Home › Glossary › Letter M

molecular structure

Structure
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

Organization of a poem reflecting molecular or atomic arrangements and bonding patterns

Detailed Definition
Molecular structure in poetry refers to a compositional approach where the poem is built from small, interlocking units—words, sounds, or images—that function like molecules in a larger organism; each element is essential to the whole, creating cohesion through intricate, often invisible bonds.
Example
Example in poetry:
Molecular structure in poetry refers to tightly interlinked sonic and semantic units; Emily Dickinson’s use of dashes and slant rhyme creates molecular structure; Sylvia Plath’s “Daddy” uses phonetic clusters (“achoo,” “gobbledygoo”) as molecular structure; Contemporary poet Jorie Graham’s fragmented syntax forms molecular structure; Gerard Manley Hopkins’ “sprung rhythm” creates molecular sonic units; A.E. Stallings’ sestinas use molecular structure through end-word rotation.
Additional Notes
Molecular structure in poetry means tiny units of sound, rhythm, or image building up larger meaning; akin to atoms in verse.
Also Known As
Atomic structure Elemental composition Microscopic form Scientific haiku Crystalline form
Skip to main content