs before there is any indication in the sentence as to what it might be referring to. It seems that this sentence structure is supposed to be confusing, leaving the reader wondering who “she” is, but in reality the cataphor is so common in English sentences that the reader knows to keep finding the identity of the subject.
The sentence “just got home, Jane went to bed” is an example of a strict cataphora, as it uses a pronoun to refer to an antecedent. The non-strict cataphora applies the same structure, but with a noun or noun phrase as anaphora instead of a pronoun. In the case of the sentence “after a long search, the culprit turned out to be Charlie”, for example, the anaphora is “the culprit” instead of a pronoun such as “he”.
In literature, this type of sentence structure often serves to build tension. The author may want to refer to a person or thing anonymously to keep the reader reading. Advertising copy that reads “It’s wild! It’s wonderful! It’s strange! It’s the fourth annual Halloween spooky!” or similar uses cataphora to create a pleasant sense of tension in the reader, causing him to wonder what could be so wild and wonderful and strange.
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