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The trochee

by Robert Betts (Age: 67)
copyright 06-10-2001


Age Rating: 7 +

Last article discussed the iamb and to quickly review it is one foot in poetry consisting of two syllables who receive the accent: ta TUM.

From this we looked at iambic pentameter which is five feet, five iambs.

The trochee is quite the opposite. It is TUM ta. The most famous example of this is likely Longfellow's "Hiawatha" And who has never heard:
BY the SHORES of GITCH e GU mee.

Note the difference. The poem flows quite differently than iambic pentameter. This is also different in another sense and that is only four feet per line.

Trochaic verse can often easily be changed to iambic simply by adding a word at the beginning. An example:

THEN the LIT tle HI a WA tha

and THEN the LIT tle HI a WA tha

Oops, but what about the "dangling" syllable at the end? Here is another term: "feminine ending" A line ending on an unaccented syllable is said to have a feminine ending. Often these scan as an iamb with the last part missing. That is usually seen as a pause so it is a good trick to know if you want your reader to pause at the end. (I bet you can guess what a "masculine ending" is. You're right! a line that ends with an accented syllable)

That same trick of pausing sometimes comes into play in the middle of a line and should be indicated by a comma, the natural punctuation to indicate a short pause. This comma can be used to replace a missing syllable.

Iambic lines also can be made trochaic by adding a word at the beginning:

Lets change the iambic line above back to trochaic:

NOW and THEN the LIT tle HI a WA tha.

Now... homework: Remember, Poetry is an oral art... Listen to others speak and notice the accented and unaccented syllables. This is great practice to learn what is naturally accented. While poets will adapt lines and make them fit patterns, it reads much more natural and easier if natural patterns are followed as much as possible. In fact, when I find myself stumbling through a poem, I'll often go back and try to see why. Usually it is because the poet has twisted the rhythm too far out of line... and the poem falls flat.

Next: Anapest and Dactyl

bob







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        12-28-2005     Richard Reed Jr        

Thanks for the good advice.
Keep up the good work,

Rich

        01-25-2005     Elizabeth Thompson        

I have understood the differences the author discusses for a long time, but I never knew the proper names or reasons why they worked they way they do. Education is such a grand thing. Thank you for another excellent article.

        08-21-2002     Aaron Schmookler        

Thanks for sharing all this great info. It brings me back to my "Performing Shakespeare" class in college. Important and useful information.

        12-06-2001     Paulette Weaver        

Bob,
thanks for that good bit of information...I am just lately trying to develop rhyming poetry, so bear with me, please. (grin) what you say is so true, listen, listen, you'll be surprised what you can find out. Keep your knowledge coming, please.
have a good evening,
Paulette

        04-01-2001     John Mcleod        

This was good Bob, very interesting. When I write I read it a few times to see how it sounds, I think it is very important to write it in such a way that the words flow rather be plucked from the screen and read.


jm



        04-01-2001     Nan Jacobs        

Seat of the pants-ing is good. Learning what is making the results of pants-seating good, even if you're doing it by accident, is good , too. :) Thanks for the info Bob



        04-01-2001     Robert Betts        

hmmm... Perhaps a poor choice of words, Sunny?





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