Home › Glossary › Letter L

Line break pause

Device
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

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 deliberate pause or breath created by a line break, enhancing rhythm or underscoring emotional or semantic weight.

Detailed Definition
The pause, rest, or hesitation created by line division itself, independent of punctuation or syntax. Line break pause occurs because the eye and voice recognize line ending as formal unit, creating temporal gap even when grammar continues. This prosodic effect is fundamental to all verse, distinguishing poetry from prose. Free verse relies heavily on line break pause since other formal elements may be minimal. The pause shapes rhythm and creates emphasis.
Example
Example in poetry:
Line break pause in William Carlos Williams’ “The Red Wheelbarrow”: “so much depends / upon”; Sylvia Plath’s “Daddy”: “I think I may well be a Jew”; line break pause creates breath, suspense, or reinterpretation; modern example: Ocean Vuong breaks “mother” across lines to emphasize separation; this technique shapes rhythm and meaning; it’s central to free verse craft.
Additional Notes
Creates natural pause even without punctuation. Line break itself generates rest. Central to understanding free verse where punctuation may be minimal.
Also Known As
Lineation pause Verse break rest Line division stop Formal pause End-stopping
Skip to main content