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concessive phrase

Phrase
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 clause acknowledging a contrast or obstacle while affirming a main idea

Detailed Definition
Concessive phrases (“although,” “even if”) introduce tension between opposing ideas, creating nuanced emotional or philosophical landscapes; poets use them to acknowledge complexity, doubt, or irony while maintaining the integrity of their central assertion.
Example
Example in poetry:
Though the night was long, she did not weep; though the wind howled, he did not flee; though the gods were silent, she still sang; though all hope was lost, he still held the key.
Additional Notes
Concessive phrases acknowledge opposition while affirming a claim: “Though the night was long, she did not weep”; they create nuance and moral complexity in argumentative or lyrical poetry; used by Donne, Dickinson, and contemporary poets to resist binary thinking; use “though,” “although,” “even if”; avoid weakening the main clause—maintain conviction; related to contingent phrase and causal phrase; powerful in poems of resilience or paradox.
Also Known As
concession although clause despite phrase
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