Home › Glossary › Letter S

Stress-reversed bridge

Meter
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

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 passage where stress patterns flip around the established norm to shift movement.

Detailed Definition
A stress-reversed bridge is a transitional stanza or line within a poem where the expected metrical stress pattern is inverted to create rhythmic surprise or thematic pivot; by flipping strong and weak positions (e.g., substituting a trochee for an iamb in iambic verse), the bridge disrupts flow momentarily, signaling a shift in tone, perspective, or argument, often used to heighten emotional or intellectual tension before returning to the dominant meter.
Example
Example in poetry:
A stress-reversed bridge flips expected stress patterns mid-line to link sections: In a poem alternating iambic and trochaic lines, a bridge line like “NOW falls the shadow” reverses stress to transition; “And THEN the storm broke” shifts from expected weak-strong to strong-weak to signal change; Used in sonnet volta lines to disrupt rhythm and highlight thematic turn; “HERE ends the dream” forces emphasis on “HERE” against prior meter.
Additional Notes
Stress-reversed bridge|A transitional section in a poem where the metrical stress pattern shifts from the prevailing rhythm, often used to signal a change in tone or subject matter; related to metrical variation and inversion.
Also Known As
Stress-inverted bridge reversed accent bridge inverted stress link Antimetric bridge
Skip to main content