half-lines
Split poetic units
Half-lines are portions of verse divided at the caesura—the natural pause within a line of poetry.
In Old English and other Germanic poetry, the half-line is the basic structural unit, with two half-lines joined by alliteration to form a complete line: Hwæt! We Gardena | in geardagum.
The term also describes incomplete lines in manuscripts or truncated verse.
Pause within a line
- verseMetered poetic passage
- stanzaPoem's line grouping
- meterDevice that measures usage
- enjambmentUnpaused verse continuation
prosody · scansion · couplet · quatrain · pentameter · hexameter · iamb · trochee
Lacking necessary parts
- brokenDamaged beyond function
- truncatedCut off abruptly
- partialFavoring one side
- disconnectedSeparated from a source
disjointed · segmented · fragmentary · piecemeal · scattered · snippets · lacuna · missing
Suspenseful unresolved ending
- tensionStretched or strained state
- interruptionBreak in continuity
- pauseTemporary cessation of activity
- anticipationState of awaiting something
incomplete · trailing · unfinished · cutoff · mystery · intrigue · withholding · ellipsis
caesura
Pause within a line
enjambment · prosody · scansion · couplet · quatrain · pentameter · hexameter · iamb · trochee · dactyl
incomplete
Lacking necessary parts
disconnected · disjointed · segmented · fragmentary · piecemeal · scattered · snippets · lacuna · missing · gaps
cliffhanger
Suspenseful unresolved ending
- tensionStretched or strained state
- interruptionBreak in continuity
- pauseTemporary cessation of activity
anticipation · incomplete · trailing · unfinished · cutoff · mystery · intrigue · withholding · ellipsis · foreshadowing
script
Written words for performance
exchange · banter · interruption · overlap · pickup · feed · response · monologue · soliloquy · repertoire