Rhyme, Stanza, and Types of Poems
Rhyme Scheme—The pattern of rhyme between lines that a poem follows. When marking
rhyme scheme, we assign a letter to each line that has a different rhyme. Lines with the same
rhyme (example: cat, bat) receive the same letter.
Example:
When Mister Chao goes out to eat,
He’s not on a diet for rookies,
But likes instead to have a treat,
And munch on delicious cookies.
a
b
a
b
The rhyme scheme for this poem (if it repeated) would be written as ababcdcdefef… etc.
Note: Additional lines that didn’t rhyme with “eat” or “rookies” would be assigned a new letter.
Stanza—A stanza is a group of lines that are connected either by a set number of lines or by a
rhyme scheme. The different kinds of stanzas are listed below:
 Couplet = Two lines
 Tercet = Three lines
 Quatrain = Four lines
 Quintain = Five lines
 Sestet = Six lines
 Septet = Seven lines
 Octave = Seven lines
Types of Poems
 Sonnet—a 14 line poem written in iambic pentameter
o Shakespearean—Contains three quatrains followed by a rhymed couplet. The
turn is located at the couplet. Rhyme scheme follows abab-cdcd-efef-gg
o Petrarchan—Contains an octave followed by a sextet. The turn is located after the
octave. Rhyme scheme follows abbaabba-cdecde.
 Ballad—a form of narrative poem that is written in quatrains and is characterized by
swift action and direct narrative style.
 Epic—an extended narrative poem written in the style of the oral tradition and telling the
story of the adventures of a hero. Often chronicles the origins of a civilization and
embodies its core values.
 Blank Verse—an unrhymed poem written in iambic pentameter.
 Free Verse—a poem that has no consistent meter or rhyme.
 Narrative Poem—a poem that tells a story.
 Villanelle—a 19 line poem with only two rhyme sounds. Consists of 5 tercets and a
concluding quatrain.
Common Meters
 Iambic Pentameter—Consists of five feet (10 syllables) following the iambic (u / )
pattern. Used in sonnets and in blank verse.
 Iambic Tetrameter—Consists of four feet (8 syllables) following the iambic (u / )
pattern. Often used in ballads.