8 March, 2015

THE REASON FOR RHYME – DIFFERENT STROKES; DIFFERENT FOLKS

So as we see, the placement of rhyme can interject different moods and inflections into what it is we want to say. Some say it is as important as the rhyme itself. When I began writing poetic verse (back in the day) my impression of what constituted poetry was purely the sing-songy (moon, spoon, June) end rhyme. I learned quickly there was more to it than that. But still, I considered rhyme important!

Rhymes (sound pairs) fall into some specific categories, all of which can achieve varied effects no matter where they are placed. Wherever possible, I’ll try to provide examples.

By definition:

Perfect rhyme. (Also true rhyme, full rhyme) The initial sound is different no matter how many syllables rhyme. Examples: true/blue, money/sunny, happily/snappily,…

Also considered Perfect rhyme:

  • Strong or Hard (masculine) rhyme – Perfect rhymes occurring on a single, stressed syllable. Examples: prize/wise, prize/despise (this two syllable word is iambic)…
  • Weak or Soft (feminine) rhyme – Perfect rhyme that begins on a stressed syllable, ending on the final unstressed syllable. When the word involves three syllables, it is called triple rhyme. Examples: darling/starling, reference/preference…
  • Mosaic rhyme – A perfect rhyme formed by combining shorter words to rhyme with a multi-syllabic word. Examples: poet/know it, spirit/hear it, Longfellow/strong fellow…
  • Broken rhyme – A perfect rhyme formed by hyphenating (or breaking) a word across the end of a line. Examples:

x x x x x x fate

x x x x x x x await-

ing x x x x x x x

Identical rhyme. (Also called autorhyme, null rhyme, self-rhyme) These rhyme words are identical. It is called rich rhyme if the words are homonyms. Examples: cheer/cheer, seat/seat, ideal/ideal,…

Near rhyme. (also called off rhyme, slant rhyme, half rhyme) These are approximate rhymes that are picked by the poet to convey a certain effect. They are deliberate rhymes and not failures to achieve perfect rhymes. Not to be confused with close rhyme which refers to location or placement of the rhyme. Examples: seal/seat, foot/fault, hearing/herring,…

Also considered Near Rhyme:

  •  Wrenched Rhyme – The pronunciation or spelling of one or more words is manipulated to force a rhyme. It can also be done by changing the sound or shifting the stress. Usually used to express surprise, cleverness or humor. Examples: element/elephant, defunct/elephunt, wench/mensch…
  • Eye Rhyme (or printer’s rhyme) -Two words with homographic endings of different pronunciations. Examples: move/love/stove, good/food, bough/cough/through, pants/wants,…
  • Assonance – Only the vowel sound is repeated. Examples: but/stud, sad/back, mold/soda,…
  • Consonance – Only the final consonant sound is repeated. Examples: hat/shot, school,hall,…
  • Pararhyme (frame rhyme) –  The first and last consonant sounds are repeated, but the vowel sound between is different. Examples: soup/shop, bolt/best, meant/mint,…

The kinds of rhymes available to us are widely varied. They all serve a useful purpose in our daily expression and poemic endeavors. Now in March, we will be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day and the arrival of Spring (Be strong my East Coast Brethren and Sistren (near/wrenched rhyme) Spring WILL arrive someday!).

Using the idea of either or of a parade, or the color green, write your poems with an eye toward including some of these rhyming techniques. Of course, you can go off base and write any poem on any subject using rhyme. And have a good time!

Walt

73 thoughts on “THE REASON FOR RHYME – DIFFERENT STROKES; DIFFERENT FOLKS”

  1. 8 March, 2015 at 11:12 am
    William Preston

    QUASI-PADDY

    Be ye not Irish? Well, matters it not,
    for blessings I send ye today
    as though ye wore aught but the bloomin’ auld green
    and hailed ye from `round Galway Bay.

    Be ye not Irish? Hmph! ‘Tis but a trifle,
    for leprechauns must’ve been near
    when the Lord gave ye dimples and flaming red tresses
    and a grin that is hinged on your ear.

    Be ye not Irish? Well, neither be I
    but when ye and me are apart,
    the laughter ye flash in your sighs and your eyes
    resides like a brogue in me heart.

    Liked by 5 people

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  2. 8 March, 2015 at 7:11 pm
    Marie Elena

    “(Be strong my East Coast Brethren and Sistren (near/wrenched rhyme) Spring WILL arrive someday!).” Walt, you just crack me up! 😀

    Liked by 1 person

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  3. 9 March, 2015 at 9:30 am
    Heart of Irish | Metaphors and Smiles

    […] THE REASON FOR RHYME – DIFFERENT STROKES; DIFFERENT FOLKS exploring different types of rhyme in shamrock green or spring […]

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  4. 9 March, 2015 at 9:32 am
    Hannah Gosselin

    What a wealth of rhyming treasure you’ve brought to use, Walt!! Thank you!

    Here’s my little bitty rhyming beauty! 😉

    https://wordrustling.wordpress.com/2015/03/09/heart-of-irish/

    Liked by 1 person

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  5. 9 March, 2015 at 10:33 am
    http://vivinfrance.wordpress.com

    A Song for Patrick’s Day

    When I was young
    I learned to sing
    a song for Patrick’s day.
    If I remember
    rightly, then
    today is Patrick’s day

    I don’t remember
    all the words
    and can’t recall the tune
    but somewhere
    in the song I think
    the people wear the Green.

    So it’s diddly dum
    and diddly dee and
    what was that again?
    Oh yes said she
    it must be dee
    or is it diddly dum.

    I’ve drunk sho much
    me mind’s a mush
    Diddly what a day
    Diddly diddly
    diddly what
    a shong for Patrick’s Day.

    I may fall down.
    Before I do
    it’s besht I shpill the beans:
    the shong I learned
    in school, it was –
    The Wearing of the Green.

    Liked by 3 people

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  6. 9 March, 2015 at 11:16 am
    J.lynn Sheridan

    One too many pints for you, Viv!

    Liked by 1 person

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  7. 9 March, 2015 at 11:19 am
    J.lynn Sheridan

    I’d just like to share a site called B-Rhymes. It’s tagline is: Find Words That Almost Rhyme
    “B-Rhymes is a rhyming dictionary that’s not stuck up about what does and doesn’t rhyme. It gives you words that sound good together even if they don’t technically rhyme.” http://www.b-rhymes.com/

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  8. 9 March, 2015 at 3:58 pm
    Pamela Smyk Cleary (PSC)

    The Wearin’ O’ the Green

    It’s time to shed this winter white.
    The sight’s been lovely and serene,
    but spring is nigh (collective sigh),
    and Gaia should be wearing green.

    The ice and snow must simply go
    as flowers, birds and leaves convene.
    That frozen sheen of crystalline
    should melt to liquid aquamarine.

    The silver shades were cool and bright
    but springtime brings a warmer light.
    The white was sweet, but I confess:
    I much prefer your emerald dress.

    PSC/2015-draft

    Liked by 3 people

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  9. 9 March, 2015 at 7:08 pm
    horsebackwriter

    Rills burble blue, meander
    through the sward
    unbound veins, tangled
    fingering toward
    an unlikely junction where
    yellow C weaves
    through blue E minor, among
    flowered leaves
    a flushing green song, in which
    the meadow grieves

    Liked by 1 person

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  10. 9 March, 2015 at 8:58 pm
    ejparsons

    Give a Hand to the Band

    The drums beat from down the street
    Boom boom bumpity boom boom
    Louder, closer, boom-boom-bam-boom
    The big bands deserve a hand
    With brass and wood, sounding good
    Their rhythmic feet marching to the beat
    Coming down the street

    © 2015 Earl Parsons

    Liked by 3 people

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  11. 9 March, 2015 at 10:07 pm
    Janet

    So, Where Does Time Go?

    Where do you go, oh ether flow of gripping gossamer
    The fabric of your free-fall fills us all with awe, kind sir
    To touch you is like clutching at the shadow of a tree
    Your essence undeniable, your presence none can see

    The kiss of you can turn the hue of raven tress to gray
    You tip your hat as That-and-This is sealed in Yesterday
    Yet in your deft dispersal no rehearsal or rebuff
    Can ever full prepare us for the farewell of you, love

    Where, as you pass through our glass, is your ageless repose?
    The resting place of moment-grace nobody truly knows
    Its ilk of silk can bilk the heart until quite unaware
    We earn the slow-burn of your hard-learned no-return Affair

    Where do you go, kind sir and tell me then, why do you haste?
    As seasons smile, still all the while you rile our Touch and Taste
    With what we know we cannot slow; your sheer and sure demise
    Veils hurricanes where lifetimes wane before our very eyes

    Liked by 4 people

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  12. 10 March, 2015 at 6:01 am
    Misky

    He Always Thought He Be Irish

    His soul
    was resolute green,
    as was his pint of stout,
    and he had never
    a fear, glad songs
    of his cheer,
    as Saint Paddy’s parade
    drew near.

    Liked by 4 people

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  13. 10 March, 2015 at 6:08 am
    He Always Thought He Be Irish | The Chalk Hills Journal

    […] For Phoenix Rising: […]

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  14. 10 March, 2015 at 9:59 am
    WmPreston

    Sistren, eh? Ah, wonderful, Walt. For a fellow with Polish heritage, you do have a strong breath of blarney.

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  15. 10 March, 2015 at 4:00 pm
    Walt Wojtanik

    ANTICIPATING SPRING

    Hidden in forbidden slumber
    under the slew of snow and ice.
    Merely weeks away the day that Spring
    appears we’ll cheer and revel
    in celebration, joy will be unbridled
    when it decides to come. One-by-one
    the days pass, slow not fast
    and each in question. Any mention
    of flurries and freezing leaves me
    cold. I’m getting to old for this.
    These are the waitings in which
    we’ve been partaking. There’s no
    mistaking, Spring is taking
    it’s sweet old time!

    © Walter J. Wojtanik, 2015

    Phoenix Rising Poetry Guild – The Reason For Rhyme: Different Strokes; Different Folks

    Liked by 1 person

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  16. 10 March, 2015 at 5:41 pm
    connielpeters

    A man once tired of the rut
    Began to feel like a nut
    So with his wife Lily
    Went off to Kauai
    And now they live in a hut

    Liked by 2 people

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  17. 11 March, 2015 at 4:30 pm
    drnurit

    The Shifting Routine of the White and the Green

    By: Nurit Israeli

    With this mighty winter, it’s hard to grasp
    that lastly, I trust, we’re just on the cusp −
    of a shifting routine, an in-between scene,
    where white is giving way to green.

    Well, Snow White, the resigning queen
    Is still in, still seen where she’s been,
    though with a softer sheen, like a careening
    figurine who is becoming more serene.

    See? The sea of white is still quite wide,
    yet not as bright. See? In spite, the cold
    can’t bite, and though her reign’s still on,
    the queen is quietly passing the baton.

    Yes, I hear spring ring earth’s doorbell
    loud and clear, so as to foretell: I’m here! I’m near!
    And, yes, this song of spring, that’s on the brink,
    is music to my ears, has been for years.

    Oh, how I love the changing of the guard!
    And though so often slow and hard,
    I grin, as I enjoy the in-between,
    when white is keen on making room for green,

    and a mysterious glorious string
    victoriously tugs spring
    that’s spinning in.
    −−−−−−−−−−−−>

    Liked by 2 people

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  18. 19 March, 2015 at 1:57 am
    Linda EH

    very informative post, Walt
    I hope to try at least one of these this weekend

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