Home › Glossary › Letter P

Parenthetical aside

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

An insertion of an aside within parentheses or brackets in poetry

Detailed Definition
A parenthetical aside is a digressive phrase or clause inserted into a poetic line—often set off by dashes, commas, or parentheses—that interrupts the main syntactic flow to offer commentary, doubt, or intimate revelation; this technique creates conversational intimacy, psychological depth, or ironic distance, as seen in dramatic monologues or confessional poetry.
Example
Example in poetry:
A brief, usually parenthetical, interruption within a line or stanza that offers a side comment or additional thought; A phrase inserted with parentheses or dashes, like "The river flowed (a muddy, thick torrent) toward the sea"; A sudden shift to an aside directed at the reader, enclosed in brackets; A non-essential descriptive clause set off by commas, interrupting the main flow of the sentence.
Additional Notes
Parenthetical aside: An explanatory, thematic, or reflective remark inserted into a line or stanza, often set off by parentheses, dashes, or commas; allows the speaker to provide a momentary shift in focus or tone.
Also Known As
editorial aside inserted comment marginal note Bracketed aside Parenthetical
Skip to main content