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Hypermetrical 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 containing one or more extra metrical feet beyond the standard pattern

Detailed Definition
A hypermetrical line contains one or more extra syllables beyond the established metrical norm of a poem, often used for emphasis, disruption, or expressive overflow; while potentially violating strict prosody, such lines can convey urgency, emotional excess, or linguistic spontaneity, as in Shakespeare’s occasional feminine endings in iambic pentameter.
Example
Example in poetry:
A line of iambic pentameter extended to eleven syllables: “To be, or not to be, that is the question, friend”; A tetrameter line with an extra unstressed syllable: “The woods are lovely, dark and deep, you see”; A hexameter line with a seventh foot: “Arma virumque cano, Troiae qui primus ab oris—et” (mock-Latin extension); “She walks in beauty, like the night of cloudless climes and starry skies above” (adding “above” to Byron’s line)
Additional Notes
A hypermetrical line exceeds the expected metrical count—used for emphasis, disruption, or expressive overflow; common in sprung rhythm or dramatic verse.
Also Known As
Overlong line hypermetric verse extended meter surplus-syllable line Added measure extra-syllabic
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