Definition of Trimeter Trimeter is a poetic meter comprised of three metrical feet per line. A foot is a beat made up of stressed and unstressed syllables; poetic lines written in meter contain a repeating pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables throughout the poem. While trimeter is slightly rarer than pentameter (a metrical line of poetry comprised of five feet),
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Quatrain
Definition of Quatrain A quatrain is a stanza in a poem that has exactly four lines. Some quatrains comprise entire poems, while others are part of a larger structure. Quatrains usually use some form of rhyme scheme, especially the following forms: AAAA, AABB, ABAB, and ABBA. Lines in quatrain can be any length and with any meter, but there is
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Definition of Iamb An iamb is a unit of meter with two syllables, where the first syllable is unstressed and the second syllable is stressed. Words such as “attain,” “portray,” and “describe” are all examples of the iambic pattern of unstressed and stressed syllables. The iamb is one of the most fundamental metrical feet in English language and poetry. Many
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Definition of Pentameter Pentameter is a type of poetic meter formed by five metrical feet per line. A metrical foot is a grouping of one stressed syllable with one to two unstressed syllables that repeats in a regular pattern. We will examine these different types of metrical feet that can make up pentameter lines below. Due to the pattern of
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Definition of Anapest An anapest is a metrical foot that consists of two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable. Words such as “understand” and “contradict” are examples of anapest, because both of them have three syllables where the accent is on the final syllable. Anapestic words are less common than other meters in English, such as words with three
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Definition of Ballad A ballad is a narrative poem that originally was set to music. Ballads were first created in medieval France, and the word ballad comes from the French term chanson balladée, which means “dancing song.” Ballads then became popular in Great Britain, and remained so until the nineteenth century. The meaning has changed somewhat in the present day
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