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Added measure

Device
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An extra metrical unit or line introduced into a poem beyond its established pattern

Detailed Definition
Added measure describes a metrical or rhythmic extension inserted into a poetic line beyond its expected or conventional pattern, often used to create emphasis, disrupt flow for dramatic effect, or accommodate thematic expansion; this technique may involve an extra syllable, foot, or stress that temporarily alters the poem’s prosody without breaking its overall structural integrity.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Shakespeare’s sonnets, an extra unstressed syllable often appears at line-end (e.g., Sonnet 20: “A man in hue, all hues in his controlling”); Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” uses iambic tetrameter with occasional added syllables for rhythmic variation; Emily Dickinson’s dashes often imply an added measure in her hymn-meter lines; Walt Whitman’s free verse sometimes inserts an extra foot for emphasis, as in “Song of Myself”: “I celebrate myself, and sing myself.”
Additional Notes
Added measure describes an extra metrical foot or syllable inserted into a line, often for rhythmic emphasis or emotional effect; common in iambic pentameter (feminine endings) and free verse; useful for creating variation without breaking form; compare with catalexis (omission) and hypercatalexis (addition).
Also Known As
Hypermetrical line Feminine ending Extra foot Metrical expansion Intercalary line
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