Poetry & wordplay21 categories
Scan this poem and mark where the metre breaks
A line reads wrong aloud and you can't tell whether it's the metre.
Scan the poem below. For each line, give: - The syllable count - The stress pattern, written as x for unstressed and / for stressed, aligned under the words - The foot name if there is a regular one Then: 1. State the dominant metre, if the poem has one. 2. List every line that departs from it, and say whether the departure reads as deliberate (a substitution that does work) or as a stumble. 3. For the stumbles only, name the exact syllable where the ear trips. Do not rewrite anything yet. Diagnosis only. Where a line is metrically fine, say so in three words and move on. Poem:
Making it yours
- Paste your own material where the prompt asks for it. Everything above that line is instruction, not content.
- Delete any rule that does not apply to you. A shorter prompt that fits beats a thorough one that does not.
- If the answer comes back vague, add a line saying what you do not want. Constraints work better than encouragement.
Sound and metre. Rhymes, scansion, and the read-aloud passes that tell you why a line trips in the mouth.
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