Literary terms · AP English Literature, AP English Language, SAT Reading and Writing, ACT Reading
Caesura
Caesura: A strong pause within a line of poetry, often marked by punctuation.
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What it means
A caesura breaks a line in the middle, creating a pause that can emphasize the words around it, change the rhythm, or mimic hesitation or interruption. It is the internal counterpart to the pause at the end of an end-stopped line.
Poets use caesuras to slow the reader down at important moments.
Example
'She waited. Nothing came. She turned for home.' The periods inside the line make the speaker's disappointment feel halting and final.
On the exam
Point out a caesura when it clearly affects emphasis or tone and explain why the pause matters at that moment.