American Literature / Unit 1 AML 0009 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Iambic Pentameter, the Default English Line
Captions available
The idea
An iamb is an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one, the rhythm of the words "abide" and "the curfew tolls". Five iambs make a pentameter line, which has carried most serious English verse for four centuries. Hammer treats it as the measure other rhythms are heard against.
In practice
Five iambs, ten syllables, the standard line.
Where people slip
Perfectly regular lines are rare and dull.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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