cataphora.

Reference to an expression appearing later in the discourse.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• pronominal cataphora
• cataphoric reference

On the page

‘Before she spoke, Mara closed the door’ uses cataphora.

The cataphora delayed identification without hiding the action.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary. Forms: Usually uncountable. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.