Enjambment

Enjambment is when a line of poetry runs on into the next without a pause at the line ending, so the sense continues across the break. Because the reader is carried forward, enjambment can create a feeling of flow, momentum, breathlessness or spilling emotion. It often puts surprising emphasis on the word left hanging at the end of a line, or on the word that begins the next.

It is the opposite of an end-stopped line, which pauses at its close. Comparing the two helps a reader hear how a poet controls pace.

In Literature, commenting on enjambment lets you discuss how a poem moves and where a poet places emphasis. That is exactly the analysis of form examiners reward. Explaining why a sentence spills over a line break, and what word it stresses, shows close reading.

Contrasting enjambment with end-stopped lines gives you a precise way to talk about pace and control in poetry.

A poet might break a line after the word falling. The reader tumbles into the next line just as the described object drops, and the pause mirrors the fall.

Point to a line that runs on without punctuation at its end and read across the break to feel the effect. Explain the sense of flow or the emphasis it places on particular words. Contrast it with any end-stopped lines nearby.

Avoid simply defining the term; the marks come from linking the run-on line to pace, feeling or meaning.

You may also find writing formats and annotated model responses useful. Next, visit our skills guides for IGCSE English to see terms like this used in real answers. Our IGCSE English tuition page explains how lessons run. When you are ready, the paid one-hour trial is the first step.