End Stop, Caesura, and

Enjambment
Enjambment
 An enjambed line means the line continues
through into the next line of poetry.

 It is also called a “run-on” line.

 No punctuation will appear at the end of an

ENJAMBED LINE.

 You are meant to read straight through the

line when it contains no punctuation at the
end.
Use
 Enjambed lines have no sound
separation giving a “straddling” effect
to the two lines.

 Enjambment sometimes allows for a

double meaning.
Examples

. . . Now conscience wakes despair

That slumber’d, wakes the bitter memory
Of what he was, what is, and what must be
Worse; of worse deeds worse sufferings
must
ensure
Examples

I am not prone to weeping, as our sex

Commonly are; the want of which vain dew
Perchance shall dry your pities; but I have
That honourable grief lodged here which burns
Worse than tears drown.
Caesura
 A "caesura" is an audible division in a
line of poetry that occurs at the end of
a word; however, the important point is
that the word end does not correspond
with the end of a foot (review what
“foot” means).

 Punctuation is not necessary for a

caesura to occur.
Use
 Caesura is used to contrast words,
and necessarily contrast ideas.

 Listen for halting syllables at the end

of words.
Examples
 The owl, for all his feathers, was a-
cold.

 Sing, goddess, the rage of Achilles the

son of Peleus.

 England - how I long for thee!

End Stop/End-Stopped
 End stop is the opposite of an enjambed
line.

 A metrical line ending at a grammatical

boundary or break—such as a dash or
closing parenthesis—or with punctuation
such as a colon, a semicolon, or a
period.

 A line is considered end-stopped, too, if it

contains a complete phrase.
Use
 The clear ending of a line has a
metered impact.

 Look for end rhyme.

Examples

A. A little learning is a dangerous thing;

Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring.
There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,
And drinking largely sobers us again.
Examples
B. Then say not man’s imperfect, Heav’n in fault;
Say rather, man’s as perfect as he ought: 

His knowledge measur’d to his state and place, 

His time a moment, and a point his space. 

If to be perfect in a certain sphere, 

What matter, soon or late, or here or there? 

The blest today is as completely so, 

As who began a thousand years ago.