Rhymes

Types of rhymes and prosody

The study of prosody, which pertains to the melody, intonation, stress, and rhythm of speech, is closely linked to the study of rhyme. Rhyme is one of the key elements of prosody, as it helps to create a musical and rhythmic effect in language as well as convey meaning and emphasis in speech.

Rhyme serves as a way to unify the lines in a poem, adding a sense of harmony and cohesiveness to the work. The use of different types of rhyme can also help to emphasize certain melodies or stress in the poem. For example, the use of perfect rhyme can create a sense of finality or closure, while the use of imperfect rhyme can create a sense of uncertainty or ambiguity.

Furthermore, the study of prosody can aid in understanding the way poetry is spoken or performed and how it can be analysed in the context of its performance.

Types of rhyme with examples

There are several types of rhyme including: perfect rhyme, imperfect rhyme, end rhyme, feminine rhyme, masculine rhyme, eye rhyme, pararhyme, monorhyme, monosyllabic rhyme, multisyllabic rhyme and dactylic rhyme.

The three most common types of rhyme, and the types of rhymes that we will concentrate on in this article, are:

• Perfect rhyme

• Imperfect rhyme

• End rhyme

Perfect or full rhyme

Perfect rhyme is when two words share the same vowel sound in the final syllable and have identical final consonants.

Perfectly rhyming words can also have more than one syllable.

Shakespeare often uses perfect rhyme in his plays and sometimes entire speeches are written in perfect rhyme. We can see this in the speech below:

(Shakespeare, Comedy of Errors, 1589–94)

Imperfect or Half Rhyme

In this kind of rhyme, the rhyming words do not sound identical; they only sound 'half' similar (hence half-rhyme).

In the first verse of Emily Dickinson's 'Hope', for example, the words 'soul' and 'all' are not an exact match, and are only vaguely similar in sound:

(Emily Dickinson, 'Hope', 1891)

In another one of Dickinson's poems, 'Because I could not stop for Death', the words 'day' and 'eternity' each end in a 'y' but share little else, relying on rhythm instead.

(Emily Dickinson, 'Because I could not stop for Death', 1890)

End rhyme

End rhymes are the most frequently used rhyme and occur when phrases end in rhyming syllables.

We can see examples of end rhymes in TS Eliot's poem 'Macavity the Mystery Cat'. Can you identify where the rhyming words are?:

(TS Eliot, 'Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats', 1939)

'Paw' in the first line rhymes with 'law ' in the second line, and 'despair' rhymes with '(not) there'.

Because these rhymes fall at the end of each line, we call them end rhymes.

Nursery song rhymes

Rhyming is a helpful tool for memorizing words, which is possibly why rhyming has traditionally been used in nursery songs and riddles for children.

Nursery rhymes have been handed down through oral tradition and often have historical or political origins. The following rhyme, for example, is believed to commemorate the bubonic plague, otherwise known as the 'Black Death', and its symptoms:

(Anon)

The first line 'a ring of roses' describes the circular rash that would appear on the victim's skin. In the second line 'posies' refers to a mix of herbs and flowers which were carried by people to protect themselves from catching the plague. 'Atishoo!' refers to the final symptom of sneezing, and the last line 'all fall down' means 'we all fall down - dead!'

Other rhymes were more satirical, as in 'Georgy Porgy' which is thought to refer to George IV:

(Anon)

'Georgy', or Prince Regent (later George IV), was keen on food and women; the line 'when the boys came out to play' might be referring to the women's husbands retaliating - at which point George, who was noted for his cowardice, would withdraw.

Fig. 1 - The nursery rhyme Hickory Dickory Dock is another that uses rhyming to create a fun, memorable rhyme and rhythm.

Types of poetry rhyme

Poets not only rely on rhyming when writing poetry, but they also rely on structure, or rhyme scheme, to help them build or 'sculpt' their works on paper. Let's explore what rhyme schemes are and then take a closer look at a few specific types of rhyme schemes: rhyming couplets, alternate rhymes, and the sonnet.

Types of rhyme scheme with examples

Rhyme schemes are patterns of rhyme used when writing a poem. When describing the pattern we use letters of the alphabet:

Because 'pie' and 'cry' rhyme in the first two lines, these lines are marked 'A'.

Because 'play' and 'away' rhyme in the second two lines, these lines are marked 'B'.

The letters mark the rhyme scheme of the poem. So, in this example, we can see that 'Georgy Porgy' has an AABB rhyme scheme. This is just one example of a rhyme scheme - there are many different possible combinations!

Rhyming couplets

Let's take another look at TS Eliot's 'Macavity' and see which lines rhyme:

'Macavity' has lines that rhyme in pairs, such as 'paw' and 'law', 'despair' and '(not) there'. We call these rhyming couplets. So, just like in the previous example of 'Georgy Porgy', 'Macavity' has an AABB rhyme scheme which means that it is made up of pairs of lines that rhyme and usually share the same rhythm.

Alternate rhyme

Another typical rhyme scheme is ABAB. This means the first line will rhyme with the third, and the second line will rhyme with the fourth. This is also called alternate rhyme and can be seen in poems with verses of 4 lines (called stanzas).

Take a look at the rhyming words in this section of 'The Song of the Jellicles' by TS Eliot.

'Faces' in line 1 rhymes with 'graces' from line 2 (so we have A _ A _).

'Eyes' from line 3 matches 'rise' from line 4 (so we have _B_B).

If we combine these together, we can see that the poem has the rhyme scheme ABAB.

The sonnet

A sonnet is a poem of 14 lines with a varying rhythm scheme; originally Italian, it was introduced into England in the 16th century and has remained a popular poetic form ever since.

The English or Shakespearean sonnet has three 4-line stanzas, each line containing ten syllables, and finishes with a couplet. The rhyme scheme, therefore, is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.

Fig. 2 - William Shakespeare famously used the same rhyming scheme for his many sonnets.

Shakespeare wrote over 150 sonnets using this scheme. In 'Sonnet 12' (1609), the speaker observes the passing of time and ends with a couplet advising to cheat death by having children and, thereby, living on through them.

Rhyme is not everyone's favourite (some poets avoid it altogether!), But many use it for its capacity to add harmony and impact to their work, thereby enriching the reader's experience and understanding.