Day 20 - Rhyming Poetry (a-b-a-b pattern)

Day 20 - Rhyming Poetry  (a-b-a-b pattern)

Here’s a couple of resources you can use to find rhyming words – just type in the word in the box, click and poof ~ a rhyming word appears:

Rhymer - instant rhyme site

Rhyme Zone - instant rhyming site 

Rhyming schemes: the use of end rhymes – last sound of the end word in one line of poetry rhyming with the last sound of the end word in another line of poetry.

There are several rhyming schemes in poetry but we are going to start with the most common:

a – b – a – b

This is where the words at the end of the first and third lines rhyme and the words at the end of the second and fourth line rhyme.

You should also try to keep the meters of lines ‘a’ the same as each other and the meters of line ‘b’ the same as each other. This can be done by counting syllables. In the little 4 line example I made up, you can see the end words in the first and third lines rhyme and they both have 5 beats (5 syllables). The end words in the second and fourth lines rhyme and they both have 6 beats (6 syllables).

I went to the store

To buy a loaf of bread.
I found something more
“So typical,” I said. 
                      © Stephanie Abney 2011
                  (seems silly to copyright such a simple little sample verse but there you have it)

You can just do four lines or you can create a longer poem by making several stanzas of four lines each. Also, note that often times the very last stanza can vary, or not, but all previous stanzas should follow the pattern.

Your turn! Have fun!