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Forward-looking enjambment

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

Enjambment where a line anticipates or prepares meaning that completes in the next line.

Detailed Definition
Forward-looking enjambment occurs when a line break propels the reader toward the next line not just syntactically but with thematic or emotional anticipation—often ending on a word that hints at what’s to come; this technique merges grammatical flow with prophetic suggestion, making the turn of the line a site of both continuity and revelation.
Example
Example in poetry:
Ashbery’s “Some Trees” enjambment between stanzas; Brontë’s unfinished poem flowing across lines; Eliot’s “The Waste Land” enjambments pushing reading forward; Narrative poems with enjambed momentum.
Additional Notes
Forward-looking enjambment describes a run-on line (enjambment) where the line break creates a strong sense of anticipation, leading the reader quickly and purposefully to the next line for the completion of the thought or image; the pause is highly active and propulsive, contrasting with the finality of an end-stop.
Also Known As
Progressive enjambment anticipatory overflow proleptic run-on line Anticipatory enjambment
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