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Extended caesura

Sound
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

An unusually prolonged pause within a line, often marked by punctuation or white space, used to heighten drama, reflection, or tension.

Detailed Definition
Extended caesura denotes a deliberate and pronounced pause within a poetic line that significantly exceeds the typical mid-line break, often spanning multiple beats or even mimicking a full stop; this technique disrupts rhythmic flow for dramatic effect, heightening tension, emphasizing key imagery, or signaling a shift in tone or perspective, and is especially effective in free verse or dramatic monologues where timing and breath control shape meaning.
Example
Example in poetry:
A caesura placed unusually late in the line, such as “To be, or not to be—that is the question: / Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer” where the pause follows “be”
Additional Notes
Extended caesura refers to a pause or break within a line of poetry that is longer or more pronounced than a typical metrical caesura, often indicated by a heavy punctuation mark (like a dash, colon, or period) or a deliberate white space, emphasizing the preceding word or idea; it forces a more dramatic halt in the reading.
Also Known As
Prolonged caesura Lengthened pause Extended metrical break caesural run-on
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