Elements of poetry

Learning objectives:
In this lesson, you should be able to do the following:
 Recognize the structure, types, and other elements of poems.
 Examine the different styles and techniques in executing each element of a poem.
 Interpret the connotative meanings in poetry.

STRUCTURE OF POETRY

Verse
The number of lines within a stanza and the
number of stanzas in a poem are known as the
vertical Measure.
Meter
A unit of poetry that refers to the number of
syllables in a line. The number of syllables and
metrical foot within a line is known as the
horizontal measure.

Table 1. Common types of metrical foot in English poetry

Type of Meter Definition

Iamb A two-syllable metrical foot that is accented on the
second syllable (e.g., destroy, deLAY, eQUATE,
etc.)
Anapest A three-syllable metrical foot that is accented on
the third syllable (e.g., manneQUIN, promniNENT,
merrily, etc.)
Trochee A two-syllable metrical foot that is accented on the
first syllable (e.g., GARden, HIGHway, TIger, etc.)
Dactyl A three-syllable metrical foot that is accented on
the first syllable (e.g., Elephant, TYpical,
HOSpital, etc.)

Metrical Foot Definition

Monometer A one-foot line
Dimeter A two-feet line
Trimeter A three-feet line
Tetrameter A four-feet line
Pentameter A five-feet line
Hexameter A six-feet line
Heptameter A seven-feet line
Octameter An eight-feet line

RHYME – Words that have the same or approximately the same final sounds. A Rhyme scheme or rhyme
pattern is present if a set of rhyming words are in the poem.

LINE BREAK – The exact point where the poet decides to end one line in a poem and start with another.
There are two types of line breaks: the end-stopped line and the enjambment. An end-stopped line is a
line that ends the sentence or the clause in a poem while an enjambment is a line that has an incomplete
sentence or clause.

TYPES OF POETRY

1. Lyric Poetry – Craven (2002) states that a lyric poem is “a short, highly musical verse that
conveys powerful feelings” and that it “is private expression of emotion by a single speaker.”
2. Narrative Poetry – A type of poetry that tells a story. Ballads, metrical romances, and epics are
some of the types of narrative poetry.
3. Dramatic Poetry – A type of emotional poetry that is created to be spoken or acted. It tells a story,
like narrative poetry. Moreover, it employs elements of dramatic technique.

Connotation in Poetry

Connotation is defined by Harmon and Holman (1996) as the “emotional implications and associations
that words may carry, as distinguished from their denotative meanings”.

Three Types of Connotation

 The first is private or personal, which is the product of someone’s own life experiences.
 The second is national, racial, or linguistic, which is understood by a group of people.
 The third is universal or general, which is known by all people.

Forms of Poetry
1. According to Rhyme Scheme
a. Monorhyme (AAAA)
A type of poetry in which the lines in a stanza end with words that have the same final
sounds.

b. Alternate Rhyme (ABAB)

A type of poetry in which the lines in a stanza follow an alternating rhyming pattern.

c. Unbound or Ballad Quatrain (ABAC/ABCB)

A type of poetry that has four lines, with varied rhyme schemes.

d. Double Couplet (AABB)

A type of poetry that has four lines in which the first and the second lines have terminal
words with similar final sounds.

2. According to Length (Vertical Measure)

a. Couplet – A pair of successive lines in poetry, or poetry that has two lines.
b. Tercet – A pair of successive lines in poetry, or poetry that has three lines.
c. Quatrain – A pair of successive lines in poetry, or poetry that has four lines.
d. Quintet – A pair of successive lines in poetry, or poetry that has five lines.
e. Sestet – A pair of successive lines in poetry, or poetry that has six lines.
f. Octave – A pair of successive lines in poetry, or poetry that has eight lines.

3. The Traditional Forms of Poetry

a. Ballad - A type of poetry that narrates a story.
 b. Haiku – A “fun, short Japanese form consisting of three lines with a syllable count of 5-
7-5” (Moustaki, 2001, 181)
c. Sestina – A type of poetry that consists of six stanzas followed by an envoi, or a short
concluding stanza.
d. Sonnet – A type of poetry that has fourteen lines. Three types of Sonnets are popular.
Shakespearean sonnet (ABAB CDCD EFEF GG), Spenserian sonnet (ABAB BCBC
CDCD EE), and Petrarchan sonnet (ABBAABBA CDEEDC).
e. Limerick – A five-line poetry that is usually amusing and cheeky. It follows the AABBA
rhyming pattern. Lines 1, 2, and 5 should have seven to ten syllables and a similar poetic
meter. Lines 3 and 4 should have five to seven syllables and a similar poetic meter, too.
f. Terza Rima – It is a type of poetry that is composed of a set of interdependent tercets.
The rhyming pattern of a terza rima is ABA BCB CDC DED and so on and so forth.
g. Villanelle – A type of poetry that is composed of five stanzas, each having three lines,
followed by a sixth stanza that contains four lines.

4. Blank Verse – a type of conventional poem that consists of lines that do not rhyme with each
other. However, it follows a definite meter. Usually, blank verses conform to the rules of the
iambic pentameter.
5. Free Verse – a type of unconventional poem that is free of rhyme and meter.