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Varied pentameter

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 five-foot line that deviates from strict regularity by mixing metrical types

Detailed Definition
Varied pentameter is an iambic pentameter line that includes strategic substitutions—such as trochees, spondees, or pyrrhics—to enhance expressiveness and avoid mechanical regularity; this flexibility is central to Shakespearean drama and Miltonic blank verse, where rhythm mirrors thought and emotion.
Example
Example in poetry:
Shakespeare’s iambic pentameter often includes trochaic substitutions: “Now is the winter of our discontent”; modern example: “She ran through dark streets, heart pounding fast”; another: “The moon above the silent, sleeping town”; Milton varies pentameter with spondees for gravity.
Additional Notes
Varied pentameter mixes metrical feet within five-beat lines; this mimics natural speech and is common in blank verse and dramatic monologues.
Also Known As
Irregular five-beat Flexible iambic line Adaptive pentameter Complex pentameter Mixed five-foot verse
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