2. Understanding rhythm and meter!

3. What creates a poem’s rhythm is the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. Meter distinguishes the number and pattern of stressed syllables. When marking a poem for “Scansion” use these two symbols U = unstressed / = stressed

4. There are 5 different types of metrical patterns.  U / = iamb or iambic  / U = troche or trochaic  U U / = anapest or anapestic  / U U = dactyl or dactylic  / / U = spondee or spondaic

5. NEXT, determine how frequently the pattern is repeated in ONE LINE. This is referred to as a poetic foot! (or “feet”) How many feet do you have?  ONE FOOT - monometer  TWO FEET - dimeter  THREE FEET - trimeter  FOUR FEET - tetrameter  FIVE FEET - pentameter

6. Now all you need to do is put the two together!! Ex. //U //U //U = spondaic trimeter //U = Spondee *pattern repeats 3 times= trimeter

7. Now see if you can guess the following……. Use your notes. (You know I’ll try to trick you!)

8. U/ U/

9. U// U// U//U//U//

10. /U /U /U /U /U

11. UU/

12. To mark a poem for meter… Look at the words and separate them by SYLLABLES! Put your hand in front of your mouth and say the line aloud. When your breath touches your palm, that is a STRESSED syllable

13. Try your name! Kristen Stephanie Annabel Allijah (ah-lee-ah)

14. Still not getting it? If you can’t hear the natural stress, try to put the stress somewhere else and ask yourself if it sounds right. Don’t put the wrong emphasis on the Wrong syllable

15. Mark the following lines for meter Shall I compare thee to a summers day Thou art more lovely and more temperate *Try tapping your finger to the beat. When your finger touches your desk, that marks a stressed syllable*

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