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reversing enjambment

Device
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 line break where continuation retroactively alters meaning in reverse

Detailed Definition
Reversing enjambment is a technique where a line break initially suggests one syntactic or semantic path, but the following line reverses or subverts that expectation, creating surprise or irony; unlike standard enjambment that propels meaning forward, this variant deliberately misdirects before correcting, enhancing dramatic or cognitive tension.
Example
Example in poetry:
The use of enjambment (a line break where the thought runs over) where the line break creates a momentary ambiguity or reversal of the expected phrase structure before the following line clarifies it.; "I thought I saw / A friend turn foe," where the line break briefly suggests the opposite of 'friend' before the word 'foe' clarifies the line's intent.; A technique where the break forces a pause that makes the reader mentally supply the opposite of what is about to be read: "He would not stop / To stay and help us."; An enjambed line that makes the word at the end of the line appear as a verb, but the next line reveals it is the object of a verb in the previous line.
Additional Notes
Reversing enjambment (or reverse run-on line) is a rare or experimental device where a line break causes a syntactical or semantic shift, rather than the more common enjambment where the syntax runs over the line break; the break actively reverses the expected meaning.
Also Known As
Backward enjambment reversed run-on inverse continuation Boustrophedonic enjambment
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