Understanding Poetry Stanza Structure Practice Worksheet Answers
Two words are said to rhyme when they end with the same sounds, a technique that's very common in poetry. Although poems don't always have to rhyme, such as in the case of free verse or haiku, rhyme can add beauty and layers of meaning to your poetry.
When you write a rhyming poem, the rhymes usually follow a pattern. For example, the pattern may be that the first line rhymes with the third, and the second with the fourth. Or, you might have two consecutive lines rhyme with each other.
What Is a Rhyme Scheme?
A rhyme scheme is the set of letters that represent the rhyming pattern of a poem. We call these "letter variables," and we use capital letters to indicate which lines rhyme with each other.
For example, if the first line rhymes with the third line, we indicate those sounds with an A. Then, if the second line rhymes with the fourth, we indicate them with a B, like this:
The friendly cow all red and white – A
—"The Cow" by Robert Louis Stevenson
I love with all my heart – B
She gives me cream with all her might – A
To eat with apple-tart – B
How Do You Find the Rhyme Scheme of a Poem?
If you want to determine which rhyme scheme a poem follows, look to the last sound in the line. Label every new ending sound with a new letter. Then when the same sound occurs in the next lines, use the same letter.
For example:
All things bright and beautiful – A
All creatures great and small – B
All things wise and wonderful – A
The Lord God made them all. – B
In this poem by Cecil Alexander, the first line ends with the word "beautiful." Label this A. Then the next line ends with the word "small," which does not rhyme with beautiful, so label this line B.
Then, the third line ends with the word "wonderful," which rhymes with the last word of the first line, "beautiful." As such, use the same letter, A, for this line.
The fourth line ends with the word "all," which rhymes with the word "small" in the second line. So you need to use the same letter as in the second line, B.
This gives us the rhyme scheme ABAB.
What if we have more than two pairs of rhyming words? We would follow the same principle: use a new letter for every new sound, and use the same letter for rhyming words.
Here's an example by William Blake:
Piping down the valleys wild, – A
Piping songs of pleasant glee, – B
On a cloud I saw a child, – A
And he laughing said to me: – B
'Pipe a song about a Lamb!' – C
So I piped with merry cheer . – D
'Piper, pipe that song again.' – E
So I piped: he wept to hear . – D
'Drop thy pipe, thy happy pipe; – F
Sing thy songs of happy cheer !' – D
In this example, the first four lines follow the rhyme scheme ABAB. But the next few lines are CDEDFD. (The only rhymes are in the lines labeled D.)
What Is the Rhyme Scheme AABB?
Because each letter in a rhyme scheme refers to one ending sound, you can easily see which lines rhyme for that poem. For example, if the given rhyme scheme is AABB, that means the first two lines rhyme with each other, and the next two lines rhyme with each other.
Most nursery rhymes use the AABB rhyme scheme. For example:
Once I saw a little bird go hop, hop, hop – A
So I said, "Little bird, will you stop, stop stop?" – A
As I was going to the window to say, "How do you do?" – B
It flicked its little tail and far away he flew. – B
Twinkle, twinkle, little star – A
How I wonder what you are. – A
Up above the world so high, – B
Like a diamond in the sky. – B
Twinkle, twinkle, little star – A
How I wonder what you are. – A
Common Rhyme Schemes
When you write a rhyming poem, you do not have to follow a fixed pattern. You can just keep adding new rhymes and continue expanding the pattern.
But some types of poems have assigned rhyme schemes. These include:
1. Shakespearean Sonnet: This is always a 14-line poem broken down into three 4-line stanzas and a couplet to end the piece. The rhyme scheme is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, unique only to the Shakespearean sonnet.
2. Alternate rhyme: In this rhyme scheme, the first line rhymes with the third, and the second line rhymes with the fourth. The ABAB rhyme scheme is common for poems with four lines in each stanza.
3. Ballade: This lyric poem (not to be confused with a ballad) typically comes in three stanzas of eight lines each and ends with a four-line stanza. The rhyme scheme for a ballade is ABABBCBC.
4. Coupled rhyme: This refers to two consecutive lines that rhyme, usually in two-line stanzas. The rhyme scheme is AA BB CC, or any other similar scheme with pairs of rhyming lines. We call these types of rhymes "rhyming couplets." The Shakespearean sonnet always ends with a rhyming couplet.
5. Monorhyme: A monorhyme is when all the lines in one stanza or even an entire poem end in the same sound. The rhyme scheme can be designated as AAAA.
6. Enclosed rhyme: In an enclosed rhyme scheme, the first and fourth lines rhyme with each other, while the second and third lines also rhyme with each other. The rhyme scheme is ABBA.
7. Triplet: A triplet is when three lines in one stanza end in the same sound. The rhyme scheme is therefore AAA.
8. Limerick: This humorous poem comes in five lines and a rhyme scheme of AABBA.
Examples of Rhyme Scheme in Literature
Let's look at a few more examples for a better understanding of rhyme schemes:
Example #1. "Sonnet 18" by William Shakespeare
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? A
Thou art more lovely and more temperate: B
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, A
And summer's lease hath all too short a date; B
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, C
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; D
And every fair from fair sometime declines, C
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd; D
But thy eternal summer shall not fade, E
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st; F
Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade, E
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st: F
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, G
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. G
Example #2. "Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr. Seuss
Do you like green eggs and ham? A
I do not like them, Sam-I-am. A
I do not like green eggs and ham. A
Would you like them here or there? B
I would not like them here or there. B
I would not like them anywhere. B
I do not like green eggs and ham. A
I do not like them, Sam-I-am. A
Example #3. "Excelsior" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The shades of night were falling fast, A
As through an Alpine village passed A
A youth, who bore, 'mid snow and ice, B
A banner with the strange device, B
__Excelsior! C
His brow was sad; his eye beneath, D
Flashed like a falchion from its sheath, D
And like a silver clarion rung E
The accents of that unknown tongue, E
__Excelsior! C
Using Rhyme Schemes in Poetry
Rhyme and meter are two tools that make poems the musical experiences we enjoy so much. When you use regular rhyme in a set pattern, it makes it easier to remember the lines in your poem, and also lets you give your audience a predictable, expectant pleasure.
While rhyme scheme is not something that readers will normally pick out, your own decision in choosing which lines should rhyme will give your poem artistic structure.
Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
- How to Analyze a Poem: 8 Tips for Understanding Poetry
- Introduction to Metaphors: Poetry in Motion
- Rhythm in Literature: Definition, Examples, and How to Create Your Own
- How to Write Song Lyrics in 5 Simple Steps
Yen Cabag is the Blog Writer of TCK Publishing. She is also a homeschooling mom, family coach, and speaker for the Charlotte Mason method, an educational philosophy that places great emphasis on classic literature and the masterpieces in art and music. She has also written several books, both fiction and nonfiction. Her passion is to see the next generation of children become lovers of reading and learning in the midst of short attention spans.
Understanding Poetry Stanza Structure Practice Worksheet Answers
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