Prosody & ScansionComplete Guide — Metrical Feet · Line Lengths · Verse Forms · Rhyme Schemes
Prosody is the study of the sound and rhythm of poetry. Scansion is the method of marking and analysing those patterns. Together they are tested in every UGC NET English paper, CTET, and most university examinations — yet most students lose marks here due to a single muddled definition or confused symbol. This guide fixes that.
What is Prosody?
Prosody is the branch of linguistics and literary study concerned with the rhythmic and acoustic properties of language — primarily in poetry. It covers metre, rhythm, rhyme, and sound patterns. Scansion is the practical process of marking a line of verse to identify its metrical pattern: you mark each syllable as stressed (/) or unstressed (˘), then divide it into feet (|), and finally name the metre.
The basic unit of metre is the foot— a group of stressed and unstressed syllables. The number of feet per line determines the line's length (pentameter = 5 feet, tetrameter = 4 feet, and so on). Together, the foot type and line length name the metre: e.g., iambic pentameter = iamb foot + five feet per line.
The Six Metrical Feet
Iamb
˘ /Unstressed then stressed
e.g. “to BE”
Shakespeare, MiltonTrochee
/ ˘Stressed then unstressed
e.g. “TI-ger”
Shakespeare (witches), LongfellowAnapest
˘ ˘ /Two unstressed then stressed
e.g. “un-der-STAND”
Byron, Dr. SeussDactyl
/ ˘ ˘Stressed then two unstressed
e.g. “MER-ri-ly”
Homer, Virgil, TennysonSpondee
/ /Two stressed syllables
e.g. “HEART-BREAK”
Used for emphasis within other metresPyrrhic
˘ ˘Two unstressed syllables
e.g. “of the”
Used for variation within other metres˘ = unstressed syllable · / = stressed syllable · | = foot boundary
Line Lengths (Number of Feet)
“Thus I”
“Double, double”
“I wandered lonely”
“To err is human, to forgive”
“Shall I compare thee to a summer's day”
“Arms and the man I sing, who first from Troy”
“Half a league, half a league, half a league onward”
“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak”
| Name | Feet per Line | Example Line |
|---|---|---|
| Monometer | 1 | “Thus I” |
| Dimeter | 2 | “Double, double” |
| Trimeter | 3 | “I wandered lonely” |
| Tetrameter | 4 | “To err is human, to forgive” |
| Pentameter | 5 | “Shall I compare thee to a summer's day” |
| Hexameter | 6 | “Arms and the man I sing, who first from Troy” |
| Heptameter | 7 | “Half a league, half a league, half a league onward” |
| Octameter | 8 | “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak” |
How to Scan a Line of Verse
Use this four-step method on any line. We will scan Shakespeare's Sonnet 18, line 1.
Write out the line and mark syllables
Divide every word into syllables and write them out.
Shall · I · com · pare · thee · to · a · sum · mer's · day
Mark stressed (/) and unstressed (˘) syllables
Say the line aloud naturally. Mark syllables that receive stress with / and weak syllables with ˘.
˘ / ˘ / ˘ ˘ ˘ / ˘ / shall I com-PARE thee to a SUM-mer's DAY
Divide into feet with |
Group the syllables into feet. Each iambic foot = ˘ /
shall-I | com-PARE | thee-TO | a-SUM | mer's-DAY ˘ / | ˘ / | ˘ / | ˘ / | ˘ /
Name the metre
Count the feet (5 = pentameter). Identify the foot type (˘ / = iamb). Result:
IAMBIC PENTAMETER
Blank Verse · Heroic Couplet · Free Verse
Three verse forms that are consistently confused in examinations.
Blank Verse
Unrhymed iambic pentameterThe most important verse form in English literature. Distinguished from free verse by its fixed iambic pentameter metre.
Milton (Paradise Lost), Shakespeare (plays)
Heroic Couplet
Rhymed iambic pentameter (AA BB)Two successive rhyming lines of iambic pentameter. Called 'heroic' as the English equivalent of the classical epic metre.
Pope (The Rape of the Lock), Dryden
Free Verse
No fixed metre or rhyme schemeHas neither fixed metre nor rhyme. Often confused with blank verse — the key difference is that blank verse has a strict iambic pentameter metre.
Whitman (Leaves of Grass), T. S. Eliot
Rhyme Schemes
AABB
Couplet rhyme
The Rape of the Lock (Pope)
ABAB
Alternate rhyme
Shakespearean sonnet quatrain
ABBA
Enclosed rhyme
Petrarchan sonnet octave (part)
ABABBCBCC
Spenserian stanza
The Faerie Queene (Spenser)
ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
Shakespearean sonnet
Sonnet 18 (Shakespeare)
ABBAABBA CDECDE
Petrarchan sonnet
Sonnets (Petrarch, Sidney)
ABA BCB CDC …
Terza rima
Divine Comedy (Dante) / Ode to the West Wind (Shelley)
ABABCC
Venus and Adonis stanza
Venus and Adonis (Shakespeare)
| Scheme | Name | Canonical Example |
|---|---|---|
| AABB | Couplet rhyme | The Rape of the Lock (Pope) |
| ABAB | Alternate rhyme | Shakespearean sonnet quatrain |
| ABBA | Enclosed rhyme | Petrarchan sonnet octave (part) |
| ABABBCBCC | Spenserian stanza | The Faerie Queene (Spenser) |
| ABAB CDCD EFEF GG | Shakespearean sonnet | Sonnet 18 (Shakespeare) |
| ABBAABBA CDECDE | Petrarchan sonnet | Sonnets (Petrarch, Sidney) |
| ABA BCB CDC … | Terza rima | Divine Comedy (Dante) / Ode to the West Wind (Shelley) |
| ABABCC | Venus and Adonis stanza | Venus and Adonis (Shakespeare) |
Caesura & Enjambment
Caesura
A pause or break within a line of verse, typically indicated by punctuation. Marked with ‖ in scansion.
“To err is human, ‖ to forgive, divine”
— Alexander Pope
Creates rhythmic variation and emphasis. Medial caesura = middle of line.
Enjambment
The continuation of a sentence beyond the end of a line without punctual pause, pulling the reader into the next line.
“I have measured out my life with coffee spoons;”
“I know the voices dying with a dying fall”
— T. S. Eliot, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
Contrasts with the end-stopped line, which closes with strong punctuation.
UGC NET Exam Traps
Blank verse ≠ Free verse
Blank verse has strict iambic pentameter with no rhyme. Free verse has no fixed metre at all. Exams routinely use these as distractors against each other.
Shakespearean vs Petrarchan sonnet
Shakespearean: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG (three quatrains + couplet). Petrarchan: ABBAABBA CDECDE (octave + sestet). The closing couplet is the clearest distinguishing feature.
Caesura ≠ Enjambment
Caesura is a pause WITHIN a line. Enjambment is the continuation of meaning BEYOND the line break. They are opposites, frequently confused in MCQs.
Trochee vs Iamb
Iamb: unstressed-STRESSED (˘ /). Trochee: STRESSED-unstressed (/ ˘). A line that starts with a stressed syllable is likely trochaic. The witches in Macbeth are the classic trochee example.
Dactyl vs Anapest
Dactyl: STRESSED-un-un (/ ˘ ˘) — like a finger's joints. Anapest: un-un-STRESSED (˘ ˘ /) — the reverse. Dactylic hexameter = Homer and Virgil. Anapestic = Byron's The Destruction of Sennacherib.
Alexandrine = iambic hexameter
An alexandrine is a line of six iambic feet (12 syllables). It is used as the final line of a Spenserian stanza to create a slowing, meditative effect. Do not confuse with dactylic hexameter.
Now Test Yourself — Prosody MCQs
10 UGC NET-style questions on metrical feet, scansion, blank verse, rhyme schemes, caesura and enjambment. +1 / −1 marking, timed — exactly like the real exam.