Understanding Metrical Feet, English Meter, Feet, Scansion

Understanding Metrical Feet, English Meter, Feet, Scansion

1. Understanding Metrical Feet
 Foot: The basic unit of meter in poetry, consisting of a sequence of
syllables with a specific stress pattern, which can vary between two and
three syllables. Examples include the iamb (˘'), trochee ('˘), dactyl ('˘˘), and
anapest (˘˘').
 Stress: The (') symbol indicates a stressed syllable, while (˘) represents
an unstressed syllable.
 Scansion: The process of analyzing and marking the metrical pattern of a
line of verse.
Types of Feet
Category Term Syllable Pattern Explanation Example
Starts with a Beat
(Strong Syllable
First)
Trochee
('˘) (Stressed,
Unstressed)
A two-syllable foot with
the stress on the first
syllable.
DA-dum (e.g.,
"garden")
Dactyl
('˘˘) (Stressed,
Unstressed,
Unstressed)
A three-syllable foot with
the stress on the first
syllable.
DA-da-dum (e.g.,
"happily")
Doesn't Start with a
Beat (Weak
Syllable First)
Iamb
(˘') (Unstressed,
Stressed)
A two-syllable foot with
the stress on the second
syllable.
da-DUM (e.g.,
"belong")
Anapest
(˘˘') (Unstressed,
Unstressed,
Stressed)
A three-syllable foot with
the stress on the last
syllable.
da-da-DUM (e.g.,
"understand")
Rhythm Created by Repetition
Rhythm Occurrence Pattern Example
Trochaic
Rhythm
Repetition of
Trochees
A rhythmic pattern primarily
composed of trochees.
TY-ger, TY-ger, BURN-ing bright
Dactylic
Rhythm
Repetition of
Dactyls
A rhythmic pattern primarily
composed of dactyls.
HAP-pi-ly, EV-er-green, UN-der-neath
Iambic
Rhythm
Repetition of
Iambs
A rhythmic pattern primarily
composed of iambs.
a SUM-mer's DAY
Anapaestic
Rhythm
Repetition of
Anapests
A rhythmic pattern primarily
composed of anapests.
in a LITTLE town NEAR the SEA

2. Line Length Terminology
Term Number
of Feet
Explanation Example (with Scansion)
Monometer 1 One metrical foot per line.
Rarely used for entire poems,
but sometimes for emphasis in
a longer poem.
_ _ STRONG (Spondaic
monometer)
Dimeter 2 Two metrical feet per line. ˘ ' / ˘ ' So much winter (Robert
Herrick)
Trimeter 3 Three metrical feet per line. ' ˘ / ' ˘ / ' ˘ When the frost is on
the punkin (Emily Dickinson)
Tetrameter 4 Four metrical feet per line. ˘ ' / ˘ ' / ˘ ' / ˘ ' The curfew tolls
the knell of parting day (Thomas
Gray)
Pentameter 5 Five metrical feet per line. The
most common in English poetry,
especially iambic pentameter.
˘ ' / ˘ ' / ˘ ' / ˘ ' / ˘ ' Shall I compare
thee to a summer's day?
(Shakespeare)
Hexameter 6 Six metrical feet per line. Used
in classical epic poetry. In
English, often associated with
quantitative meter or longer,
more stately lines.
' ' ˘ / ' ˘ ˘ / ' ' ˘ / ' ˘ ˘ / ' ' ˘ / ' ˘ This
is the forest primeval. The
murmuring pines and the
hemlocks (Longfellow)
Heptameter 7 Seven metrical feet per line.
Less common, but can create a
rolling, expansive effect.
˘ ' / ˘ ' / ˘ ' / ˘ ' / ˘ ' / ˘ ' / ˘ ' For the
moon never beams without
bringing me dreams of the
beautiful Annabel Lee (Edgar
Allan Poe)
Octameter 8 Eight metrical feet per line.
Rare, but can create a sense of
abundance or an epic scope.
˘ ' / ˘ ' / ˘ ' / ˘ ' / ˘ ' / ˘ ' / ˘ ' / ˘ '
Once upon a midnight dreary,
while I pondered, weak and
weary (Edgar Allan Poe)