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Interrupted rhythm

Sound
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 metrical pattern deliberately broken or disrupted to create tension or emphasis

Detailed Definition
Interrupted rhythm breaks expected metrical or syntactic flow—through caesura, enjambment, or irregular stress—to mirror disruption, shock, or hesitation; used strategically, it highlights emotional or thematic rupture without sacrificing overall coherence, allowing the poem to embody instability while maintaining underlying structural integrity.
Example
Example in poetry:
Interrupted rhythm breaks expected meter for emphasis, as in Emily Dickinson’s dashes: “I heard a Fly buzz—when I died—”; In “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” Eliot interrupts rhythm: “In the room the women come and go / Talking of Michelangelo”; Another: “The clock—stops. The heart—waits. The world—holds its breath”
Additional Notes
Interrupted rhythm breaks expected metrical or syntactic flow to mirror disruption, shock, or hesitation; use strategically to highlight emotional or thematic rupture without losing overall coherence.
Also Known As
Broken meter Hesitant cadence Stuttered beat broken cadence Hocket interrupted meter
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