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Terminal pair

Rhyme
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 concluding couplet that ends a poem or stanza, often with emphasis

Detailed Definition
A terminal pair is a rhymed couplet concluding a poem or stanza, providing closure, emphasis, or epigrammatic punch; common in sonnets and heroic couplets, it crystallizes the preceding argument into a resonant final statement.
Example
Example in poetry:
Final rhyming couplet in Shakespearean sonnet: “If this be error and upon me proved, / I never writ, nor no man ever loved.”; “So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, / So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.”; “Thus, though we cannot make our sun / Stand still, yet we will make him run.” (Marvell); “And, all in war with Time for love of you, / As he takes from you, I engraft you new.”
Additional Notes
A terminal pair is a rhymed couplet ending a poem or stanza—often delivers closure, punchline, or summary; hallmark of heroic couplets and Shakespearean sonnets.
Also Known As
Closing couplet final pair terminal rhyme concluding dyad After-song pair Final doublet Closing doublet
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