Caesura: A natural, deliberate pause or break within a line of poetry, often indicated by punctuation such as a comma, dash, or period, or sometimes by a grammatical break. The caesura interrupts the regular meter of the line, creating a dramatic or syntactic emphasis. It can be used to separate two distinct thoughts within a line, to add weight to a particular phrase, or to create a sense of rhythm that is more akin to natural speech, which is rarely a smooth, uninterrupted flow. Caesuras are common in classical Latin dactylic hexameter and in Anglo-Saxon alliterative verse, where they often coincide with the medial break of the half-lines. In modern poetry, T.S. Eliot makes extensive use of the caesura in The Waste Land to fragment the narrative and reflect the fractured consciousness of the modern world. The presence of a caesura can dramatically alter the pacing and emotional impact of a line.

Caesura is a pause within a line of verse, often marked by punctuation or a natural breath; it adds rhythmic variety and can emphasize contrast or emotional shifts (e.g., “To be, or not to be || that is the question”).