Name: ___________________________________________Date: ________________________Period: _______
Understanding Iambic Pentameter
Remember, a line of iambic pentameter is made up of five iambs (unstressed syllable, STRESSED SYLLABLE).
Before we can understand iambic pentameter, we have to understand syllables and stress. We’ll start with syllables.
Part 1: Syllables
Directions: mark the syllable break in each word (where applicable) and write the number of syllables on the line next to
it. Sample: ___2___ rain/bow
1. _____ robot
4. _____ triangle
7. _____ area
2. _____ cookie
5. _____ alphabet
8. _____ tiger
3. _____ lunch
6. _____ computer
9. _____ dinosaur
Part 2: Stress on a Single Word
Directions: circle the proper stress pattern for the following words. Sample: window “WIN-dow” or “win-DOW”
10. Open
“O-pen” or “o-PEN”
14. allowed
“AL-lowed” or “al-LOWED”
11. decide
“DE-cide” or “de-CIDE”
15. eraser
“ER-as-ER” or “er-AS-er”
12. absent
“AB-sent” or “ab-SENT”
16. chimpanzee
“CHIM-pan-ZEE” or “chim-PAN-zee”
13. banana
“Ba-na-NA” or “ba-NA-na”
17. reward
“RE-ward” or “re-WARD”
Part 3: Stress Changes Sometimes words can change meaning based on stress. For example, the word “refund” can be
“RE-fund” or “re-FUND.” The spelling is the same, but the stress changes, and so does the meaning.
Directions: circle the proper stress pattern for the word “refund” in each sentence.
18. I’m going to ask the store for a _____________ (“RE-fund” / “re-FUND”)
19. The clerk refused to ____________ our money? (“RE-fund” / “re-FUND”)
20. I’ll use my _____________ to buy some headphones. (“RE-fund” / “re-FUND”)
Part 4: Mark the meter - Iambic pentameter
Directions: Mark each line with unstressed and stressed marks.
21. Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair.
22. Sin from thy lips? Oh, trespass sweetly urged!
23. I can’t eat ice cream, or I’ll get bad breath.
Part 5: You decide – Iambic Pentameter? Sometimes Shakespeare includes lines that are not iambic pentameter in
order to draw attention to a particular line or emotion. For example, when Calpurnia begs Caesar to stay home, she
breaks from iambic pentameter as she becomes more upset:
And ghosts did shriek and squeal about the streets
O Caesar, these things are beyond all use
And I do fear them.
Directions: Mark the following lines (unstressed or stressed) and decide (circle one) if it’s written in iambic pentameter.
24. Here I will stand till Caesar pass along
Iambic
or
Not Iambic
25. And as a suitor will I give him this
Iambic
or
Not Iambic
26. My heart laments that virtue cannot live
Iambic
or
Not Iambic
27. Out of the teeth of emulation,
Iambic
or
Not Iambic
28. If thou reads this, O Caesar, thou mayest live;
Iambic
or
Not Iambic
29. If not, the Fates with traitors do contrive.
Iambic
or
Not Iambic