STOP - paraprosdokians ahead!

Here’s a great way to add stopping power to your headline copy.

Paraprosdokians turns of phrase in which the latter part of the sentence isn't what you expected based on the first part of the sentence. They encourage you to re-think the entire statement – which is exactly what you want folks to do when they read and engage with your copy. Here are some of the more famous ones.

• If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong.

• The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it’s still on my list.

• We never really grow up, we just learn how to act in public.

• War does not determine who is right ... only who is left.

• Where there's a will, I want to be in it.

• I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not sure.

• You can always count on Americans to do the right thing—after they've tried everything else.

• If I could just say a few words … I'd be a better public speaker.

• I haven’t slept for 10 days, because that would be too long.

• Behind every great man there's a woman, rolling her eyes.

• I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it.

• You’re never too old to learn – something stupid.

• Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.

• Actually you don’t really need a parachute to skydive. You only need one to skydive twice.

• Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut and still think they’re sexy.

• On the job application where it says, “In case of an emergency, notify . . . “ I answered “A doctor”.

• I didn’t say it was your fault, I said I’m blaming you.

• To steal from one person is plagiarism, to steal from many is research.

• Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.