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Epexegetic verse

Structure
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

Verse that continues or repeats an idea purely for clarification

Detailed Definition
Epexegetic verse is poetry that includes explanatory or clarifying phrases—often set off by dashes, parentheses, or appositives—to define, expand, or interpret a preceding statement; it blends narrative and commentary, common in meditative or didactic traditions.
Example
Example in poetry:
Didactic poems like Pope’s “Essay on Man” use epexegetic verse to explain philosophy; Biblical proverbs often expand metaphors epexegetically; Contemporary eco-poems explain climate science through lyrical epexegesis; Epexegetic verse appears in Claudia Rankine’s footnotes in “Citizen.”
Additional Notes
Verse that explains or expands preceding statement. Epexegesis = detailed explanation. Often uses appositives or clauses. Related: didactic verse, explanatory poetry.
Also Known As
Explanatory verse Clarifying poetry Interpretive lines Expository poem
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