CLICK TO LINK TO EXAMPLES OF TRADITIONAL ACCENTUAL-SYLLABIC METERS.  SOME COMBINATIONS MAY REMAIN PURELY HYPOTHETICAL.
 
     IAMBIC     TROCHAIC    ANAPESTIC     DACTYLIC       OTHER
     monometer
          * /		     monometer
         / *		     monometer
         * * /		     monometer
         / * *		 amphimacic monomtr.
         / * /
        dimeter
         * / | * /		        dimeter
       / * | / *		        dimeter
   * * / | * * /		        dimeter
    / * * | / * *		 amphimacic dimeter
     / * / | / * / 
       trimeter
     * / | * / | * / 		       trimeter
    / * | / * | / *		       trimeter
 * * / | * * / | * * /		       trimeter
 / * * | / * * | / * *		 amphibrachic   trimeter
 * / * | * / * | * / * 
      tetrameter
  * / | * / | * / | * / |		       tetrameter
 / * | / * | / * | / * 		       tetrameter
**/ | **/ | **/| **/		       tetrameter
/** | /** | /** | /**		       tetrameter
     pentameter
   * /|* /|* /|* /|* / 		      pentameter
/ *| / *| / *| / *| / *		      pentameter
**/|**/|**/**/|**/		      pentameter
/**|/**|/**|/**|/**		 amphibrachic  pentameter
      hexameter
 */|* /|* /|* /|*/|*/		       hexameter 
/* |/* |/*|/* |/* |/*		       hexameter
       (six feet) 		       hexameter
       (six feet) 		       hexameter 
     heptameter
*/|* /|* /|* /|*/|*/|*/		      heptameter
/*|/* |/*|/* |/* |/*|/*		      heptameter
     (seven feet) 		      heptameter
    (seven feet) 		      heptameter
    (seven feet) 
     octameter
     (eight feet) 		     octameter
    (eight feet) 		     octameter
    (eight feet) 		     octameter
    (eight feet) 		     octameter
    (eight feet) 
alternating iambic tetrameter and dimeter trochaic tetrameters with one dimeter per stanza anapestic dimeters and trimeters dactylic tetrameters and trimeters
alternating iambic tetrameter and trimeter (common measure, ballad meter) anapestic tetrameters and trimeters dactylic tetrameters and dimeters alternating amphibrachic tetrameter and trimeter (sort of)
iambic trimeter lines 1,2,4; tetrameter in 3 (short measure)

Please note that the templates above almost never fit an actual poem exactly. If we use this foot-based method to describe poetic meter in English, we have to allow for abundant "substitution," where any iamb ( * / ) can become a trochee ( / * ), a spondee ( / / ), or a pyrrhic ( * * ). Trochaic rhythm tends to be somewhat more regular, but substitutions occur there as well. Sometimes poets introduce three-syllable feet into a line of iambs or trochees, and three-syllable (or "triple") footed meters often shift from anapests ( * * /), to dactyls ( / * * ), amphibrachs ( * / * ), amphimacers ( / * / ), and other combinations.

Note that spondaic meters or pyrrhic meters (as opposed to individual feet) in English are impossible because of the constant alternation of stressed and unsrtessed syllables. Despite this obvious truth, some discussions of English metrics speak of spondaic meter and even attempt to illustrate it with lines isolated from poems written in iambic or anapestic meters.


©1999 H. T. Kirby-Smith