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Untruncated couplet

Form
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 couplet that retains its full metrical length—no missing syllables—providing a complete, balanced, and often epigrammatic closure.

Detailed Definition
An untruncated couplet consists of two consecutive lines of verse that maintain their full metrical complement without omitting final syllables; unlike truncated couplets that end on a stressed syllable for abruptness, untruncated versions preserve rhythmic completeness, often for lyrical or meditative effect.
Example
Example in poetry:
A rhymed couplet where both lines are metrically complete: “True ease in writing comes from art, not chance, / As those move easiest who have learned to dance” (Pope); “To err is human; to forgive, divine” (both lines full iambic pentameter); “A little learning is a dangerous thing; / Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring”; “Know then thyself, presume not God to scan; / The proper study of mankind is man”
Additional Notes
Untruncated couplet: A two-line unit where both lines are metrically complete, containing the full number of syllables and feet expected by the established meter, without any catalectic (missing end syllable) or truncation (missing start/end syllable) variations.
Also Known As
Complete couplet Full couplet Uncut couplet Acatalectic couplet
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