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Hypermetric line

Meter
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 line that includes one or more additional unstressed syllables at the end of a metrical pattern

Detailed Definition
A hypermetric line is a verse line that exceeds the expected metrical count by one or more syllables, often through anacrusis (added unstressed syllable at the beginning) or hypercatalexis (extra syllable at the end), used to create rhythmic surprise, emphasis, or breathless momentum.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Shakespeare’s iambic pentameter, “To be or not to be, that is the question” ends with an extra unstressed syllable (feminine ending), making it hypermetric; In Milton’s “Paradise Lost,” “Of man’s first disobedience, and the fruit” includes an 11th syllable; In Emily Dickinson’s hymn meter, lines often end with an extra syllable for lyrical effect; In Tennyson’s “Ulysses,” “To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield” closes with a hypermetric syllable.
Additional Notes
A hypermetric line contains extra syllables beyond the expected metrical count, often for emphasis or breath; common in ballad or dramatic verse—distinguish from catalectic (shortened) lines.
Also Known As
Overflow line extra-syllabic line metrical surplus extended measure Hypermetrical pentameter Overlong classical line
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