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Arrested break

Structure
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

A sudden, jarring pause or break in a poem that mimics interruption, shock, or emotional arrest, often marked by punctuation.

Detailed Definition
Arrested break describes a deliberate pause or caesura that halts syntactic or rhythmic momentum mid-line, creating tension, emphasis, or dramatic suspense; unlike natural pauses, this break is strategically placed to disrupt expectation, heighten emotion, or signal a shift in thought or tone.
Example
Example in poetry:
In “My Last Duchess,” Browning uses enjambment to create an arrested break mid-thought; Dickinson’s dashes produce arrested breaks that suspend meaning; An arrested break halts syntax unexpectedly to heighten tension; In “The Waste Land,” Eliot uses it to fracture narrative coherence; It mirrors psychological interruption or social constraint.
Additional Notes
Arrested break is a caesura (pause within a line) or enjambment (line break) that is intentionally abrupt or unexpected, serving to halt the rhythmic or semantic flow and draw sharp attention to a word or image.
Also Known As
Arrested pause Broken continuation Suspended line Arrestive caesura
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