Poetry: Meter Flashcards
Meter
rhythm in poetry
the pattern of stressed/unstressed syllables
measured in unites of feet
Iambic
unstressed-STRESSED (2 syllables = 1 foot)
Trochaic
STRESSED-unstressed (2 syllables = 1 foot)
Anapestic
unstressed-unstressed-STRESSED (3 syllables = 1 foot)
Dactyllic
STRESSED-unstressed-unstressed (3 syllables = 1 foot)
Spondaic
STRESSED-STRESSED (2 syllables = 1 foot)
Monometer
Line with one foot
Dimeter
Line with 2 feet
Trimeter
Line with 3 feet
Tetrameter
Line with 4 feet
Pentameter
Line with 5 feet
Hexameter
Line with 6 feet
Heptameter
Line with 7 feet
Octometer (rare)
Line with 8 feet
Scansion
the analysis of a poem to determine meter (basically slashing, checking syllables and then counting)
Stanzas
a group of lines
Couplet
stanza with 2 lines
Tercet
stanza with 3 lines
Quatrain
stanza with 4 lines
Cinquain
stanza with 5 lines
Sestet
stanza with 6 lines
Septet
stanza with 7 lines
Octet (octave)
stanza with 8 lines
x-lined stanza
stanza with 9 (or more) lines
