Definition:
The word or phrase at the end of a clause by which a speaker or (less commonly) a writer clarifies, strengthens, extends, or emphasizes a topic that was previously introduced. Contrast with header.
Etymology:
From Old English, "tail"Examples and Observations:
- "The fact is, he quite likes going places. Seeing things. Broadening the mind. And that’s the name of the game these days, though he did once hear some curmudgeonly foreign fellow say that if you broaden it too much, your brains will fall right out. Quite a joker, that Danish fellow."
(Andrei Navrozov, "Kierkegaard and the Camera," in Chronicles: A Magazine of American Culture, July 2007) - "She's a real kidder, that mom of mine."
- "Tails are listener-sensitive. The tail clarifies what may not have been understood by the listener. The tail can also reinforce and add emphasis to an already explicit referent. . . . Tails frequently occur in statements in which the speaker is evaluating a person or thing or situation."
(Ronald Carter and Michael McCarthy, Cambridge Grammar of English, Cambridge University Press, 2006) - "He was a scary guy, that giant."
Pronunciation: TALE
Also Known As: right dislocation, post-posed
