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clipped five-foot line

Meter
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 pentameter line deliberately shortened by omitting one or more syllables or feet to disrupt expectation or convey urgency.

Detailed Definition
A clipped five-foot line (or clipped pentameter) is an iambic pentameter line that omits one or more syllables—typically the final unstressed beat—creating a masculine or abrupt ending; this technique, used by Shakespeare for emphasis or dramatic pause (e.g., “To be, or not to be—that is the quest”), heightens rhetorical force and differs from a weak close by intentional truncation rather than metrical deficiency.
Example
Example in poetry:
Shakespeare’s iambic pentameter with a missing final unstressed syllable: "To be, or not to be—that is the quest"; A line like "When I do count the clock that tells the time" shortened to four-and-a-half feet; "Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?" with final syllable dropped in performance; A pentameter line ending on a stressed syllable with no upbeat: "The world is too much with us; late and soon"
Additional Notes
A clipped five-foot line (pentameter) omits one or more syllables, often the final unstressed beat, creating a masculine or abrupt ending; frequent in Shakespeare for emphasis or pause; students should compare full vs. clipped lines to hear the dramatic effect (e.g., "To be, or not to be—that is the quest" vs. full pentameter); related to "weak close" when unintentional, but often deliberate for rhetorical punch.
Also Known As
pentameter fragment curtailed pentameter abridged quintet Short pentameter Short-long-long-short pentameter
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