Home › Glossary › Letter S

Support line

Structure
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 line that gives structural or thematic support to a poem’s main argument

Detailed Definition
A support line is a poetic line that provides contextual, rhythmic, or thematic reinforcement to a more prominent neighboring line, often through parallel structure, echo, or contrast; though less conspicuous, it stabilizes the stanza’s architecture, as in the second line of a heroic couplet that completes the thought or rhyme initiated by the first, ensuring balance and coherence within the formal unit.
Example
Example in poetry:
A support line reinforces theme or structure without being central: In a sonnet, a descriptive line setting scene for volta; A refrain line in a ballad that echoes but doesn’t drive plot; Transitional lines linking stanzas; Descriptive lines that ground abstract ideas in image.
Additional Notes
Support line|A line of verse, often shorter or thematically less central, that is used to set up, conclude, or elaborate on a more important or "main" line; it sustains the flow or meaning.
Also Known As
Supporting line Auxiliary line Assistive verse Armature line
Skip to main content