Cataphoric reference
A reference technique where a word or phrase refers forward to an element mentioned later in the text. For example, 'As he entered the room, John noticed something unusual' where 'he' is resolved by 'John' that follows.
Real World
The opening line of Charles Dickens' Bleak House — 'London. Michaelmas term lately over, and the Lord Chancellor sitting in Lincoln's Inn Hall' — withholds the subject, forcing readers forward to construct meaning, a sustained cataphoric effect across the entire opening chapter.
Exam Focus
Explain the effect of delayed resolution — cataphora creates suspense or intimacy; always link the technique to the writer's purpose or the text's genre.
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