Quote:
Originally Posted by Glenn Wright
I fudged four syllables out of “en CIR cl ING”
|
Oh dear, I was afraid of that. You’ll probably find Sphereans who are fine with it, but you can count me out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Glenn Wright
I used the same trick to get three syllables out of “IN kl ING.”
|
Now
that I never saw coming. It could come in handy if you need to rhyme “single fish” with “Eng-gle-ish.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Glenn Wright
I could fix the inversion (which doesn’t really sound unnatural to me here), but then I have a meter problem. My two nice iambs (the LYRE/ un PLUCKED) become a pyrrhic and spondee (the un/PLUCKED LYRE)
|
I wouldn’t dream of spoiling your iambs. I was saying “UNplucked,” which, strange as it seems, is possible. In isolation, the adjective is indisputably “unPLUCKED,” but before a noun, the stress can shift to avoid two adjacent stresses. Are you more likely to say “an unWED MOTHer” or “an UNwed MOTHer”? I can find you a better explanation of this if you’re interested.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Glenn Wright
That’s why I prefer the pentameter version. You made me sacrifice my shipwreck image, too.
|
Mea culpa.