Composition 1

Words

Words in Poems: Meaning and Sound

So far we have learned: Syllables (haiku) Stresses (iambic pentameter) Rhymes (the word or the suffixes sound the same)

Word classes
parts of speech word classes syntactic categories

General categories
noun pronoun verb adjective adverb preposition conjunction determiner

iambic pentameter
An 'iamb' is a beat in poetry. Each beat is called a foot. An 'iamb' beat has two feet and it is always weak+strong - / x da DUM
'pent' means five. 'meter' is the rhythm in poetry. So an 'iambic pentameter' means there are five iambs (/ x) in a meter. Like in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. :
/ x / x / x / x / x Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, Which mannerly devotion shows in this; For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss.

Content and Function Words

To be or not to be, that is the question (Shakespeare) Batter my heart three-personed God, for you As yet but knock, breathe, shine and seek to mend. (John Donne)