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Malcolm McKinsey
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Rhyme scheme definition
Arhyme schemeis the ordered pattern of rhyming words at the end of each line of a poem. This pattern is labeled using capital letters, such as the commonABABrhyme scheme, orABABCBCDCDEDEEfor a terza rima, orABABBCBCfor a ballade.
Types of rhyme scheme
The long history of poetry includes a lot of rhyme, the deliberate correspondence of sounds between words (or their endings) usually at the end of lines in poems. A rhyme scheme is the ordered pattern of those rhyming arrangements from line to line in a poem.
Here are some different rhyme schemes that are commonly used:
| Type | Rhyme Structure | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Alternate Rhyme | ABAB | Alternating the rhyming pattern throughout (ABAB CDCD EFEF GHGHG) |
| Ballade | ABABBCBC BCBC | Typically comprised of three, eight-line stanzas (ABABBCBC) followed by a four-line stanza (BCBC). |
| Coupled Rhyme | AA BB | Pairs the rhymes into couples with new sounds (AA BB CC DD) or dueling sounds (AA BB AA BB) |
| Enclosed Rhyme | ABBA | The first line and fourth line rhyme and enclose a pair of new rhymes in the middle. Also called an internal rhyme scheme. |
| Limerick | AABBA | A five-line poem that starts with a coupled rhyme scheme but finishes by enclosing lines three and four with a rhyme matching lines one and two. |
| Monorhyme | AAAA | Mono is Greek for one – One rhyme throughout each line or throughout the entire poem. |
| Simple four-line rhyme | ABCB | Simple pattern that is used throughout the entire poem. |
| Terza rima | ABA BCB | Italian poetry made of tercets that use a chain rhyme, where the first and third line of a stanza rhyme with the second line of the previous stanza. |
| Triplet | AAA | Set of three lines in a stanza (a tercet) that share the same rhyme |
| Villanelle | ABA (repeat five times), ABAA | Comprised of five, three-line stanzas (ABA) and concludes with a quatrain (ABAA) |
The human brain has evolved to find rhyme and rhythm very appealing. When words rhyme, we tend to remember them better than words that do not rhyme. Songs that rhyme tend to stick in your head better than free-form songs.
Song lyrics start as poetry, and rhyme schemes have been connected to poetry for as long as poets, storytellers, and balladeers have been entertained us.
Rhyme scheme examples
The earliest rhyming poetry seems to come from China, in 600 BCE, with “The Book of Songs.” Here is one of the poems:
Plop fall the plums; but there are still seven.Let any gentleman that would court meCome while it is lucky!Plop fall the plums; there are still three.Let any gentleman that would court meCome before it is too late!Plop fall the plums; in shallow baskets we lay them.Any gentleman who would court meHad better speak while there is time.
Notice the second and third lines rhyme (“me” rhymes with “lucky”), but not the first: we use a shorthand,ABB. The next two lines match lines two and three, but the sixth line does not:BBC. The poem finishes withDBE.
Common rhyme schemes
A ballade is a rhyming poem with a defined rhyme scheme ofABABBCBC, seen here in one stanza from Andrew Lang’s “Ballade of the Optimist,” written in 1905:
Heed not the folk who sing or sayIn sonnet sad or sermon chill,"Alas, alack, and well-a-day,This round world's but a bitter pill."Poor porcupines of fretful quill!Sometimes we quarrel with our lot:We, too, are sad and careful; stillWe'd rather be alive than not.
Aterza rimais an Italian rhyming verse stanza form built with an interlocking three-line rhyme scheme. The rhyme scheme isABABCBCDCDED, and so on. Here is Robert Frost’s take on the terza rima, “Acquainted With the Night,” published in 1928:
I have been one acquainted with the night.I have walked out in rain—and back in rain.I have outwalked the furthest city light.I have looked down the saddest city lane.I have passed by the watchman on his beatAnd dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.I have stood still and stopped the sound of feetWhen far away an interrupted cryCame over houses from another street,But not to call me back or say good-bye;And further still at an unearthly height,One luminary clock against the skyProclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.I have been one acquainted with the night.
Thecoupletis a familiar rhyme scheme followingAABBCCand continuing. Here is a sliver of Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales,” written around 1400 BCE (first in Middle English, then in modern English):
A Knyght ther was, and that a worthy man,That fro the tyme that he first biganTo riden out, he loved chivalrie,Trouthe and honóur, fredom and curteisie.A KNIGHT there was, and that (one was) a worthy man,Who from the time that he first beganTo ride out, he loved chivalry,Fidelity and good reputation, generosity and courtesy.
A lot of modern poetry is written asfree verse, in which the poets deliberately avoid rhyme and meter.
A lot of modern poetry is written asfree verse, in which the poets deliberately avoid rhyme and meter.Sing-songy children’s poems tend to have very simple rhyming patterns, like this:
Star light, star bright,First star I see tonight,I wish I may, I wish I might,Have this wish I wish tonight.
The pattern of rhymes in this anonymously written poem is that all three lines have the same end rhyme:AAA.
A nursery rhyme like “Jack and Jill,” by Mother Goose, shows a more complicated rhyming scheme, which we can follow by writing the capital letters at each line’s end:
Jack and Jill went up the hill (A)To fetch a pail of water; (B)Jack fell down and broke his crown, (C)and Jill came tumbling after. (B)Up Jack got, and home did trot, (D)As fast as he could caper, (E)To old Dame Dob, who patched his nob (F)With vinegar and brown paper. (E)
The words “water” and “after” are near-rhymes or slant rhymes and count for the rhyme scheme. The eight-line poem’s rhyme scheme then isABCBDEFE.
Our ears tend to enjoy predictability spiced with a little bit of unpredictability in both song lyrics and poetry. Shakespearean sonnets follow the rigid rhyming pattern ofABABCDCDEFEFGGwhile also staying faithful to iambic pentameter.Here is Shakespeare’s Sonnet 17:
Who will believe my verse in time to come,If it were filled with your most high deserts?Though yet heaven knows it is but as a tombWhich hides your life, and shows not half your parts.If I could write the beauty of your eyes,And in fresh numbers number all your graces,The age to come would say 'This poet lies;Such heavenly touches ne'er touched earthly faces.'So should my papers, yellowed with their age,Be scorned, like old men of less truth than tongue,And your true rights be termed a poet's rageAnd stretched metre of an antique song:But were some child of yours alive that time,You should live twice, in it, and in my rhyme.
The sonnet form lulls the reader into the steady rhythm of the alternating ABAB, but the last two lines break the pattern and rhyme together: GG. These are rhyming couplets. It is predictability with a surprise new rhyme at the end.
How To Find Rhyme Scheme Of A Poem
To find the rhyming scheme of any poem, study the final words of each line. Use capital letters, starting withAA, for each line. If the first and second lines rhyme, you writeAAAA; if they do not, you writeABAB. Continue through the poem, leaving a space between stanzas.
Here is a 1939 nursery rhyme by George Sanders and Clarence Kelley for practice:
I'm a little teapot,Short and stout,Here is my handleHere is my spoutWhen I get all steamed up,Hear me shout,Tip me over and pour me out!I'm a very special teapot,Yes, it's true,Here's an example of what I can do,I can turn my handle into a spout,Tip me over and pour me out!
The first stanza’s rhyme scheme isABCBDBB. The second stanza’s rhyme scheme isADDBB.
Rhyme scheme quiz
Show what you know by answering these questions three:
How would you describe the rhyme scheme of this poem?
There was a young man so benightedHe never knew when he was slighted;He would go to a partyAnd eat just as hearty,As if he'd been really invited.
What is a rhyme pattern?
Please explain in your own words how to determine a rhyme scheme.
You answered, we know, before looking below.
The rhyme scheme of this limerick is AABBA.
A rhyme pattern is the arrangement of rhyming lines. Most people enjoy mixing in a little unpredictability with predictable patterns, so rhyme schemes often have unexpected rhyming patterns, such as with a sonnet or terza rima.
Your explanation of how to determine a rhyme scheme probably mentioned using capital letters at the end of each line to indicate rhyming words, starting with A.
(Video) Types of Rhyme and Rhyme Scheme
FAQs
What Is Rhyme Scheme? | Definition, Types & Poem Examples? ›
Rhyme scheme is a poet's deliberate pattern of lines that rhyme with other lines in a poem or a stanza. The rhyme scheme, or pattern, can be identified by giving end words that rhyme with each other the same letter.
What is rhyme scheme examples in poems? ›| Bid me to weep, and I will weep | A |
|---|---|
| While I have eyes to see | B |
| And having none, yet I will keep | A |
| A heart to weep for thee | B |
Rhyme scheme is a poet's deliberate pattern of lines that rhyme with other lines in a poem or a stanza. The rhyme scheme, or pattern, can be identified by giving end words that rhyme with each other the same letter.
What is an example of a ABAB rhyme scheme? ›One type of poem that has an ABAB rhyme scheme is the Shakespearean sonnet. One such example is Sonnet 18, "Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day." "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
What are the 3 types of rhyme? ›- Perfect rhyme occurs when two words match exactly in sound.
- Imperfect rhyme means the words sound nearly alike, but not exactly.
- End rhyme describes words that rhyme at the ends of two lines of poetry.
- There once was a king who liked to sing in the rain. ...
- A shoe is still new till you step in blue goo. ...
- What did you cut when you fell into the rut? ...
- Don't stop going up till you get to the top if you really want to find the shop. ...
- With me you will see there's no need for TV.
If you want a DIY scheme, AAAA, AABB, and ABAB are the three most popular patterns. They are relatively simple to write and don't leave the reader waiting very long to hear the completion of a rhyme.
How do I identify a rhyme scheme? ›- You can work out the rhyme scheme of a poem by labelling the words that rhyme with each other. It will help you see the pattern of the poem.
- For example, if a poem's first and third lines rhyme you should label those 'A'. ...
- If all four lines rhyme with each other, this is an 'A A A A' rhyme scheme.
Quatrain Definition with Examples. In poetry, a quatrain is a verse with four lines. Quatrains are popular in poetry because they are compatible with different rhyme schemes and rhythmic patterns.
How do you find the rhythm of a poem? ›Rhythm can be described as the beat and pace of a poem. The rhythmic beat is created by the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line or verse. In modern poetry, line breaks, repetition and even spaces for silence can help to create rhythm.
What type of rhyme is AABB? ›
Limerick. A limerick is a five-line poem with the rhyme scheme AABBA. Hickory dickory dock. The mouse ran up the clock.
What are 5 line rhyme schemes? ›Envelope quintet: An envelope quintet is a five-line verse in which the inner lines are enclosed by the rhyming outer lines. The rhyme scheme may look like ABCBA, AABAA, or ABBBA (in which the middle lines form a rhyming tercet).
What is rhyme scheme AABB or ABAB? ›The ABAB rhyme scheme means that for every four lines, the first and third lines will rhyme with each other and the second and fourth lines will also rhyme with each other.
What is an example of an end rhyme? ›Here's a quick and simple definition: End rhyme refers to rhymes that occur in the final words of lines of poetry. For instance, these lines from Dorothy Parker's poem "Interview" use end rhyme: "The ladies men admire, I've heard, / Would shudder at a wicked word."
What are 3 line poems that rhyme? ›A poetic unit of three lines, rhymed or unrhymed.
What is a perfect rhyme scheme? ›Perfect Rhyme
Perfect rhyme means that both the ending consonants (if any) and stressed vowel sounds of two words match exactly. Examples of perfect rhyme are: well, sell; chase, face; saw, flaw; form, dorm.
- Ask- Mask – Flask – Task – Bask.
- About – Throughout – Drought – Without – Scout – Doubt – Sprout.
- Above – Glove – Dove – Love.
- Across – Loss- Cross – Toss.
- Add – Glad – Sad – Mad – Lad – Dad – Bad – Had.
- Age – Stage – Wage – Engage – Sage – Cage.
Words like “pain” and “pane”, “reign” and “reign”, and “bough” and “bow” are also examples of true rhyme.
What are 5 words that don't rhyme? ›There are many words that have no rhyme in the English language. "Orange" is only the most famous. Other words that have no rhyme include: silver, purple, month, ninth, pint, wolf, opus, dangerous, marathon and discombobulate.
Do all poems have rhyme scheme? ›A poem is a singular piece of poetry. Poems don't have to rhyme; they don't have to fit any specific format; and they don't have to use any specific vocabulary or be about any specific topic.
What is a simple 4 line rhyme? ›
Simple 4-line rhymes are usually characterized by having a simple rhyme scheme of ABCB repeated throughout the entire poem. Though usually simplistic looking, the songs can be very complex and are widely used today in most poetry and songs.
What poems have no rhyme scheme? ›Free verse is the name given to poetry that doesn't use any strict meter or rhyme scheme. Because it has no set meter, poems written in free verse can have lines of any length, from a single word to much longer.
What rhyme scheme is roses are red? ›Rhyming Scheme Of Roses Are Red Rhyme
The rhyme follows the ABCB rhyming pattern.
The words that say "In the winter it's every kid's dream, / As snowflakes begin to appeal, / That suddenly there'll be a blizzard, / And they'll cancel school for the year" is a stanza.
What is a end rhyme? ›end rhyme, in poetry, a rhyme that occurs in the last syllables of verses, as in stanza one of Robert Frost's “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”: Related Topics: rhyme rime suffisante ...(Show more)
What is a 7 line rhyming poem called? ›Septet. A stanza with seven lines. This is sometimes called a “rhyme royal.”
How do you start a poem? ›The opening line of a poem should grab the reader's attention, invoke the thematic intentions of the poem, and give an insight into the poet's writing style.
What are 14 line poems that rhyme? ›A sonnet is a poem with fourteen lines that follows a strict rhyme scheme (abab cdcd efef gg) and specific structure.
How do you tell if syllables are stressed or unstressed? ›A stressed syllable has a longer, louder, and higher sound than the other syllables in the word. Syllables with the schwa sound in them are rarely the stressed syllable.
What is the beat of a poem called? ›Rhythm in poetry can be thought of as the beat or the flow of a poem. It is made up of beat and repetition, so it usually refers to features of sound. It is created by stressed and unstressed syllables in a line or a verse.
How many beats are in a poem? ›
We count the beats in each line, normally between three and six, and use the same number of beats in each corresponding line. (There are exceptions, though.) Here we have the most popular stanza of English poetry: 4-3-4-3 beats with the rhyme scheme A-B-A-B.
What rhyme scheme is ABAB BCBC CDCD EE? ›The Spenserian sonnet rhyme scheme is: abab bcbc cdcd ee. It is often referred to as a linking sonnet because the rhyming pattern in the second quatrain links the first and third quatrains together. The rhymes occur in the final word of each of the lines.
What type of rhyme goes ABAB CDCD etc? ›Types of Rhyme Schemes
Alternate rhyme is ABAB CDCD EFEF and so on. This is the rhyme scheme typically used in ballads. Coupled rhyme is any rhyme scheme in which rhymes occur in pairs, such as AABBCC. The rhymes themselves are called couplets.
A four-line stanza, often with various rhyme schemes, including: -ABAC or ABCB (known as unbounded or ballad quatrain), as in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” or “Sadie and Maud” by Gwendolyn Brooks.
What is a poem with 6 stanzas called? ›A sestina (Italian: sestina, from sesto, sixth; Old Occitan: cledisat [klediˈzat]; also known as sestine, sextine, sextain) is a fixed verse form consisting of six stanzas of six lines each, normally followed by a three-line envoi.
What is a 5 word poem called? ›Also known as an American cinquain or the Adelaide Crapsey cinquain, this form was developed by poet Adelaide Crapsey, who wrote many examples of the form in the early 20th century. The Adelaide Crapsey cinquain poem rules are as follows: Adherence to iambic meter.
What is a 9 line stanza called? ›A nonet is a nine-line poem. In the nonet form, each line contains specific, descending syllable counts. The first line contains nine syllables, the second line contains eight, the third line contains seven, and so on.
What is AABB called? ›Home - Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies. Foundation. Introducing the AABB Foundation.
What is quatrain ABAB rhyme scheme? ›Elegiac Stanza (ABAB or AABB)
Elegiac stanza, also called heroic stanza, is a quatrain with one of two rhyme schemes. Some elegiac stanzas use an ABAB rhyme scheme, meaning that the final syllables of the first and third lines rhyme, and the final syllables of the second and fourth lines rhyme.
It is like a box where the faces are aligned to the axes of the coordinate space. An AABB is defined by the positions of the Minimum and the Maximum box corner. Minimum must be less than Maximum. But this rule is not enforced; no exceptions are thrown in the setter of the properties.
What is a good sentence for rhyme? ›
Noun She used “moon” as a rhyme for “June.” He couldn't think of a rhyme for “orange.” They're learning about meter and rhyme.
What type of poem has eight lines? ›A triolet is an eight-line poem (or stanza) with a rhyme scheme of ABaAabAB: The first line is repeated in the fourth and seventh lines and the second line is also the last line (the capital letters indicate repeating lines).
What is eye rhyme in poetry? ›eye rhyme, in poetry, an imperfect rhyme in which two words are spelled similarly but pronounced differently (such as move and love, bough and though, come and home, and laughter and daughter).
What is a 12 line poem called? ›A 12-line poem is considered a Rondeau Prime, a form of French poetry, though it usually consists of a septet (7 lines) plus a cinquain (5 lines). The rhyme scheme for a Rondeau Prime is abbccbR abbaR, R, with the capital R referring to the repeated refrain, which is often the first line repeated again as a refrain.
What is an example of a haiku? ›“The light of a candle” by Yosa Buson
In this haiku, his image of a single lit candle against the twilight artfully depicts how one candle can light another without being diminished — until you have a star-filled sky.
Alternate rhyme: In poems with an alternate rhyme pattern, every other line rhymes with each other. This is also called an ABAB rhyme scheme.
What is a half rhyme example? ›For example, “rush” and “must” have the same vowel sounds but end differently, preventing a full rhyme from occurring but still feeling like somewhat of a rhyme because of the strong vowel sound.
What is rhyme scheme for dummies? ›A rhyme scheme is the ordered pattern of those rhyming arrangements from line to line in a poem. Typically comprised of three, eight-line stanzas (ABABBCBC) followed by a four-line stanza (BCBC). The first line and fourth line rhyme and enclose a pair of new rhymes in the middle. Also called an internal rhyme scheme.
How do you identify a rhyme scheme in a poem? ›- You can work out the rhyme scheme of a poem by labelling the words that rhyme with each other. It will help you see the pattern of the poem.
- For example, if a poem's first and third lines rhyme you should label those 'A'. ...
- If all four lines rhyme with each other, this is an 'A A A A' rhyme scheme.
rhyme scheme in American English
the pattern of rhymes, esp. end rhymes, used in a piece of verse, usually indicated by letters. ababbcc is the rhyme scheme of rhyme royal. English. Grammar.
How do you write a rhyme scheme example? ›
When you write a rhyming poem, the rhymes are meant to 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 and so on. Therefore, the rhyme scheme of the above poem is AA BB.
What is an example of a rhyme pattern? ›The patterns are encoded by letters of the alphabet. Lines designated with the same letter rhyme with each other. For example, the rhyme scheme ABAB means the first and third lines of a stanza, or the “A”s, rhyme with each other, and the second line rhymes with the fourth line, or the “B”s rhyme together.
What is an end rhyme scheme? ›End rhyme is when the last syllables within a verse rhyme. This type of rhyme is the most commonly used in English poetry. It is also often used in song lyrics, as we will see below. Many poets use end rhyme because it creates a rhythm.
What is an ABAB rhyme scheme telling us? ›Today we will examine the ABAB rhyme scheme. The ABAB rhyme scheme means that for every four lines, the first and third lines will rhyme with each other and the second and fourth lines will also rhyme with each other.
What is a 3 line rhyming poem called? ›A poetic unit of three lines, rhymed or unrhymed.
What is a 5 stanza poem called? ›A cinquain is a stanza composed of five lines, which makes a cinquain poem a poem composed of five-line stanzas.
What is a 3 line poem no rhyme? ›English-language haiku is an example of an unrhymed tercet poem. A poetic triplet is a tercet in which all three lines follow the same rhyme, AAA; triplets are rather rare; they are more customarily used sparingly in verse of heroic couplets or other couplet verse, to add extraordinary emphasis.
What are the rules of rhyme scheme? ›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.