R&J Poetic Terms

Front

What is prose?

Back

Language without poetic or rhythmic structure

Front

What is meter?

Back

Rhythm in poetry; the pattern of beats (stressed and unstressed syllables) in lines of poetry

Front

What do the u and / symbols mean?

Back

The u symbol stands for unstressed. The / symbol stands for stressed.

Front

What is a foot?

Back

A basic building block for meter; a unit in a meter

Front

What do we call the type of foot that includes one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable?

Back

an iamb

Front

Iambic pentameter is...

Back

having five iambic feet (5 units of unstressed/stressed syllables) for a total of 10 syllables

Front

What is the difference between a couplet and a heroic couplet?

Back

couplet = two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme; heroic couplet = two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme AND are written in iambic pentameter

Front

What is a sonnet?

Back

14 line poem written in iambic pentameter that follows a strict rhyme scheme (ABAB CDCD EFEF GG), ending in a heroic couplet