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exhortative 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 statement urging or encouraging a particular action or attitude

Detailed Definition
Exhortative phrases carry persuasive force, common in didactic, political, or devotional poetry; they rally the reader toward virtue, resistance, faith, or change through imperative or emphatic language that blends moral authority with urgency.
Example
Example in poetry:
Awake, O dreamer, the world needs your hands!; Testify, O witness, though your knees shake!; Plant your feet, though the ground trembles!; Cry out, O heart, even if only echoes answer!; Build, O builder, even from ashes and doubt!
Additional Notes
Exhortative phrases urge action: “Rise, O sleeper, and face the dawn!”; they are moral, prophetic, or revolutionary; used by Whitman, Ginsberg, and contemporary activist poets; use imperative mood and strong verbs; avoid preachiness—ground in concrete imagery; related to hortatory phrase and imperative phrase; ideal for poems calling for change or awakening.
Also Known As
urging phrase motivational phrase call to action
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