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zigzag tercet

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 stanza of three lines following a reversing directional pattern

Detailed Definition
A zigzag tercet is a three-line stanza with a non-linear rhyme scheme (e.g., ABA or ABC) and uneven rhythmic stress, producing a sense of angular motion or tension; this form suits poems exploring conflict, disorientation, or abrupt emotional shifts.
Example
Example in poetry:
A tercet with rhyme ABA but uneven line lengths creating visual zigzag; Tercet where the middle line is indented, forming a peak: “Mountains rise— / (indent) storm clouds gather— / valleys sigh”; “Light— / dark— / spark” (tercet with alternating stress patterns); “He climbed (A) / the wind pushed back (B) / he fell (A)” (narrative zigzag in tercet)
Additional Notes
zigzag tercet: A three-line stanza where the rhyme scheme follows an unusual or non-standard pattern that is then repeated (e.g., a-b-a in the first, then b-c-b in the next), creating a less rigid, more unpredictable linkage than terza rima.
Also Known As
Crisscross tercet Jagged triplet Zigzag triplet Boustrophedonic tercet
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