—Byron.
An accented syllable often takes the place of an entire foot. This occurs most frequently at the end of a line, but it is sometimes found at the beginning. Occasionally whole lines are formed in this way. If a pause or rest is made, the rhythm will be unbroken.
u | u | u _ |
Break, break, break,
U U | U | U _ |
On thy cold gray stones, O sea!
U U | U U | U _|U
And I would that my tongue could utter
U | U U |U _|
The thoughts that arise in me.
—Tennyson.
We frequently find verses in which a syllable is lacking at the close of the line; we also find many verses in which an extra syllable is added. Verse that contains the number of syllables required by its meter is said to be acatalectic; if it contains more than the required number of syllables, it is said to be hypercatalectic; and if it lacks a syllable, it is termed catalectic. It is difficult to tell whether a line has the required number of syllables or not when it is taken by itself; but by comparing it with the line prevailing in the rest of the stanza we are enabled to tell whether it is complete or not. Shakespeare's Julius Caesar is written in iambic pentameter verse. Knowing this, we can detect the hypercatalectic and catalectic lines.
U | U | U | U | U _ |
You all did see that on the Lupercal
U | U | U |U | U _|
I thrice presented him a kingly crown