Year 4 English: Verse, stanzas and rhyme
Part of the Year 4 English reading poetry and plays aloud chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Verse, stanzas and rhyme
A poem is written in lines. A line is one row of words. A stanza is a group of lines, a bit like a paragraph in a poem. Stanzas are often separated by a space, so the reader can see where one group ends and the next begins. Some people use the word verse for a stanza as well.
Rhyme happens when two line endings are spelt in the same way, such as slow and grow. A rhyme scheme shows the pattern: give the first ending the letter A, and each new ending a new letter. The scheme ABAB means lines 1 and 3 rhyme, and lines 2 and 4 rhyme.
Poem: The Quiet Allotment
The gate swings open, cold and slow,
and cabbage leaves are soft with dew.
Past rows where marrows start to grow,
the robin sings, "The day is new."
The spades lie stacked against the wall,
and seeds lie sleeping in the ground.
The watering can is standing tall,
and sparrows hop and look around.
The sun climbs up, and skies are bright,
the bees hum by the old green hive,
the leaves turn gold in morning light,
and every bloom is glad to thrive.
| Word | What it means | Example from The Quiet Allotment |
|---|---|---|
| line | one row of words in a poem | "The gate swings open, cold and slow," |
| stanza | a group of lines in a poem | stanza 1 has four lines |
| rhyme | line endings spelt in the same way | slow and grow both end in -ow |
| rhyme scheme | the letters that show the pattern | ABAB |
Key ideas
- A stanza is a group of lines, often separated by a space.
- Rhyme depends on the spelling of the end of each line, such as -ow in slow and grow.
- Give the first ending the letter A, and each new ending a new letter.
- The rhyme scheme ABAB means lines 1 and 3 match, and lines 2 and 4 match.
Method. Find the stanza, then count its lines one by one.
- Find stanza 2. Stanza 2 starts with The spades lie stacked and ends with around.The spades ... around
- Count the lines. Each line is a separate row of words.1, 2, 3, 4
- Check the gaps. Stanza 2 is separated from stanza 1 and stanza 3 by a space.4 lines between the spaces
- Write the answer. 4 lines
Check. Stanza 2 has four lines: wall, ground, tall and around. ✓
Method. Write down the end word of each line, then match the endings.
- Write the end words. The end word is the last word of each line.slow, dew, grow, new
- Match the endings. Slow and grow both end in -ow, and dew and new both end in -ew.lines 1 and 3 (-ow); lines 2 and 4 (-ew)
- Give the letters in order. Slow is A, dew is B, grow is A again, new is B again.A B A B
- Write the answer. ABAB
Check. Lines 1 and 3 match, and lines 2 and 4 match. ✓
Method. Find the line that rhymes with the first line of the stanza.
- Find the line that ends bright. The first line ends with bright.line 1: bright
- Look for the same ending. The ending -ight is spelt the same in light.line 3: light
- Check the other lines. Line 2 ends hive and line 4 ends thrive, so they do not match bright.only line 3 matches
- Write the answer. line 3
Check. Light and bright both end in -ight. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: rhyme is about the spelling of the end of a line. Ground and around rhyme, because both end in -ound. Slow and slope look alike at the start, but they do not rhyme.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Ask your child to read the poem once, then to point to the last word of each line. Ask: "Which ones end the same way?" Then write the letters together. The rhyme is checked by spelling, so your child can check it on the page.
Exercise 9A Practice: stanzas and rhyme schemes
Method. Count the groups of lines, separated by spaces.
- Find the spaces between the groups. A space separates one stanza from the next.two spaces
- Count the groups. There is a group before the first space, one between the spaces, and one after the second space.stanza 1, stanza 2, stanza 3
- Write the answer. 3
Check. Two spaces make three stanzas. ✓
Watch out. Count the groups, not the spaces.
Method. Count the lines in stanza 2.
- Find stanza 2. It starts with The spades lie stacked against the wall.The spades ... around
- Count the rows. Each row is one line.4 lines
- Write the answer. 4
Check. Four rows: wall, ground, tall and around. ✓
Method. Compare the spelling of the line endings.
- Write down the last word of each line. Rhyme depends on the spelling of the ending.1: slow, 2: dew, 3: grow, 4: new
- Match the endings by their spelling. Lines whose endings are spelt the same way rhyme.lines 1 and 3 end in -ow (slow, grow); lines 2 and 4 end in -ew (dew, new)
- Give each new ending a new letter. Use A for the first ending, B for the next new ending, and so on.ABAB
- Write the answer. ABAB
Check. Lines with the same ending spelling share a letter. ✓
Method. Compare the spelling of the line endings.
- Write down the last word of each line. Rhyme depends on the spelling of the ending.1: wall, 2: ground, 3: tall, 4: around
- Match the endings by their spelling. Lines whose endings are spelt the same way rhyme.lines 1 and 3 end in -all (wall, tall); lines 2 and 4 end in -ound (ground, around)
- Give each new ending a new letter. Use A for the first ending, B for the next new ending, and so on.ABAB
- Write the answer. ABAB
Check. Lines with the same ending spelling share a letter. ✓
Method. Look for the ending -ound.
- Find the ending of ground. Ground is line 2 and ends in -ound.ground: -ound
- Match the spelling. Around is line 4, and it also ends in -ound.around = line 4
- Write the answer. line 4
Check. Ground and around share the ending -ound. ✓
Method. Compare the ending of each word with -ight.
- Check light. Light ends in -ight, the same spelling as bright.light: -ight, rhymes
- Check sight. Sight ends in -ight, the same spelling as bright.sight: -ight, rhymes
- Check kite. Kite ends in -ite, which is spelt differently, so it does not rhyme by spelling.kite: -ite, does not rhyme
- Write the answer. kite
Check. Only kite has a different ending. ✓
Watch out. Look at the last letters, not the first letter.
Method. Look at the last letters of each word.
- Write the endings. The last letters of ground are -ound.ground: -ound
- Compare them. The last letters of around are also -ound.around: -ound
- Write the answer. both end in -ound
Check. The same ending spelling makes a rhyme. ✓
Watch out. Say the answer in a short sentence, with the ending spelt out.
Method. A line is one row. A stanza is a group.
- Define a line. A line is one row of words in a poem.one row of words
- Define a stanza. A stanza is a group of lines, separated by a space.a group of lines
- Write the answer. a line is one row of words, and a stanza is a group of lines
Check. Rows and groups are different things. ✓
Method. Check which lines rhyme before you write the scheme.
- Check lines 1 and 2. Line 1 ends slow and line 2 ends dew, which do not match.slow and dew do not match
- Check lines 1 and 3. Slow and grow both end in -ow, so lines 1 and 3 rhyme.lines 1 and 3 match
- Write the answer. No, the scheme is ABAB
Check. Ali has confused the pattern. ✓
Watch out. AABB means the first two lines rhyme. Here they do not.
Method. Find the stanza that mentions the sun.
- Read each stanza. Stanza 1 is about a gate and dew; stanza 2 is about spades and seeds.stanzas 1 and 2 do not mention the sun
- Find the sun. Stanza 3 begins The sun climbs up.The sun climbs up
- Write the answer. stanza 3
Check. The sun is in stanza 3. ✓
Method. Think about what changes between stanzas.
- Compare the stanzas. Stanza 2 is about the garden tools and seeds; stanza 3 is about the sun.the topic changes
- Explain the effect. The space between stanzas gives the reader a pause to think about the new idea.a pause for the reader
- Write the answer. a new stanza moves to a new idea and gives the reader a pause
Check. The change of stanza shows a change of idea. ✓