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Hypermetrical pentameter

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

Iambic pentameter containing an extra unstressed syllable at the end of the line

Detailed Definition
Hypermetrical pentameter describes an iambic pentameter line that includes an extra unstressed syllable at the end (a feminine ending), subtly extending the rhythm without disrupting the five-beat core; this variation adds lyrical softness or hesitation, often used for emotional nuance or emphasis.
Example
Example in poetry:
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 87 ends with hypermetrical pentameter: “Thus have I had thee as a dream doth flatter”; Milton occasionally adds a sixth stress in “Paradise Lost” for emphasis, creating hypermetrical pentameter; Keats’ “Ode to a Nightingale” includes lines like “Already with thee! tender is the night” with an extra unstressed syllable; Wordsworth’s “Tintern Abbey” sometimes uses hypermetrical pentameter to mirror natural speech.
Additional Notes
Hypermetrical pentameter adds an extra unstressed syllable to iambic pentameter (making 11 syllables); creates emphasis, hesitation, or emotional overflow; common in Shakespeare and Milton; not the same as a feminine ending, though related.
Also Known As
Hypermetric line Extended pentameter Surplus-beat verse Overlong heroic line Extended iambic pentameter Extra-syllable five-foot
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