If you think the closest you'll ever get to writing poetry is that time when you were 5 and wrote, "Roses are red, violets are blue..." on a Valentine's card, think again! Poetry really isn't that hard (and contrary to popular belief-not all poetry has to rhyme or has to be about love)! To prove it to you, we're going to show you all the different types of poems. We're sure you can do at least one of them!
But, before you start reading these different types of poetry, let us explain a few terms to you-the basics of poetry.
THE BASICS:
Foot (Feet): the units used in poetry- Feet are composed of syllables arranged in some kind of pattern of accented and unaccented syllables. There are five most commonly used sets of feet are iambic (iamb), trochaic (trochee), anapestic (anapest), dactylic (dactyl), and spondaic (spondee). (Yes, it's okay to wonder, "Where did they come up with these words?"!)
Here's a table to help show you the different feet:
|
Set of Feet |
Explanation |
Word Example |
|
iambic |
A foot consisting of two syllables where the accent lies on the second syllable |
hello, avoid, the rush |
|
trochaic |
A foot in with one accented syllable followed by one unaccented syllable |
only, total |
|
anapestic |
A three syllable foot made of two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable |
comprehend, intervene |
|
dactylic |
A three syllable foot which is accented on the first syllable |
merrily, lover boy |
|
spondaic |
A two syllable foot that is comprised of two accented syllables-usually this is done in poetry by using one syllable words (like cat, dog) in a row |
bread box, shoe shine |
Meter: the measure for rhythm in a poem, which is usually defined by feet and the accent pattern
To show you all the different meters, here's another table:
|
Name of Meter: |
Number of Feet per Line |
|
Dimeter |
2 |
|
Trimeter |
3 |
|
Tetrameter |
4 |
|
Pentameter |
5 |
|
Hexameter |
6 |
|
Heptameter |
7 |
|
Octameter |
8 |
Rhyme Scheme: the order in which the lines of poetry rhyme- for example, if there is an (aabb) rhyme scheme, the first two lines will rhyme and the second two lines will rhyme; if there is an (abab) rhyme scheme, then the first and third lines will rhyme and the second and fourth lines will rhyme
Syllabic Meter: A form of meter in which only syllables are counted, such as in haikus and diamantes
Stanza: A group of lines in a poem with a common meter and rhyme scheme
Couplet: Two lines of poetry that have the same meter and rhyme scheme (Example: Ah, distinctly I remember, it was in the bleak December...)
Iambic pentameter: Very common form of poetry- many of Shakespeare's works are in iambic pentameter. Iambic pentameter is where you have 5 feet per line (the pentameter part) and each foot has two syllables with the accent on the second syllable (the iambic part). For an example, see the Blank Verse example on the next page.