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Trochaic pentameter acatalectic

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 complete trochaic pentameter line containing five trochaic feet (stressed-unstressed) with no missing or truncated final syllables.

Detailed Definition
Trochaic pentameter acatalectic is a metrical line comprising five complete trochaic feet (stressed-unstressed), totaling ten syllables, with no truncation at the end. Less common than iambic pentameter in English poetry, trochaic pentameter acatalectic imparts a bold, marching rhythm that can convey authority, urgency, or solemnity. It appears occasionally in dramatic verse and hymns; for example, some lines in Shakespeare’s Macbeth ("Double, double toil and trouble") approximate this meter, though often with variations. Its assertive stress pattern contrasts with the more conversational iambic flow, making it ideal for spells, proclamations, or heightened speech. For students, studying this meter highlights the expressive range of trochaic rhythm and the strategic use of metrical inversion in poetic diction.
Example
Example in poetry:
Trochaic pentameter acatalectic appears in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” witches: “Double, double toil and trouble” (though often tetrameter, some lines hit five stresses); in Tennyson’s “The Charge of the Light Brigade,” “Cannon to right of them” uses strong trochaic thrust; in A.E. Housman’s “When I was one-and-twenty,” trochaic pentameter conveys fatalistic rhythm; contemporary poet Marilyn Hacker uses trochaic pentameter in “Cancer Winter” for stark emotional pacing; Edna St. Vincent Millay’s “Counting-Out Rhyme” employs precise trochaic pentameter without final unstressed syllable.
Additional Notes
Five complete trochaic feet. Alternative to iambic pentameter with falling rather than rising rhythm. Creates more emphatic effect; less common in English verse tradition.
Also Known As
full trochaic five complete trochaic pentameter
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