Mrs. Dowling's Literature Terms

Study Guide

At the end of this unit you will be able to:

• identify rhyme patterns in poetry

Rhyme is the similarity in sound of the ends of words: the last stressed syllable and the following unstressed syllables (if any). Rhyme is usually a structuring device in verse. Of course, not all poetry rhymes: classical Greek and Latin poetry never rhyme, for instance. When rhyming verses are arranged into stanzas, we can identify the rhyme scheme by assigning letters each rhyme, beginning with a and proceeding through the alphabet. Couplets, for instance — such as Pope's

'Tis hard to say, if greater want of skill
Appear in writing, or in judging ill;
But of the two, much greater is th' offence
To tire the patience, than mislead the sense

— rhyme "aa bb," -- "a" represents the -ill sound, "b" represents the -ence sound.