Home › Glossary › Letter C

Clipped verse

Form
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

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

Poetry with abbreviated lines or phrases for rhythmic or stylistic effect

Detailed Definition
Clipped verse refers to poetry that uses abrupt line breaks, truncated phrases, or syntactic fragmentation to create tension, urgency, or understatement; this technique often mirrors modern speech patterns or psychological states, emphasizing what is left unsaid and relying on implication rather than exposition, as seen in the work of poets like Emily Dickinson or contemporary minimalist writers.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Rain falls. / Wind howls. / Night ends.”; “She left. / I stayed. / Silence.”; “Born still. / Mother’s arms empty.”; “War. / Home. / Gone.”
Additional Notes
Clipped verse uses abrupt line breaks, omitted words, or syntactic fragmentation to create tension or urgency; common in modernist and contemporary poetry for psychological or rhythmic effect.
Also Known As
Truncated verse clipped meter shortened line elliptical poetry abbreviated verse shortened form incomplete line
Skip to main content