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Enjambed pair

Device
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

Two consecutive lines where the syntactic unit runs over from the first to the second without pause

Detailed Definition
An enjambed pair consists of two consecutive lines where the syntactic unit flows uninterrupted from the first into the second, creating momentum and tension by deferring completion; this technique disrupts the expectation of end-stopped closure, encouraging fluid reading and emphasizing the interdependence of lines within a larger rhythmic or conceptual arc.
Example
Example in poetry:
Shakespeare’s “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? / Thou art more lovely and more temperate:”; John Keats’ “On a Grecian Urn”: “Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard / Are sweeter”; modern example: “I walked into the room and saw you— / the years collapsed like old paper.”; another: “She said nothing, just turned away / and let the silence speak.”
Additional Notes
An enjambed pair consists of two lines where the first runs into the second without pause; this technique creates fluidity, suspense, or surprise by delaying syntactic completion.
Also Known As
Run-on couplet Flowing distich Continuous two-liner Continuous pair flowing couplet
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