Iambic Pentameter

Rhythm (meter) is an important element in poetry. Iambic pentameter is one type of meter. Complete the notes and practice below to correctly identify and write your own iambic pentameter.

  1. What is Iambic Pentameter?
    Let’s break it down:
  2. An is an unstressed syllable + a stressed syllable.
  3. Ex. Between, mature, and instead
  4. In poetry, rhythmic units are called
    . An iamb is a kind of foot.
  5. means that the foot is repeated five times.
  6. It has the Greek root , which means 5. (Think of a pentagon; it has 5 sides.)
  7. Let’s write out the “equation” for Iambic Pentameter =
    ( +) x
  8. What does Iambic Pentameter sound & look like?
  9. da DUM / da DUM / da DUM / da DUM / da DUM
  10. My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;
  11. Coral is far more red than her lips’ red;
  12. Who uses iambic pentameter?
  13. Iambic pentameter is one of the most common meters in poetry.
  14. is famous for using it in both his plays and his poems.

Now on your own:

  1. Practice
  2. Clap out the rhythms for the sonnet below.
  3. Then, draw slashes in each line to show how they break into iambs.
  4. Finally, mark the lines with iambic symbols:  ∕
  5. This is how the first line will look:
    Shall I / compare / thee to / a sum / mer’s day?

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:

  1. Craft your own poem!Writing in iambic pentameter requires thought and discipline to find just the right words. Create your own poem using iambic pentameter. Use the lines below to write your poem. *Remember that each space is a syllable, not necessarily a whole word. Also, words should not break across lines.


Iambic Pentameter

Rhythm (meter) is an important element in poetry. Iambic pentameter is one type of meter. Complete the notes and practice below to correctly identify and write your own iambic pentameter.

  1. What is Iambic Pentameter?
    Let’s break it down:
  2. Aniamb is an unstressed syllable + a stressed syllable.
  3. Ex. Between, mature, and instead
  4. In poetry, rhythmic units are called
    feet. An iamb is a kind of foot.
  5. Pentameter means that the foot is repeated five times.
  6. It has the Greek root penta, which means 5. (Think of a pentagon; it has 5 sides.)
  7. Let’s write out the “equation” for Iambic Pentameter =
    (unstressed syllable +stressed syllable) x 5
  8. What does Iambic Pentameter sound & look like?
  9. da DUM / da DUM / da DUM / da DUM / da DUM
  10. My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;
  11. Coral is far more red than her lips’ red;
  12. Who uses iambic pentameter?
  13. Iambic pentameter is one of the most common meters in poetry.
  14. William Shakespeare is famous for using it in both his plays and his poems.

Now on your own:

  1. Practice
  2. Clap out the rhythms for the sonnet below.
  3. Then, draw slashes in each line to show how they break into iambs.
  4. Finally, mark the lines with iambic symbols:  ∕
  5. This is how the first line will look:
    Shall I / compare / thee to / a sum / mer’s day?

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:

  1. Craft your own poem!Writing in iambic pentameter requires thought and discipline to find just the right words. Create your own poem using iambic pentameter. Use the lines below to write your poem. *Remember that each space is a syllable, not necessarily a whole word. Also, words should not break across lines.