What is rhythm?

Rhythm and rhyme can be considered structural elements of poems. All language has rhythm. Rhythm refers to the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables of language. Dictionaries are valuable tools when reading poetry. They can help a reader determine how to divide and stress syllables. Dictionaries use marks called “accents” to indicate stressed and unstressed syllables.

Stressed syllables are indicated by a “/,”while unstressed syllables are indicated by a “u.”. Patterns of stressed syllables and unstressed syllables are separated by “|.” One pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables is called a “foot.” Look at the table below to learn the names of common stress patterns.