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Ballast line

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 stabilizing line in free verse that balances surrounding fragmentary lines

Detailed Definition
A ballast line is a metrical or syntactic anchor within a poem—often a regular iambic line amidst free verse—that provides rhythmic stability or tonal grounding; it prevents the poem from becoming too erratic, offering a subtle counterpoint to experimental or fragmented sections.
Example
Example in poetry:
A ballast line is a metrical or syntactic anchor that stabilizes a volatile poem; example: amid chaotic free verse, a steady iambic pentameter line like “The world is too much with us; late and soon.”
Additional Notes
Ballast line is a deliberately heavy or weighty line—metrically dense or lexically somber—that anchors a poem’s emotional or rhythmic flow, often following lighter or more rapid lines for contrast.
Also Known As
Stabilizing line weight-bearing line grounding verse anchoring line
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