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Literature vocabulary · Poetry

Caesura

Meaning in literature, with examples

nounCommon term

In literature, caesura means: A noticeable pause within a line of verse.

In Turkish: dize içi durak, sezura

How it is used

Use for a pause inside a verse line, often marked by punctuation but also heard in phrasing.

Example sentences

  1. The caesura after 'wait' interrupts the speaker's attempt to sound confident.

    The internal pause introduces hesitation into the speaker's claim.

  2. We placed a caesura near the middle to balance the two images in the line.

    The pause separates two images while keeping them in one line.

Common collocations

  • a medial caesura
  • mark a caesura
  • verseWriting arranged in lines with a rhythm, as opposed to prose; also a single line of a poem or a group of lines in a song.
  • rhythmThe pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables, pauses and speed in a line of poetry or prose, which gives it a sense of movement.

More terms: Poetry

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