Poetry uses repeated stressed and unstressed syllables {rhythm, poetry}. Pauses, word lengths, and consonant clusters affect rhythm.
One or more unstressed syllables can be at line beginning {anacrusis}.
Line can have short pause {caesura}.
One or two unstressed syllables can be at line end {catalexis}.
Unstressed syllable can be at line end {feminine ending} or stressed syllable can be at line end {masculine ending} {ending}.
Line ends can have a pause {end-stopped line}.
Line ends can have no pause {run-on line} {enjambment}.
One or more unstressed syllables can be at line beginning or end {hypermeter}.
Poem lines can repeat feet {meter, poetry}. Poem lines can have three feet {trimeter}, four feet {tetrameter}, five feet {pentameter}, six feet {hexameter}, or seven feet {heptameter}.
Poem lines have foot type and feet number {scansion}| {scan}. To scan lines, foot name in adjective form precedes meter. For example, Alexandrine poetry used iambic hexameter. Shakespeare used iambic pentameter.
One stressed syllable can be at foot beginning, with any number of unstressed syllables {sprung rhythm}.
English verse uses louder and longer syllables {accented syllable} and softer and shorter syllables {unaccented syllable} {accent, poetry}.
Poems {stress-verse} typically have stressed-syllable patterns.
Two or three syllables {foot, poetry} {feet, poetry} have one stressed syllable or no stressed syllable. Poem lines repeat feet.
Three syllables {anapest, poetry} can have last syllable stressed and so have rising stress.
Three syllables {dactyl, poetry} can have first syllable stressed and so have falling stress.
The most common foot {iamb, poetry} has two syllables with second stressed, and so has rising stress.
Two syllables {pyrrhic, poetry} can have no stress.
Three syllables {spondee, poetry} can have neither rising nor falling stress.
Two syllables {trochee, poetry} with first stressed have falling stress.
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Date Modified: 2022.0225