Rhyme schemes and sound patterns are the building blocks of poetry's musicality. They create rhythm, structure, and flow, enhancing the emotional impact of words. Understanding these elements helps poets craft more engaging and memorable verses.

From end rhymes to internal rhymes, and from couplets to sonnets, poets use various techniques to create harmony. Mastering these tools allows writers to play with language, creating poems that resonate with readers long after they've finished reading.

Rhyme Types

Types of Rhyme Based on Location

• End rhyme occurs when the last words of two or more lines rhyme, creating a pleasing sound pattern at the end of each line (moon/June)
• Internal rhyme happens within a single line of poetry, adding rhythm and musicality to the line (the breeze sees the trees)
• Slant rhyme, also known as near rhyme or half rhyme, uses words with similar but not identical sounds, creating a subtle and nuanced rhyme (rain/pain, love/move)
• Eye rhyme refers to words that look like they should rhyme due to similar spellings but are pronounced differently, creating a visual rather than auditory effect (cough/bough, love/move)

Types of Rhyme Based on Stress Patterns

• Masculine rhyme occurs when the rhyming words have only one stressed syllable, resulting in a strong, forceful rhyme (cat/hat, sing/ring)
• Feminine rhyme involves words with two or more syllables, with the stress falling on a syllable other than the last, creating a softer, more flowing rhyme (fountain/mountain, emotion/devotion)

Rhyme Schemes

Defining Rhyme Scheme

• Rhyme scheme refers to the pattern of rhymes at the end of each line in a poem or stanza, typically represented by assigning a letter to each unique rhyme sound (ABAB, AABB)

Common Rhyme Schemes

• Couplet is a two-line stanza with a rhyme scheme of AA, where both lines rhyme with each other (My heart is like an open highway / Like Frankie said, "I did it my way")
• Tercet is a three-line stanza with various possible rhyme schemes, such as ABA, AAA, or ABB (In Xanadu did Kubla Khan / A stately pleasure-dome decree: / Where Alph, the sacred river, ran)
• Quatrain is a four-line stanza with numerous possible rhyme schemes, including ABAB, AABB, ABBA, or AAAA (Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? / Thou art more lovely and more temperate: / Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, / And summer's lease hath all too short a date)

Poetic Forms

Sonnet

• Sonnet is a 14-line poem with a specific rhyme scheme, typically ABAB CDCD EFEF GG in English sonnets or ABBAABBA CDECDE in Italian sonnets, often exploring themes of love, beauty, or mortality (Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? / Thou art more lovely and more temperate)

Stanzaic Forms

• Couplet, as a poetic form, is a complete poem consisting of two rhyming lines, usually with the same meter and length (True wit is nature to advantage dressed, / What oft was thought, but ne'er so well expressed)
• Tercet, as a poetic form, is an entire poem composed of three-line stanzas, often with a consistent rhyme scheme throughout, such as ABA BCB CDC (The curfew tolls the knell of parting day, / The lowing herd wind slowly o'er the lea, / The plowman homeward plods his weary way)
• Quatrain, as a poetic form, is a poem consisting of four-line stanzas, frequently with a regular rhyme scheme and meter, which can stand alone or be combined to create longer works (The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold, / And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold; / And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea, / When the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee)