enjambment

Meaning

1. 1noununcountabletechnical

   In poetry, the running on of a sentence or phrase from one line to the next without a pause or punctuation at the line break.

   Grammar: Used as a mass noun: you can say 'the use of enjambment', not 'an enjambment' when referring to the general technique.

   Patterns

   • the use of enjambment
   • enjambment between lines
   • a case of enjambment

   The poet's constant enjambment makes the lines flow quickly, as if the speaker cannot pause for breath.

   In this sonnet, enjambment between the octave and the sestet creates a surprising turn in meaning.

   Students often confuse enjambment with free verse, but it is a specific technique that can appear in any metrical poem.

Common combinations

use of enjambment

The poem's emotional effect depends on the use of enjambment.

enjambment between lines

Enjambment between lines can make a sentence feel urgent.

create enjambment

The poet creates enjambment by ending a line in the middle of a phrase.

heavy enjambment

Heavy enjambment gives the verse a conversational, informal tone.

Synonyms and how they differ

run-on line

A more general term for a line that continues into the next without a pause; it is often used in everyday discussion of poetry, while enjambment is the technical term.

Opposites

Word family

enjambed adjective

Describing a line of poetry that runs on into the next without a pause.

Commonly confused: enjambment or end-stopped?

Practice

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