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Shortened tetrameter

Meter
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 tetrameter line reduced by the omission of one or more syllables or feet

Detailed Definition
Shortened tetrameter is a four-foot line reduced to three or fewer beats through syllable or foot omission, creating variation or emphasis; common in ballads and hymns, it avoids metrical predictability while maintaining rhythmic drive, as in Frost’s occasional trimming of tetrameter for dramatic pause or emotional nuance.
Example
Example in poetry:
A tetrameter line reduced to three beats: "And the night went dark" (instead of "And the night went dark and deep"); Robert Frost’s "Stopping by Woods" occasionally trims tetrameter for effect: "The woods are lovely" (three stresses); "He gave a sudden cry" (three strong beats in place of four); A ballad line like "She ran away" instead of the full "She ran away so fast"
Additional Notes
Shortened tetrameter reduces four-foot lines to three or fewer beats for variation or emphasis; common in ballads and hymns; students should scan for missing feet and assess dramatic effect; differs from "clipped five-foot line" by tetrameter base; linked to "reduced hexameter" in adaptive meter.
Also Known As
clipped four-beat line abridged tetrameter reduced quatrain meter Truncated four-foot line truncated tetrameter
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