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serial run-on

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

Repeated enjambment extending over multiple lines, creating a running effect

Detailed Definition
A serial run-on is a poetic technique where multiple lines or stanzas flow without terminal punctuation or pause, creating an unbroken syntactic chain that mimics stream-of-consciousness or breathless urgency; common in free verse and modernist poetry, it emphasizes continuity over closure, propelling the reader forward.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Ginsberg’s “Howl,” “who poverty and tatters and hollow-eyed and high sat up smoking…” uses serial run-on syntax; Whitman’s “I sing the body electric” continues for lines without full stops—serial run-on; In “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” “And indeed there will be time…” extends through multiple clauses; Modernist poets like Mina Loy use serial run-on to mimic stream of consciousness
Additional Notes
serial run-on: A prolonged use of enjambment over many consecutive lines or stanzas, creating an effect of continuous flow or breathlessness, resisting the pause of end-stopped lines.
Also Known As
Serial enjambment continuous run-on flowing overrun Chained enjambment
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