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Run-on line

Structure
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 poetic line in which the thought flows beyond the line break without punctuation (enjambment)

Explore this topic in depth (1)

Enjambment and Line Breaks — A line break is more than a piece of page layout: it can interrupt, propel, delay or transform a phrase. This guide explains enjambment, end-stopping and the expressive possibilities of poetic lineation in reading, performance and musical settings.

Detailed Definition
Run-on line, or enjambment, occurs when a sentence or phrase continues beyond the end of a poetic line without terminal punctuation, propelling the reader forward and creating rhythmic tension; this technique disrupts metrical predictability, enhances naturalness of speech, and can delay meaning for dramatic or emotional effect.
Example
Example in poetry:
A line of verse where the grammatical phrase or clause does not end at the line break but is carried over (enjambed) to the next line; e.g., "The sun shone brightly on the field of / Green grass and wild flowers.".; A line that ends with a word that is not a major punctuation mark, forcing a reader to continue reading onto the next line for the completion of the thought.; The use of a line break to create a momentary ambiguity or tension before the word on the next line completes the meaning.; A line that ends mid-phrase, such as before a prepositional phrase or a conjunction, to emphasize the word preceding the break.
Additional Notes
Run-on line is a synonym for enjambment, where the syntactical unit (sentence, clause, or phrase) continues from one line of verse to the next without a pause or terminal punctuation; it creates momentum and blurs the sense of line-end closure.
Also Known As
Enjambed line run-over line continued verse Enjambment Mid-line run-on Overflow line Enjambement Enjambed Delivery
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