Oral: Rhyme Scheme – SS2 English Lesson Note (Second Term)

A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhyming words in a poem. It is often used to create a sense of rhythm and flow. Common rhyme schemes include the couplet, triplet, quatrain, rhyme royal and sonnet. Poets use them to highlight words or phrases and to create a particular mood or atmosphere.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

• define rhyme scheme;
• identify a couplet, a triplet, a quatrain, a rhyme royal and a sonnet;
• state the number of lines in each of these forms;
• explain why poets use rhyme schemes.

What are the common types of rhyme scheme?

Couplet

A couplet is a pair of rhyming lines. For example, “The cat sat on the mat, / She looked very fat.”

Triplet

A triplet is a group of three rhyming lines. For example, “The cat sat on the mat, / She looked very fat, / And she was very happy.”

Quatrain

A quatrain is a group of four rhyming lines. For example, “The cat sat on the mat, / She looked very fat, / And she was very happy, / And she purred very loudly.”

Another quatrain, from a poem by Shakespeare, rhymes on the first and third lines and on the second and fourth lines (ABAB): “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun; / Coral is far more red than her lips’ red; / If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; / If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.”

Rhyme royal

A rhyme royal is a seven-line stanza with a particular pattern of rhymes. The rhyme scheme is ABABBCC.

Sonnet

A sonnet is a 14-line poem with a particular pattern of rhymes. The first eight lines are called the octave, and the last six lines are called the sestet. The octave usually follows a rhyme scheme of ABBA ABBA, and the sestet can follow a variety of patterns. For example, “Let me not to the marriage of true minds / Admit impediments. Love is not love / Which alters when it alteration finds, / Or bends with the remover to remove: / O no! It is an ever-fixed mark / That looks on tempests and is never shaken; / It is the star to every wandering bark, / Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.”

Why do poets use rhyme schemes?

Rhyme schemes can be a powerful tool for poets. They can be used to create a sense of rhythm and flow in a poem, to highlight certain words or phrases, or to create a particular mood or atmosphere.

Evaluation

1. What is a rhyme scheme?
2. State the difference between a couplet and a quatrain.
3. How many lines are in the octave and in the sestet of a sonnet?
4. Give two reasons why poets use rhyme schemes.

Assignment

Write a couplet and a quatrain of your own. State the number of lines in each and show the rhyming words.