---
last-updated: 2026-05-03
source: English prosody, stress-timed rhythm theory, songwriting practice
status: complete
---

# English Flow & Cadence Rules

## Purpose

Regles de flow, cadence et chantabilite en anglais. Verifie que les lyrics ne sont pas seulement metriquement correctes mais **musicalement viables** : densite adaptee au BPM, alignement stress / downbeat, pauses respiratoires, articulation possible (tongue twisters).

L'anglais est une **langue stress-timed** : les syllabes accentuees tombent a intervalles reguliers, et les syllabes non-accentuees sont compressees entre elles. C'est la specificite cle qui distingue le flow anglais du francais (syllable-timed). L'alignement du stress sur le downbeat est plus critique que le compte exact des syllabes.

> **Pourquoi ce fichier existe :** une ligne anglaise avec le bon nombre de syllabes mais un stress mal aligne sonne pire qu'une ligne avec une syllabe en trop mais un stress naturel. Les fichiers `syllables.md` et `rhymes.md` couvrent la metrique et la rime ; `flow.md` couvre la **musicalite reelle**.

## Procedure de Verification du Flow

> **REGLE FONDAMENTALE**
>
> Une ligne doit pouvoir etre chantee sans deformer la prononciation naturelle des mots. Si l'alignement musical force a stresser une syllabe non-accentuee (ex : "to-DAY" devient "TO-day" pour matcher le beat), la ligne est cassee. Densite, alignement stress, cesure et tongue twisters sont les 4 verifications obligatoires.

**SI** des lyrics anglaises doivent etre verifiees pour le flow, **ALORS** executer cette procedure ligne par ligne, section par section :

### Etape 1 : Recuperer le tempo cible

Lire le BPM cible depuis le style prompt du track ou depuis `Identite Musicale > Tempo range` de la bible. **SI** un range est donne, **ALORS** prendre la borne haute (pire cas pour la chantabilite).

**Note half-time / double-time :** comme en francais, certains genres (trap, drill, industrial hip-hop) sont notes a un BPM eleve mais ressentis a la moitie. Si le genre est marque half-time dans le template, **diviser le BPM par 2** pour la verification de densite. **MAIS** verifier l'articulation contre le BPM nominal.

### Etape 2 : Compter les syllabes ET marquer le stress

Utiliser la procedure complete de `syllables.md` (Etapes 1-6). Recuperer le total syllabes de la ligne ET le pattern de stress en MAJUSCULES/minuscules.

Exemple : "I CAN'T stop THINK-ing a-BOUT you to-NIGHT" -> 10 syl, stress sur CAN'T / THINK / BOUT / NIGHT.

### Etape 3 : Comparer au plafond syllabique pour le BPM/genre

Consulter la Table de Densite Syllabique ci-dessous. Identifier la cellule (genre, BPM ressenti, section).

- **SI** total <= plafond recommande, **ALORS** OK.
- **SI** total entre plafond recommande et plafond max, **ALORS** ATTENTION : ligne dense, verifier articulation et stress.
- **SI** total > plafond max, **ALORS** ALERTE BLOQUANTE : ligne inchantable. Reecrire.

### Etape 4 : Identifier le pattern stress de la ligne

Marquer chaque syllabe accentuee. Compter le nombre de stresses dans la ligne. En 4/4 : la ligne s'aligne typiquement sur 4 stresses (un par beat fort) ou 2 (sur beat 1 et 3 uniquement).

**Exemple bien aligne (4 stresses sur 4 beats) :**
"the DARK-ness FALLS a-CROSS the LAND" -> stresses : DARK / FALLS / CROSS / LAND -> 4 stresses, alignes sur beats 1, 2, 3, 4 OU 1, 3 et 2 stresses intermediaires.

**Exemple mal aligne :**
"to-DAY the a-BOUT is GO-ing to" -> "the", "is", "to" (mots fonctionnels) tombent sur des beats forts. Le stress lexical "DAY", "BOUT", "GO" tombe sur des temps faibles. Sons artificiel.

### Etape 5 : Verifier l'alignement stress / downbeat

Le downbeat principal en 4/4 = beat 1. Le secondary downbeat = beat 3. En backbeat (rock, pop), les beats forts ressentis sont 2 et 4.

**Procedure :**

1. Identifier le pattern rythmique du genre :
   - Rock / pop standard : downbeats sur 1 et 3, backbeats sur 2 et 4 (snare)
   - Reggae / ska : downbeats sur 2 et 4 ("upbeat")
   - Trap / hip-hop moderne : kick sur 1, snare sur 3 (half-time feel)
   - Boom bap : kick sur 1 et 3, snare sur 2 et 4

2. Identifier ou tombent les stresses lexicaux de la ligne dans la mesure.

3. **SI** au moins 80% des stresses lexicaux tombent sur des beats forts/backbeats (selon le genre), **ALORS** OK.

4. **SI** entre 50% et 80% alignes, **ALORS** ATTENTION : possible flow forcé.

5. **SI** moins de 50% alignes, **ALORS** ALERTE BLOQUANTE : la ligne fait sonner les mots de fonction sur les temps forts (effet "robotic" ou "stress inverse").

### Etape 6 : Detecter les stress inverses (deal-breakers)

**Stress inverse** = un mot de fonction (the, a, of, to, in, is, was) tombe sur un downbeat principal alors qu'un mot de contenu adjacent (nom, verbe, adjectif) tombe sur un temps faible.

**SI** stress inverse detecte, **ALORS** ALERTE BLOQUANTE : reecrire pour deplacer le mot de fonction hors du downbeat.

**Exemple stress inverse bloque :**
"I'm a man with the dream of a king"
-> "a" et "of" potentiellement sur beats forts, "man" et "king" potentiellement sur temps faibles. ALERTE.

**Reformulation :**
"I'm the man who dreams the kingdom"
-> "MAN", "DREAMS", "KING" sur beats forts. OK.

### Etape 7 : Verifier la cesure

**SI** la ligne fait > 10 syllabes, **ALORS** elle DOIT contenir au moins une cesure naturelle (virgule, point-virgule, conjonction, pronom relatif). Sans cesure, la ligne ne peut pas etre respiree.

Position recommandee : au milieu de la ligne (ligne de 14 syl -> cesure apres syl 7).

**SI** ligne > 10 syl ET pas de cesure, **ALORS** ALERTE BLOQUANTE.

### Etape 8 : Scanner les tongue twisters

Scanner la ligne pour les sequences de consonnes proches qui creent des tongue twisters non voulus. Consulter la Table des Tongue Twisters ci-dessous.

**SI** un pattern de la table est present, **ALORS** ALERTE selon la severite.

### Etape 9 : Documenter la conclusion par ligne

Format de presentation pour chaque ligne :

```
Line: "[text]"
Syllables: [N] / cap [genre/BPM] = [OK | ATTENTION | BLOCKED]
Stress: [pattern in MAJ/min] -- alignment with [downbeat pattern] = [OK | ATTENTION | BLOCKED]
Caesura: [present after syl X | absent] = [OK | BLOCKED if >10 syl]
Tongue twisters: [none | list detected] = [OK | ATTENTION | BLOCKED]
Verdict: [OK | ATTENTION | BLOCKED]
```

## Table de Densite Syllabique par Genre et BPM

Plafonds syllabiques par ligne, par section, par genre/BPM. Recommande / Max.

### Rap / Hip-hop

| Sub-genre | BPM ressenti | Verse (rec / max) | Chorus (rec / max) | Notes |
|-----------|--------------|-------------------|---------------------|-------|
| Boom bap | 80-95 | 14 / 16 | 10 / 12 | Density and technical flow valued |
| Trap (full-time) | 130-150 | 8 / 10 | 6 / 8 | Staccato flow |
| Trap (half-time) | 65-75 | 12 / 14 | 8 / 10 | Half-time allows more syllables |
| Drill | 70-75 (half) | 10 / 12 | 7 / 9 | Off-beat phrasing accepts more density |
| Cloud rap | 70-90 | 10 / 13 | 7 / 9 | Slow flow, sustained vowels |
| Conscious rap | 80-100 | 14 / 18 | 10 / 12 | Density acceptable, message primes |
| Drumless rap | 70-95 | 12 / 16 | 9 / 12 | No drums = more breathing room |
| Multisyllabic technical rap | 85-100 | 16 / 20 | 12 / 14 | Internal rhymes carry the density |

### Pop

| Sub-genre | BPM | Verse (rec / max) | Chorus (rec / max) | Notes |
|-----------|-----|-------------------|---------------------|-------|
| Pop standard | 100-130 | 9 / 11 | 7 / 9 | Singability priority |
| Synthpop | 110-130 | 8 / 10 | 6 / 8 | Short lines, strong hooks |
| Dance pop | 120-130 | 8 / 10 | 6 / 8 | High tempo = reduced density |
| Indie pop | 100-120 | 9 / 12 | 7 / 10 | More literary freedom |
| Bedroom pop | 70-100 | 10 / 13 | 7 / 10 | Slow tempo, intimate |

### Hyperpop

| Sub-genre | BPM | Verse (rec / max) | Chorus (rec / max) | Notes |
|-----------|-----|-------------------|---------------------|-------|
| Hyperpop standard | 140-160 | 7 / 9 | 5 / 7 | Pitched vocals = reduced density |
| Hyperpop ballad | 120-140 | 8 / 10 | 6 / 8 | More margin on slow sections |
| Glitch / Bubblegum bass | 150-180 | 6 / 8 | 5 / 7 | Saturated production limits singability |

### Ballad / R&B

| Sub-genre | BPM | Verse (rec / max) | Chorus (rec / max) | Notes |
|-----------|-----|-------------------|---------------------|-------|
| Piano ballad | 60-80 | 8 / 10 | 6 / 8 | Emotional space, long vowels |
| Orchestral ballad | 70-90 | 9 / 11 | 7 / 9 | Slightly more margin |
| Contemporary R&B | 80-110 | 11 / 14 | 8 / 11 | Melismas accept more syllables |
| Classic soul | 90-110 | 10 / 13 | 7 / 10 | Vowel-driven singability |
| Neo-soul | 85-105 | 10 / 13 | 8 / 10 | Conversational flow |

### Rock / Punk / Metal

| Sub-genre | BPM | Verse (rec / max) | Chorus (rec / max) | Notes |
|-----------|-----|-------------------|---------------------|-------|
| Rock standard | 100-130 | 9 / 12 | 7 / 9 | Standard pop with energy |
| Punk | 150-200 | 7 / 9 | 5 / 7 | High tempo + shouts = short lines |
| Metal (clean vocals) | 100-150 | 9 / 12 | 7 / 9 | Clean singing primes |
| Metal (growl/scream) | 120-180 | 7 / 10 | 5 / 7 | Hard articulation in growl |
| Post-rock | 70-100 | 9 / 13 | 7 / 11 | Slow, ambient, more margin |

### Country / Folk

| Sub-genre | BPM | Verse (rec / max) | Chorus (rec / max) | Notes |
|-----------|-----|-------------------|---------------------|-------|
| Country narrative | 90-110 | 10 / 13 | 7 / 9 | Storytelling, near-spoken flow |
| Acoustic folk | 80-100 | 9 / 12 | 7 / 9 | Soft voice, breathing room |
| Country pop | 100-130 | 9 / 11 | 7 / 9 | Hybrid, follows pop rules |

### Electronic / Dance

| Sub-genre | BPM | Verse (rec / max) | Chorus (rec / max) | Notes |
|-----------|-----|-------------------|---------------------|-------|
| House / Deep house | 120-130 | 8 / 10 | 6 / 8 | Short lines, repeated hooks |
| Techno | 125-145 | 7 / 9 | 5 / 7 | Few lyrics, slogans |
| Drum & bass | 165-180 | 6 / 8 | 5 / 7 | Very short lines or trained fast flow |
| Synthwave / Vaporwave | 80-110 | 9 / 12 | 7 / 9 | Slow tempo, more margin |
| Future bass | 130-150 | 7 / 10 | 5 / 7 | Production-driven, vocal as texture |

> **Absolute rule:** beyond max, BLOCK. The line cannot be articulated by any singer at the target tempo. Documented exceptions (e.g., extreme rap technical flow) must be **deliberate and reported**.

## Stress / Downbeat Alignment

### Stress lexical en anglais (rappel des regles)

Chaque mot de plus de 1 syllabe a un stress primaire. Voir `syllables.md` pour les heuristiques completes. Resume :

- **Mots de contenu** (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs) : portent un stress primaire.
- **Mots de fonction** (articles, prepositions, pronouns, conjunctions, auxiliaires) : non-accentues sauf emphase.
- **Noms de 2 syl :** stress sur syl 1 (REC-ord, PRE-sent).
- **Verbes de 2 syl :** stress sur syl 2 (re-CORD, pre-SENT).
- **Mots en -tion / -sion / -ic / -ity / -ical :** stress sur la syllabe juste avant le suffixe.

### Pattern par genre

| Genre | Beats forts perçus | Pattern de stress recommande |
|-------|--------------------|-----------------------------|
| Rock / pop | 1, 2, 3, 4 (kick + snare backbeat) | 4 stresses par ligne, alignes sur beats |
| Hip-hop boom bap | 1 (kick), 2 (snare), 3 (kick), 4 (snare) | 4 stresses, fort sur 2 et 4 |
| Trap (full-time) | 1 (kick), 3 (snare), hi-hats triolets | 2 stresses dominants sur 1 et 3 + flow off-beat |
| Trap (half-time) | 1 (kick), 3 (snare big) | 2 stresses dominants, flow plus etale |
| Reggae / ska | 2 et 4 (upbeat) | Stresses sur 2 et 4 |
| Ballad | 1 et 3 (lent) | 2-3 stresses par ligne, espace |
| Punk / hardcore | 1, 2, 3, 4 a tempo eleve | 4 stresses serres, mots courts |

### Verification rapide (rule of thumb)

Lire la ligne en marquant les stresses lexicaux. Compter combien tombent sur des beats forts.

- **3-4 stresses sur 4 beats forts** (rock/pop) ou **2 stresses sur 2 beats principaux** (trap, ballad) -> OK.
- **Inferieur** -> ATTENTION ou BLOCK selon le pourcentage.

### Cas particuliers

**Polysyllabic words straddling beats :**
Un mot de 3+ syllabes peut etaler son stress entre deux beats. Ex : "INformation" (stress secondaire sur in, primaire sur for) sur 2 mesures pop. Acceptable si le stress primaire tombe sur le beat fort.

**Stress shift en contexte poetique :**
"AB-stract" (n.) vs "ab-STRACT" (v.) -> verifier le sens, ne pas tordre.

**Function words sur beats forts :**
Acceptable si :
- Emphase deliberée ("THE one", "I AM here")
- Pattern syncopé voulu (rap technique, anti-flow)
- Genre tres lent ou parle (ballad, spoken word)

Sinon, BLOCK.

## Pauses Respiratoires (Caesura)

### Regle

**SI** une ligne fait plus de 10 syllabes, **ALORS** elle doit contenir au moins une cesure naturelle.

### Marqueurs de cesure (force decroissante)

| Marker | Strength | Example |
|--------|----------|---------|
| Period / colon / semicolon | Tres forte | "I tried; I failed" |
| Comma | Forte | "I walked, I fell, I rose" |
| Coordinating conjunction (and / but / or / so / yet) | Moyenne forte | "I scream and no one hears" |
| Subordinating conjunction (that / if / when / because) | Moyenne | "I know that tomorrow's the same" |
| Prosodic hemistich (no comma but felt) | Faible | "I walk through night | with no direction" |
| Relative pronoun (who / which / that / whose) | Faible a moyenne | "The bird that sings / in silence" |

### Detection automatique

**SI** N > 10, parcourir la ligne pour un marqueur dans la zone N/3 a 2N/3.

- Marqueur trouve : OK
- Aucun marqueur : ALERTE BLOQUANTE.

### Position recommandee

| N (syllables) | Recommended caesura position |
|---------------|------------------------------|
| 11 | after syl 5 or 6 |
| 12 | after syl 6 |
| 13 | after syl 6 or 7 |
| 14 | after syl 7 |
| 15 | after syl 7 or 8 |
| 16 | after syl 8 |

### Exemple bloque + correction

**Ligne bloquee :**
"The streets are flooded by the rain reflecting the night sky falling on the sleeping city"
-> 22 syllabes, no caesura.

**Correction option 1 (add caesura) :**
"The streets are flooded by the rain, reflecting the night sky / falling on the sleeping city"
-> 3 groups, breathable.

**Correction option 2 (split into two lines) :**
"The streets are flooded by the rain (8 syl)
Reflecting the night that falls on us (10 syl)"

## Tongue Twisters et Articulation

### Regle

Detecter les sequences de consonnes proches qui ralentissent ou bloquent l'articulation a tempo cible.

### Table des Patterns Problematiques (high = blocking, medium = warning)

| Pattern | Severity | Example | Notes |
|---------|----------|---------|-------|
| /sh/ + /s/ alternance rapide | High | "she sells seashells", "shy stars shining" | Tongue twister classique |
| /th/ + /s/ alternance | High | "this thrust", "those Sunday songs" | Tres difficile a articuler clean |
| /sp/ + /st/ + /sk/ enchaine | High | "spy spits stripes" | Cluster sourd repete |
| Initial /str/ + initial /str/ | High | "stripped streets", "strict structures" | Tongue trip |
| /tr/ + /pr/ + /kr/ alternance | Medium | "try practice cracks" | Articulation ralentie |
| Mot finissant /st/ + mot commencant /st/ | High | "best stop", "trust starts" | Pause forcee |
| Mot finissant /-ts/ + mot commencant /s/ | High | "Beats sound", "thoughts spread" | Sifflante repetee |
| /v/ + /f/ proche | Medium | "five photographs", "of fire" | Difficile clean |
| /b/ + /p/ alternance | Medium | "big puzzle", "boy parents" | Bilabial alternance |
| /t/ + /d/ alternance rapide | Medium | "to do today", "dad ate today" | Confusable a haute vitesse |
| Cluster initial /skr/ /spr/ /str/ + voyelle courte | Medium | "scrap stripped", "spring sprints" | Demande articulation precise |
| 4+ consecutive consonants over word boundary | High | "next ski class" /nɛkst ski klæs/ -> /kstskkl/ | Inarticulable |

### Faux pieges (paires qui semblent problematiques mais sont OK)

- "the streets" /ðə stri:ts/ -> 1 cluster (str) + 1 sifflante finale, mais le determinant donne le temps de respirer. OK.
- "I scream" /aɪ skri:m/ -> /skr/ initial seul, articulable.
- "best wishes" /bɛst wɪʃɪz/ -> /st w/ a la frontiere, fluide.

### Exemples bloque + correction

**Ligne bloquee (Pop, 110 BPM) :**
"She sells stripped streets to the strangers"
-> /sh sells/ + /str-str/ = double tongue twister. /sɛlz/ + /strɪpt stri:tz/ = inarticulable au-dessus de 100 BPM.

**Correction :**
"She gives the empty streets to strangers"
-> /sh g/ + /str/ unique. Articulable.

**Ligne bloquee (Trap, 140 BPM full-time) :**
"My next steps strip Sundays slow"
-> /st sp/, /sl/ enchaines. Tongue twister.

**Correction :**
"My next moves break the silent days"
-> Aucun cluster repete. OK.

## Parallelisme Syntaxique

### Regle

Un flow memorable repose souvent sur la **repetition d'une structure syntaxique**. Anaphore, parallelisme, repetition de pattern. C'est ce qui fait qu'un hook colle.

### Patterns efficaces

**Anaphora (mot/phrase repete en debut) :**
```
I won't break, I won't bend
I won't fade, I won't end
I won't kneel, I won't pretend
```
Anaphore "I won't" x3 -> tres efficace en chorus, refrain, climax.

**Parallel structure (meme schema) :**
```
Subject + verb + object
"The wind takes the leaves"
"The night takes the city"
"The cold takes the heart"
```
Three lines, same skeleton -> strong parallelism.

**Repetition with variation :**
```
"I'm not afraid of the night"
"I'm not afraid of the rain"
"I'm not afraid of you"
```
Repetition + variation -> emotional concentration on final element. Build-up to hook.

**Question / answer :**
```
"Who am I in the silence?"
"No one, just a name"
"Who am I in the crowd?"
"No one, just a face"
```
Dialogic pattern, ideal for narrative verses.

### Recommandation

- **Chorus / Hook :** at least one parallelism or anaphora. **SI** absent -> SUGGESTION (not blocking).
- **Verse :** parallelism welcome but not required.
- **Bridge :** parallelism discouraged -- bridge breaks structure.

### Variation rule

**SI** parallel structure present, vary on the 4th occurrence to avoid monotony. Pattern A-A-A-B classic in songwriting.

## Mots Polysyllabiques en Fin de Ligne

### Regle

A 3+ syllable word at end of line **slows the flow** and can weight the rhyme. Genre/tempo dependent : asset (slow ballad, poetic prose) or weakness (fast rap, hyperpop).

### Genre / final word table

| Genre / tempo | Final word 1 syl | 2 syl | 3 syl | 4+ syl |
|---------------|------------------|-------|-------|--------|
| Fast rap (130+ BPM full-time) | Ideal | Good | Risky | Avoid |
| Technical multisyllabic rap | OK | OK | Excellent (multi-rhyme) | Outstanding |
| Pop / chorus | Ideal | Good | OK if rich rhyme | Avoid |
| Slow ballad | OK | Very good | Very good | OK if singable |
| Fast hyperpop | Ideal | Good | Avoid | Block |
| Country narrative | OK | Very good | Good | Acceptable |
| Industrial / spoken | OK | OK | Good | OK |

### Why this rule

A 4-syl polysyllabic word at line end consumes several beats. At fast tempo, no time to articulate. At slow tempo, the word stretches and carries emotional weight.

### Example

**Ballad 70 BPM (ideal for long word) :**
"You kept my photograph" -> "photograph" = 3 syl. At 70 BPM, the word stretches across a measure, sense of duration, lingering memory.

**Hyperpop 160 BPM (block long word) :**
"You kept my photograph"
-> at 160 BPM, "photograph" becomes machine-gun. The next rhyme must also be 3 syl, constraining heavily. Reformulate to shorter : "You kept all my words" / "You kept my voice" (1-2 syl).

### Multisyllabic rhymes en rap (cas special)

In technical rap, polysyllabic endings are an **asset** when paired with a multisyllabic rhyme :
- "amazing" /əˈmeɪzɪŋ/ -- "blazing" /ˈbleɪzɪŋ/ : 2-syl rhyme, technical
- "education" -- "situation" : 3-syl rhyme, high skill
- "communication" -- "determination" : 4-syl rhyme, exceptional

Per `rhymes.md`, never replace a multisyllabic slant rhyme with a monosyllabic perfect in rap.

## Examples

### Example 1 : Full flow check (OK case)

**Line :** "I walked through the silence and the night was watching me"
**Genre :** Indie pop, 100 BPM
**Section :** Verse

1. Tempo : 100 BPM (full-time)
2. Syllables : I(1) + walked(1) + through(1) + the(1) + si-lence(2) + and(1) + the(1) + night(1) + was(1) + watch-ing(2) + me(1) = **13 syl** -> attention (rec 9, max 12). Dense.
3. Cap exceeded by 1 -> ATTENTION but not BLOCK.
4. Stress : i WALKED through the SI-lence and the NIGHT was WATCH-ing me. 4 stresses (WALKED / SI / NIGHT / WATCH), aligned beats 1, 2, 3, 4. OK.
5. Caesura : "...silence AND the night..." -> "and" = coordinating conjunction. Position : after syl 6 of 13 = OK.
6. Tongue twisters : none. OK.

**Verdict :** ATTENTION (density 13 vs 12 max) but singable. Suggestion : tighten to "I walked the silence, the night was watching me" -> 11 syl, OK.

### Example 2 : Full flow check (BLOCKED case)

**Line :** "She sells stripped streets to the strangers in the silent storm"
**Genre :** Pop, 110 BPM
**Section :** Verse

1. Tempo : 110 BPM
2. Syllables : she(1) + sells(1) + stripped(1) + streets(1) + to(1) + the(1) + stran-gers(2) + in(1) + the(1) + si-lent(2) + storm(1) = **13 syl**. Cap pop verse 9/11. EXCEEDED.
3. Stress : she SELLS STRIPPED STREETS to the STRAN-gers in the SI-lent STORM. 5 stresses, alignment OK.
4. Caesura : "...strangers IN the silent storm" -> no comma. On 13 syl, weak-only marker at "in" = INSUFFICIENT.
5. Tongue twisters : "sells stripped streets" + "silent storm" -> /sɛlz strɪpt stri:tz/ multiple cluster + /saɪlənt stɔ:rm/ /st/ x2. **BLOCKED** : tongue twister severity high.

**Verdict :** BLOCKED x3 (density + caesura absent + tongue twisters).

**Reformulation :**
"She gives the broken streets, the strangers, the storm" (12 syl, caesura yes, no twisters but still dense -> ATTENTION)

Better :
"She walks the broken streets / through the silent storm" (11 + cut into 2 lines or with strong caesura)
-> OK.

### Example 3 : Stress inverse (BLOCKED)

**Line :** "I'm a man with the dream of a king tonight"
**Genre :** Rock, 105 BPM, 4/4
**Section :** Verse

1. Tempo : 105 BPM
2. Syllables : I'm(1) + a(1) + man(1) + with(1) + the(1) + dream(1) + of(1) + a(1) + king(1) + to-night(2) = **11 syl**. Cap rock 9/12 -> ATTENTION.
3. Stress : i'm a MAN with the DREAM of a KING to-NIGHT. 4 stresses MAN / DREAM / KING / NIGHT.
4. Alignment : on 4/4 beat 1-2-3-4 the lyrics fall :
   - beat 1 : "I'm a" (function)
   - beat 2 : "MAN with" (content + function)
   - beat 3 : "the DREAM" (function on downbeat = stress inverse RISK)
   - beat 4 : "of a KING" (function + content)
   - beat 1 next bar : "to-NIGHT" (content on downbeat = OK)

The "the" before "DREAM" likely lands on a strong beat in standard rock pattern. **STRESS INVERSE detected.**

**Verdict :** BLOCKED -- "the" function word on downbeat.

**Correction :**
"I am the man who dreams the kingdom tonight"
-> stress : i AM the MAN who DREAMS the KING-dom to-NIGHT. Now MAN, DREAMS, KING-dom on strong beats. Function words "the" / "who" on weak beats. OK.

### Example 4 : Multilines chorus (full check)

**Chorus (Pop, 115 BPM) :**
```
I won't break tonight (5 syl)
I won't bend tonight (5 syl)
I will rise tonight (5 syl)
And I won't look back (5 syl)
```

1. All lines 5 syl, cap pop chorus 7/9 -> OK.
2. Stress : i WON'T BREAK to-NIGHT. 3 stresses on 4 beats, aligned. Same for all lines.
3. Caesura : N <= 10, not required.
4. Tongue twisters : none.
5. **Parallelism :** "I won't" repeated x2 + "I will" + "And I won't". Anaphora "I" on 4 lines, structure "I [verb] [complement]" repeated. **Excellent parallelism.**

**Verdict :** Exemplary chorus. All OK + parallelism bonus.

## Validation Tests (Self-Check)

### Test 1 : Density vs BPM

**Line :** "The retina is a disk that nothing can erase"
**Genre :** Industrial hip-hop, 100 BPM noted (half-time, 50 felt)

Decomposition : the(1) + ret-i-na(3) + is(1) + a(1) + disk(1) + that(1) + noth-ing(2) + can(1) + e-rase(2) = **13 syl**.

Industrial hip-hop half-time cap : rec 10, max 12.

**Expected verdict :** 13 > 12 max. **BLOCKED** : density. ATTENTION : articulation at nominal 100 BPM tongue twisters /st/ chains.

**Suggested rewrite :** "The retina, a disk no one can wipe" -> 9 syl, with caesura, OK.

### Test 2 : Caesura absent

**Line :** "The wind blows over the streets the cars the buildings the empty windows"
**Genre :** Pop, 110 BPM

Syllables : the(1) + wind(1) + blows(1) + o-ver(2) + the(1) + streets(1) + the(1) + cars(1) + the(1) + build-ings(2) + the(1) + emp-ty(2) + win-dows(2) = **17 syl**.

Pop verse cap : 9/11. Massively exceeded.

**Expected verdict :** BLOCKED x2 :
- Density 17 vs 11
- No caesura on 17 syl

**Correction :** split :
"The wind blows over the streets, the cars (10 syl, caesura)
Past the buildings and the empty windows (10 syl)"

### Test 3 : Tongue twister

**Line :** "Stripped stars stand still in shining streams"
**Genre :** Indie pop, 95 BPM

Syllables : stripped(1) + stars(1) + stand(1) + still(1) + in(1) + shin-ing(2) + streams(1) = **8 syl**. Cap OK.

Tongue twister scan : "Stripped stars stand still" -> /str st st st/ x4. SEVERE. "shining streams" -> /ʃ str/ pattern.

**Expected verdict :** BLOCKED -- tongue twister severity high.

**Correction :** "Naked stars frozen in shining streams" -> /n st fr ʃn str/. Reduced cluster repetition. OK.

### Test 4 : Polysyllabic word inadequate

**Line :** "You left me with photographs and memories of yesterday"
**Genre :** Hyperpop, 155 BPM

Syllables : you(1) + left(1) + me(1) + with(1) + pho-to-graphs(3) + and(1) + mem-o-ries(3) + of(1) + yes-ter-day(3) = **15 syl**.

Hyperpop verse cap : 7/9. Massively exceeded.

Final word 3 syl ("yesterday") in hyperpop = AVOID.

**Expected verdict :** BLOCKED x2 :
- Density 15 vs 9
- 3-syl final word in hyperpop

**Correction :** "You left me with my words, with my past" -> 9 syl, 1-syl final, OK.

### Test 5 : Stress inverse

**Line :** "I am a god of the night and a king of the day"
**Genre :** Pop rock, 100 BPM, 4/4

Syllables : I(1) + am(1) + a(1) + god(1) + of(1) + the(1) + night(1) + and(1) + a(1) + king(1) + of(1) + the(1) + day(1) = **13 syl**. Cap exceeded ATTENTION.

Stress : i AM a GOD of the NIGHT and a KING of the DAY. 4 stresses GOD/NIGHT/KING/DAY.

Alignment 4/4 (rock pattern) : beats 1-2-3-4 likely catch :
- "i AM" beat 1 (am could land strong) -> OK
- "GOD of the" beat 2-3-4 -> "GOD" on strong, "of the" weak = OK
- "NIGHT and a" beat 1-2-3 next bar -> NIGHT on 1 = OK
- "KING of the" beat 2-3-4 -> KING on 2, "of the" weak = OK
- "DAY" beat 1 next bar -> OK

**Expected verdict :** Stress alignment OK. ATTENTION density only.

**Suggested rewrite :** "I'm the god of night, the king of day" -> 9 syl with caesura, no inverse, OK.

## Notes

- This file complements `syllables.md` (metric) and `rhymes.md` (rhyme). Together they form the English linguistic triptych.
- Syllable caps are **experimental values** ; calibrate empirically by testing with Suno. Document deviations in the report.
- Tongue twister patterns are a minimal list. Extend the table as real-world cases are encountered.
- Syntactic parallelism is a **quality tool**, not a blocking rule. Suggest, don't enforce.
- Stress alignment is the **single most critical** check for English flow. Density and caesura matter, but stress inverse is the deal-breaker.

**Cross-reference :**
- `syllables.md` for detailed syllable counting and stress heuristics
- `rhymes.md` for rhyme classification and multisyllabic rhymes in rap
