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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 metrical line composed of four feet (e.g., iambic tetrameter), commonly used in hymns, ballads, and lyrical poetry for rhythmic drive.

Explore this topic in depth (1)

Metre and Rhythm — Metre gives poetry an underlying pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables; rhythm is the living sound that results when a person reads it. Learn to hear the beat before naming it, and to notice how poets use regularity and variation to make language move.

Detailed Definition
Tetrameter is a metrical line consisting of four poetic feet, commonly iambic or trochaic in English verse; its moderate length balances rhythmic drive with lyrical clarity, making it popular in ballads, hymns, and lyric poetry—from Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” to Emily Dickinson’s compact stanzas.
Example
Example in poetry:
Tetrameter: four-beat line—“The curfew tolls the knell of parting day” (Gray); Common in ballads: “Barbara Allen” uses iambic tetrameter; A modern example: “The city sleeps beneath streetlight glow”; Tetrameter is musical, memorable, and versatile; It suits narrative, lyric, and song.
Additional Notes
Tetrameter: A line of verse with four metrical feet (e.g., iambic tetrameter = 8 syllables); common in hymns, ballads, and light verse; more brisk than pentameter.
Also Known As
Four-foot line Four-measure verse Tetrametric line Four-beat measure
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