by Gregg Rowe
The following are definitions to help you with
stressed/unstressed syllables in a line.
Pretend you are beating a drum and
a heavy tap represents
DUM 'stressed' syllable
(where the accent is the hardest
for pronunciation purposes)
and a short tap represents pa
'unstressed' syllable
(where the accent is lighter
on the word for pronunciation purposes).
Iambus:
A metrical foot in poetry,
a step of sorts,
where one unaccented syllable
is followed by one accented syllable.
pa DUM)... I saw a boy last night with Spot---
pa DUM pa DUM pa DUM pa DUM
Trochee:
The opposite of iambus,
where one accented syllable
is followed by one unaccented syllable.
DUM pa)
Could you find a soiled shirt?
---DUM pa DUM pa DUM pa DUM
Spondee:
Two long or stressed syllables,
you know, DUM DUM
Pyrrhic:
Two short unaccented syllables,
you know, pa pa.
Anapest:
An anapest is a three-syllable foot
with the third syllable
being the stressed one,
like the word "disconcert".
(Masculine ending)
Dactyl:
The opposite of an anapest.
There are three syllables,
but the first of the three i
s the stressed syllable,
like the word, "Patriarch" or "Fatherly".
(Feminine ending)
Feminine ending:
the end of the line where it ends
in a unstressed syllable (soft)
-ing, -ed, es, -tion ending in words
will make the ending feminine
Masculine ending:
the end of the line where it ends
in a stressed syllable (hard)
most one accented syllables accomplish
this except for prepositions which
we should try to avoid as much as possible
Those are the basics so relax,
review and make them your friends,
they won't bite, and are
really there to aid you!
An article defining stressed/unstressed syllables in a line of poetry.
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Comments
1 - 14 of 14
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I disagree. The have bitten me over and over and over. If they are friends, they do not approach you very friendly, lol. Please check out my very last work, and tell me (brutally honest, now), if I got any of the iambs right. Please tell me in an im if possible. Thanks for helping if you choose to!
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Thanks Gregg, I will try them out but I tell ya I am a slow learner. I am my own worse critic. lol
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hey, thanks for the tips...doesn't change how I write, but it is nice to be able to put a name to whatever style I might be using.
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Technically in litetature it is known as iambus, although variations may show: iamb is one of them alongside of iambic and the plural forms aimbuses and aimbi. Hope this is helpful!
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Sweet. This reminded me, I made a new bongo beat today that goes DUM(high)-pa(low)-DUM(high)-pa(low)-DUM(low)-pa(low)-DUM(high)-pa(low) then (all on low and in 32nd notes) DUMpapapapapaDUMpapapapa then back to the orignal beat, so DUMpaDUMpaDUMpaDUMpaDUMpapapapapaDUMpapapapapa it's pretty tight. Nice write anyway. haha I just HAD to say that all (bout the beat) lol
in Christ and God bless,
Evan -
Is it really called an iambus? I've always been taught that particular foot was an iamb, and the poetry book I had for English class agrees. Is this an alternate word?
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Very interesting and informative. I'm kinda terrible about this kind of thing and I'm sure I'd write much better poetry if I paid attention to proper form, beat, etc.
Thanks for this column...very helpful.
Dee
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very interesting and definatly enlightning
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Thank you Gregg, I plan to read more of your poems too, besides the one I read some days ago...your epic. This helps me so very much.
Katie
Also, I found you by reading Absinthe's page. -
I think it always helps if u consider stressed ysllable as the one that takes more time than other. like upon u don't say upn you say u-PON the pon takes longer than the "u" sound.
Anyway, great column. Very informative.
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What I get from this personally is that yes there are clear definitions of rhythm and meter, but it depends a LOT on how the reader hears it in their own head ..a lot of these could be viewed as subjective ..as it is how you stress the syllables to yourself in your own head
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This is an interesting and informative column and a wonderful introduction, for those unfamiliar, to so many aspects of meter. I hope many will find this as helpful as I have. Take Care! ~HD
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Keep in touch with this series, I'm simpflying everything into short columns like this -- so there will be a few more -- browse the 'Dear Uni & Winnie' column often, pull up a chair, invite the neighbors and I will teach and learn
thanks for the support!
Edited on Apr 28, 7:09 p.m. because ''. -
Ahhhh... very good, Gregg... I believe this would not only help me, but also alot of others here. I never knew the difference between syllables... IE: Soft, stressed, etc. I thank you for this bit of knowledge and I plan on saving this page and coming back to it often
Thanks again!!!
~Aimee
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