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procrastination

Noun
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

The habit of delaying tasks or decisions, especially when you know you should act sooner.

Detailed Definition
Procrastination names the tendency to put things off, often out of avoidance, fear, or distraction. In the poem, it helps explain why the speaker’s ambitions never turn into action, making the word central to the poem’s self-reproach.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Procrastination let it all pass” — contemporary lyric example; “My tomorrow is all ready / planned” — Langston Hughes, “Harlem”; The speaker postpones the letter until silence answers; Procrastination becomes a winter room where unwritten poems gather
Additional Notes
The word in "Procrastination let it all pass" is more specialized than everyday speech and may need a quick lookup.; Found in the poem, The Wannabe Blues by Richard
Also Known As
delay deferment postponement stalling malingering
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