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metrically incomplete

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 metrical line or foot that omits expected syllables or beats, creating rhythmic tension or expressive incompleteness.

Detailed Definition
Metrically incomplete refers to a line that falls short of its expected metrical count—through catalexis or omission—creating rhythmic tension or abruptness; this technique can signal hesitation, urgency, or emotional fracture in poetic speech.
Example
Example in poetry:
A line of iambic pentameter that ends on a stressed syllable but is missing an unstressed syllable to complete the expected full ten-syllable count (catalexis); A line that is one foot short of the expected meter, such as a tetrameter line in a poem that mostly uses pentameter; Truncating a trochaic line by dropping the final unstressed syllable: ’TELL us, DEAR, WHERE you WENT’ (trochaic tetrameter catalectic); A stanza that breaks off mid-line, leaving a line metrically incomplete and syntactically unfinished.
Additional Notes
A line of verse that is missing one or more syllables or metrical feet from its expected full pattern; often called catalectic if a foot is missing from the end, creating a sense of abbreviation or abruptness.
Also Known As
Incomplete meter truncated metre deficient meter Catalectic
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