Comparison workshop

RepetitionversusRefrainWhat's the Difference?

A refrain is a recurring textual unit placed at intervals; repetition is the broader technique.

Read the pair

How They Differ

First idea

Repetition

May recur locally or irregularly at any textual level.

versus

Second idea

Refrain

Returns a line or group of lines after intervening material.

See the signal

Examples

Repetition

The warning returned again later.

Refrain

Each stanza closes with We carry the light home.