1. A linguistic device in which a word or phrase refers forward to another word or phrase that appears later in the text.
Usage: linguistics, grammar; the opposite of anaphora

Examples

• In the sentence 'Before he arrived, John was nervous,' the pronoun 'he' is an example of cataphora because it refers forward to 'John.'
• The phrase 'This is important: you must study hard' uses cataphora, with 'this' pointing ahead to the explanation.
• Cataphora is less common in English than anaphora, where a pronoun refers back to a previously mentioned noun.
• In 'If you want it, take the last cookie,' the pronoun 'it' demonstrates cataphora by referring forward to 'the last cookie.'