50 Examples of Cataphora

Cataphora is a speech element that anticipates what will be said next. For example: For his part, Daniel did not respond. The pronoun “his” refers to something that has not yet been said (“Daniel”) .

It is one of the procedures for textual cohesion , that is, the forms we choose so that a discourse can be perceived as a unit and repetitions can be avoided.

A procedure similar to cataphora but with the opposite meaning is anaphora , which is the use of a term to replace another that has already been used.

Anaphors and cataphors can be pronouns , adverbs or sets of words, and are used in both written and spoken language .

• It may be useful to you: Rhetorical or literary figures

How to distinguish cataphora from anaphora?

• In anaphora, the information comes first. For example: She’s very tired , that’s why she didn’t want to come to the party. The anaphora ( eso ) refers to something mentioned in the first part of the sentence ( está muy cansada ). The same sentence without anaphora would be: She didn’t want to come to the party because she’s very tired .
• In cataphor, the information appears after. The information anticipated by the cataphor is called the consequent , and the word that forms the cataphor is called the cataphoric substitute . For example: Two people arrived , John and Charles . The cataphor ( two people ) refers to information that will appear later ( John and Charles ).

Examples of cataphora

In the following examples, the cataphor is in bold and the information it represents is in italics.

1. Isaid no to Martin .
2. All the elements of the sceneryare ready: the furniture, the lamps, the carpets and the paintings .
3. He showed me somethingdisgusting, a stuffed spider .
4. That’s whyI don’t want to go, because they always waste time .
5. The table has to be set for four: the two of us, Dad and Mom .
6. Heis the winner, the man in the blue shirt .
7. As I had anticipated, we arrived very late.
8. Thisis the place, here Michael Jackson was born .
9. That’s whatwe talked about at the last meeting, about giving everyone the same opportunities .
10. We met twice: once at the restaurant and once at the cinema .
11. Thoseare the only pants left, the blue ones .
12. He ate everythingthat was left, the cake, the sandwiches and the cookies .
13. Thisis how I wanted to find you, doing your homework .
14. I almost alwaysgo to the park; every weekday except when it rains .
15. The cup is contested by two good teams, the reds and the yellows .
16. Position yourself therefor the photo, in the shade of the trees .
17. That‘s the painting I want to buy .
18. It’s better this way, without strangers .
19. Predators serve an important function: controlling the population size of their prey .
20. That’s whyyou’ve made so much progress, because you practiced .
21. Nobodyis going to scold you, not your father, not your mother, not the teacher .
22. There are two typesof living beings: autotrophs and heterotrophs .
23. Someoneknocked at the door; it was Juan .
24. Now you regret it, when we have already signed the contract?
25. That‘s my grandfather, the man with the beret .
26. Thisis the book we should read, Crime and Punishment .
27. I did well on most of my exams, including math, literature, chemistry, and physics .
28. It’s quite close, just a few meters away .
29. Thisis my only wealth, my friends .
30. That‘s the problem , you get discouraged easily .
31. Igave the bad news to Maria .
32. Thosekids are a bad influence, the ones who smoke and arrive late to class .
33. Fewstudents were congratulated, only those who obtained grades above eight .
34. That’s whyno one dares to tell you things, because you get angry easily .
35. Thosetimes were terrible for women, both the Middle Ages and ancient times .
36. Someoneleft a message this morning, a man with a raspy voice .
37. Thismakes cooking much easier, with everyone’s help .
38. I think theyreported me, the employees on the second floor .
39. How could you tell him that? Nobody wants to hear that he’s useless .
40. I don’t believe that , she couldn’t have started screaming.
41. Thatbuilding was my old school, the one with red brick walls .
42. You have to do this: follow all the boss’s instructions .
43. How could I have known he was going to react like that? Shouts and insults for everyone .
44. You can’t go to the meeting like that, without a tie, with a wrinkled suit and disheveled hair .
45. Thoseare the stories I like, with fairies, princesses and witches .
46. I don’t understand this . You going out with your ex-boyfriend againseems crazy to me.
47. Theyare the ones to blame for the situation, the politicians .
48. Don’t get upset over such a small thing, it’s just an argument between friends .
49. Thosewere good times, when children could go out and play in the street .
50. There are only three peopleI trust, my mother, my brother and my best friend .