# Enjambment: Definition and Fiction Example | NovelOS Studio

> Enjambment carries a sentence or phrase across a line break without a grammatical pause. See an original fiction example, why writers use it, common mistakes...

## Enjambment in a story

The break can create momentum, suspense, ambiguity, or a temporary meaning revised by the next line.

## Original fiction example

> The inscription reads: Here sleeps the king who never / surrendered his account books.

This example is original to the NovelOS glossary. It illustrates the term without borrowing a passage from a published novel.

## Why writers use it

Use enjambment to make the line ending participate in timing and interpretation.

**A useful revision question:** Where does this device change what the reader understands, expects, or feels? If removing it leaves the passage unchanged, it may need a clearer function.

## A common mistake

Breaking every line mid-phrase can weaken the contrast that gives enjambment force.

## Use enjambment in NovelOS Studio

Refine clarity, rhythm, tone, repetition, and deliberate prose while preserving your voice. [The Alchemist](/features/the-alchemist/) sits inside the same NovelOS Studio project as your characters, world, timeline, manuscript, goals, tracker, revision tools, and publishing exports.

Record the idea where it affects the book, test it in scenes, and revise it beside the surrounding prose. NovelOS Studio keeps the craft decision attached to the novel instead of leaving it in a separate worksheet.

Category

Prose and Style

Related terms

* [Verse](/glossary/verse/)
* [Cadence](/glossary/cadence/)

[Browse the full glossary](/glossary/)