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shortened verse

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 metrical line or poem that intentionally omits one or more expected syllables or feet, creating rhythmic compression or variation.

Detailed Definition
Shortened verse refers to poetic lines or stanzas that are deliberately abbreviated in length—either metrically or syntactically—relative to a prevailing pattern; this technique can signal emotional restraint, thematic urgency, or structural fragmentation, and is often used in modern and postmodern poetry to challenge traditional expectations of form.
Example
Example in poetry:
"Hope is the thing with feathers" (Dickinson) uses shortened verse for intensity; Haiku is a form of shortened verse focusing on essence; Ezra Pound’s "In a Station of the Metro" condenses imagery into two lines; Ancient epigrams (e.g., Martial) exemplify shortened verse with wit and brevity
Additional Notes
A shortened verse is a line of poetry that is metrically or syllabically shorter than the surrounding lines in the poem or the expected standard meter; this variation, called dimeter (two feet) or trimeter (three feet) when the norm is pentameter (five feet), adds rhythmic variety and emphasis.
Also Known As
Abbreviated verse shortened poem compressed line amputated line Catalectic line Catalectic verse Curtailed verse
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