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Grain

Craft Terms
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 poem’s grain is the directional texture created by its sounds, syntax, imagery, and movement.

Detailed Definition
A poem’s grain is the directional texture a reader feels beneath its apparent subject. Plain diction may produce a smooth grain, while clustered consonants, abrupt line breaks, or recurring stresses can make the language feel rough, resistant, or fibrous. Poets may work with the grain of a subject by letting form imitate its qualities, or against it by making a calm scene jagged and unstable. Attending to grain helps revision move beyond meaning toward texture.
Example
Example in poetry:
A poem’s grain is its underlying texture, as in the rough consonants of “bricks” and “scrape” in a poem about demolition; A poet can write against the grain of a subject by describing grief in bright, playful language; Repeated long vowels can create a smooth grain that makes a reflective poem feel hushed; A poem about winter might follow the grain of its subject with clipped sounds, narrow lines, and spare imagery
Additional Notes
Think of grain as the way a poem invites the reader to move through it. A poem may run with the grain through smooth syntax, repeated sounds, and familiar images, or against the grain through abrupt breaks, friction, and resistance. Read aloud to notice its acoustic grain, then examine lineation, pacing, and image sequences. Grain is related to texture, tone, cadence, and momentum.
Other Meanings of “Grain”
Also Known As
Wood Grain Texture
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