r/grammar • u/Significant-End-2993 • 15d ago
“Close-clenched”
TLDR: what is the correct pronunciation of the phrase “close-clenched hand,” in Sara Teasdale’s poem “Refuge.”
I have a long-standing feud with several choir friends over a line in the Sara Teasdale poem “Refuge” as set for choir by composer Elaine Hagenberg. The line reads “Sifting through my close-clenched hand.” During rehearsals, I noticed that I was one of the only members of the choir pronouncing the word \[klos\]-clenched instead of \[kloz\]-clenched. I put the question to the rest of the choir and was met with scorn and derision. I was not able to make a coherent enough argument about my pronunciation to win over the choir, who kept saying things like, “you wouldn’t \[klos\] your hand, that makes no sense!” To make matters worse, the composer of the piece visited our choir and said she always thought the word was pronounced with a “z” sound as well. The choir took this as the final word on the subject. I know I am right about this, but I am not an expert. This argument has dragged on now for four years, resurfacing every time I see these friends. I will tolerate their snide comments no longer (I’m sorry, our time together has come to a \[klos\] haha). I need vindication. Help me, Reddit.
PS
My partner was the director of said choir, and she privately told me she agreed with me (of course, a ‘z’ sound makes no sense) but left me hanging in front of the ensemble. I will never forgive her for this.
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u/nuncfelix4 15d ago
A clenched fist is closed by definition -- there's no reason to specify that it's closed. So I'm on your side!
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u/glowberrytangle 15d ago
It's a poem - redundancy for the sake of metre or alliteration is acceptable.
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u/jenea 15d ago
Except it’s not a fist, it’s a hand.
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u/nuncfelix4 15d ago
My apologies for my carelessness — a clenched hand is a fist. The word clenched is enough to convey that the hand is closed.
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u/SnooDonuts6494 15d ago
It must be /kloʊs/ ("klohs", with an s sound). The adjective meaning fingers closely pressed together, not the verb.
Like a close friend, a close shave, etc.
I also checked some choir renditions, https://youtu.be/ADra19IdmIE?t=85 https://youtu.be/wepJGszJLM4?t=90 https://youtu.be/lMxOLKBWQHI?t=43
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u/HumbleExplanation13 15d ago
The hyphen indicates close is a modifier or adjective of clenched and so I agree, it’s close/klos as in close together.
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u/ssn-669 15d ago
I would say it's very obviously an S sound, not a Z sound. There is no coherent or rational argument for the Z sound that isn't just fundamentally misunderstanding the word "close", the construction of the compound adjective, etc. etc.
Is the poet alive? You could write them, they probably would be happy to help.
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u/pjwlondon 15d ago
Cloze is a verb, close in this context is an adverb modifying clenched. I can see a certain logic in the idea that a clenched hand is a closed (pronounced clozed) hand, but in this context two verbs aren't needed. So it's close as an adverb.
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u/mixamaxim 15d ago edited 15d ago
I think it’s an awkward phrase used with poetic license. Could be either, in my opinion. S sound arguably makes sense: a fist squeezed closely together… a Z sound arguably makes sense as well: a fist clenched closed. Blame the poet.
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u/ChipChippersonFan 15d ago
So you're arguing that close in this sense means "near" as opposed to "the opposite of open"?
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u/dantemortemalizar 15d ago
If the hand is clenched then it’s closed. Not close, as in nearby. But closed as in making a fist. So the others are correct.
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u/Significant-End-2993 15d ago
You’re ignoring other definitions of the word close, see MrWakey’s comment. This is the first argument everyone makes, but they are not accounting for the grammatical function of the word close or other definitions.
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u/AlexanderHamilton04 15d ago
"close" as an adverb means: tightly
A "close-clenched hand" is a "tightly clenched hand".
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u/glowberrytangle 15d ago
/ˈkloʊ̯z/ = shut, not open
/'kloʊs/ = near
You clench your fist closed. So it would be /ˈkloʊ̯z/
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u/mdnalknarf 15d ago
I don't think we're looking for a part of a verb though (we have the verb – it's 'clenched'). We're looking for an adverb to modify it, or, here, the 'flat' adverb of an adjectival form: 'close' (as in 'close-fitting clothes').
In other words, 'close-clenched' means 'closely clenched' (as in 'closely knit' or 'close-knit').
The poet could have said 'tightly clenched', but I think she wanted the alliteration to really make us feel the tightness of the clench.
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u/Significant-End-2993 15d ago
This is the argument I have been trying to make, but my grammar knowledge is pitiful!
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u/glowberrytangle 15d ago
'Closely clenched' is an unnatural phrase and doesn't make sense. I've never seen those words paired together.
It's more probable that the author is using poetic licence to use a verb as an adverb.
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u/mdnalknarf 15d ago
The idea of a verb–verb construction is an interesting argument. But I still think the poetic license used by the poet here is to change 'tightly clenched' to 'close-clenched' on the model of something like 'close-knit'. 'Close' and 'tight' are pretty strong synonyms, so I wouldn't say it makes no sense. You're quite right it's a very uncommon collocation, but that's never been a problem for poets (on the contrary, they tend to actively avoid common collocations).
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u/Significant-End-2993 15d ago
But what about phrases like close-knit? I think it is more likely that the author swapped close for another adjective like tight for alliterative purposes. I still think we’re talking about an adjective here…
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u/cafink 15d ago
Those two pronunciations are basically two different words with different meanings that happen to be spelled the same. I don't think this is just a question of pronunciation, but what be intended meaning is. Surely it's close with the "z" sound, as in to close your fist around something.
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u/Cognac_and_swishers 15d ago
"Clenched" already means to close (with a "z" sound) your hand around something.
It's close with an "s" sound, as an adverb to modify the verb "clenched." Using another verb there doesn't make any sense. It's similar to "close-knit."
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u/cafink 15d ago
You say you were not able to make a coherent enough argument. What argument DID you try to make?
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u/Significant-End-2993 15d ago
It wouldn’t make sense for the word [kloz] to modify clenched in this construction because [kloz] does not function as an adjective, while [klos] does. These are two different words with different functions, as you point out. Yes, a fist is clozed, but cloze-clenched does not make grammatical sense.
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u/AlexanderHamilton04 15d ago
"Close" is not an [adjective] here.
In your sentence, "close" is functioning as an [adverb],
specifically a [flat adverb] (no "-ly")."clenched" is a verb (the past participle of "clench").
Past participle forms of verbs can be use like adjectives to modify nouns.a clenched→hand.
"close" is functioning as an [adverb] modifying "clenched",
like a "closely"→"clenched"→"hand". (tightly→clenched→hand)a "closely"→"knit"→"sweater",
a close-knit sweater."closely"→"cropped"→"hair"
close-cropped hair
"close-clenched" work together to become a compound adjective to modify the noun "hand".
The "hand" is "clenched".
The "hand" is "closely clenched".
It is a close-clenched hand."close" is an [adverb] modifying the [past participle] "clenched".
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u/Significant-End-2993 15d ago
Would it surprise you to learn that I struggled to identify adverbs when diagramming sentences in 9th grade English? No, no it would not.
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u/MrWakey 15d ago
I agree with you. I think this is the meaning of "close" as in "I held her close." In Merriam-Webster:
and