Line Breaks

1. Line Breaks There’s no “right way” Information Source: Morris, Kelly. “The Use of Line Breaks in Poetry.” Associated Content. <URL>

2. Line Breaks In poetry, turning the line refers to how a poem is broken into lines. Sometimes these are called line breaks.

3. Line Breaks • No one totally right or wrong way. • Some breaks make your poem read more improve understanding and make your poem read more powerfully, smoothly. • Others will seem awkward or confuse the reader.

4. The goal with line breaks is to give your line energy and propulsion that fits the idea of the words in the poem. • Lines are generally stronger if they start with a either a • Noun • or a • Verb

5. Generally speaking, it’s best not to end a line with the following words: • “a” • “the” • “and” • “of” • Instead, end with a solid image,or an action if possible. • Lines are a kind of reaching—hope and fulfillment.

6. Line Breaks • Short lines may make a poem seem to speed up, while longer lines may slow it down a bit. • Lines of significantly uneven length draw attention to themselves. • Short lines can sometimes make a poem sound "choppy.”

7. Line Breaks Poems usually read more smoothly if all the lines are similar in length, but that can grow predictable and dull. Varying the length of the lines some can create interest, both visually and in the way the poem reads.

8. Designing Your Poem • You are essentially designing your poem on the page. • White space allows your ideas to be seen. It allows them to breathe! • White space can be read as a pause.

9. Try it: Break the following sentences into poetic line breaks. The storm clouds boiled ominously on the horizon. Housewives gathered laundry off the lines, and mothers herded children inside.

10. Pause. . . .

11. In the example below, lines two and five are end-stopped, meaning the end of the line is also the end of the sentence. The storm clouds boiledominously on the horizon.Housewives gathered laundryoff the lines, and mothersherded children inside.

12. In this option, line two uses a technique called enjambment, in which a sentence ends in the middle of the line. The storm clouds boiled ominouslyon the horizon. Housewives gatheredlaundry off the lines, and mothersherded children inside. Enjambments can be cleverly used in a poem to make it more interesting and even create a feeling of suspense which prompts the reader to go to the next line to see what happens. Meaning flows from line to line, and the reader's eye is pulled forward. Enjambment creates a feeling of acceleration, as the reader is forced to continue reading after the line has ended.

13. In this example, the last line consists of only one word. Notice how much attention is given to that word as you read it. The storm clouds boiled ominouslyon the horizon. Housewivesgathered laundry off the lines,and mothers herded childreninside.

14. In this final example, notice how short each line is. The storm clouds boiled ominouslyon the horizon. Housewivesgathered laundry off the lines,and mothersherded childreninside.

15. Try reading these different visions of the same poem aloud. What makes them different? Which do you like better? The storm clouds boiled ominouslyon the horizon. Housewivesgathered laundry off the lines,and mothersherded childreninside. The storm clouds boiled ominouslyon the horizon. Housewives gatheredlaundry off the lines, and mothersherded children inside.

16. In editing and revision, a slash (/) means “insert line break.”A “>” means “insert stanza break."

17. Where would you insert line breaks in this poem?