Iamb definition
A rising meter – one unstressed + one stressed syllable
iamb example. U /
Examples – delight, belong, perchance”But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks?
anapest Definition
rising meter – two unstressed + one stressed syllable
anapest Example u u /
Examples: understand, overcome, interrupt”Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring not even a mouse.
Trochee Definition
Falling Meter – one stressed + one unstressed syllable
Trochee Example u /
Examples – lover, lookingTyger Tyger, burning bright, in the forests of the night
Dactyl Definition
One stressed + two unstressed
Dactyl Example / u u
Example – Poetry, syllable, suddenly”Half a league, half a league, half a league onward”
Spondee Definition
two stressed syllables
Spondee Examples / /
examples – heartbreak, football, breakdown”White fonts falling in the courts of the sun” (not pure spondee – there aren’t any)
pyrrhic Definition.
two unstressed syllables – uncommon
monometer
1 foot – 2-3 syllables
Dimeter
2 feet – 4-6 syllables
trimeter
3 feet – 6 – 9 syllables
Tetrameter
4 feet – 8-12 syllables
pentameter
5 feet – 10-15 syllables
hexameter
6 feet – 12-18 syllables
octameter
8 feet – 16-24 syllables
Blank verse
Has meter but does not rhyme. Usually written in iambic pentameter
Free verse
no rhythm, has line breaks, heightened imagery, concentrated language, emotional effects, no rhyme. Most common in modern in America.
Epigram
a brief , witty saying which often ends with a satirical twist or memorable statement.
Limerick
a 5 line humorous poem1st, 2nd and 5th lines rhyme
Ode
an elaborate poem praising/glorifying an event/individual or idea – should feel big
Parts of an Ode
Strophe, Antistophe and Epode
Haiku
5/7/5 syllables. Written in present tense. usually have nature as a subject
Shakespeare Sonnet
3 quatrains (4 lines) and one rhymed couplet
a foot
2-3 syllables long
Petrarchan Sonnet
8 lines stanza and a 6 line stanza
