Reading poetry: form, imagery and sound
By the end of this chapter you will be able to
- Name the form of a poem, and say how its stanzas and lines are organised
- Identify a rhyme scheme and explain what it does
- Name a figure of speech in a poem and explain its effect
- Identify a sound pattern, such as alliteration or sibilance, and its effect
- Explain the persona and tone, and the effect of enjambment or a pause
You should already know
- Simile, metaphor and personification (Year 6, Chapter 11)
- Learning and performing poems (Year 6, Chapter 11)
Where this leads
- Reading drama and plays (Chapter 4 of this book)
- Comparing texts (Chapter 6 of this book)
National Curriculum for England, Key Stage 3 English, Year 7. Content: Read poetry from different forms, including free verse, sonnets and narrative poems (KS3 reading, R1), Analyse poetic form, stanza, rhythm, rhyme, imagery and sound patterns, and their effect (KS3 reading, R8), Identify persona, tone and the effect of enjambment and punctuation within a poem (KS3 reading, R8).
Exercise P Do you remember?
Method. A group of lines in a poem is a stanza.
- Look at the poem on the page. The gaps split the poem into groups of lines.gaps
- Name the group. Each group of lines is a stanza.stanza
- Write the answer. stanza
Check. stanza is the word. ✓
Method. The same starting sound, repeated, is alliteration.
- Look at the starts of the words. Words such as big, bold and blue start with the same sound.big, bold, blue
- Name the pattern. The repeated starting sound is alliteration.alliteration
- Write the answer. alliteration
Check. alliteration is the name. ✓
Method. A couplet is a pair of lines.
- Think about the word. Couplet means a pair.a pair
- Count the lines. A pair has two lines.2 lines
- Write the answer. 2
Check. A couplet has two lines. ✓
Method. A comparison with like or as is a simile.
- Look for like or as. The comparison uses a joining word.like or as
- Name the device. It is a simile.simile
- Write the answer. simile
Check. like or as makes a simile. ✓
Method. Poems without a regular pattern are free verse.
- Think about the pattern. Free verse has no regular rhyme or beat.no regular pattern
- Name the form. The form is free verse.free verse
- Write the answer. free verse
Check. free verse has no regular pattern. ✓
Form, stanzas and lines
The form of a poem is its shape and pattern on the page. A stanza is a group of lines. A sonnet has 14 lines, usually in three quatrains (four-line stanzas) and a final couplet (two lines). A narrative poem tells a story. Free verse has no regular rhyme or beat, but it still uses line breaks to shape the reader's pace.
Poem 1: Night bus (original, free verse)
The bus is almost empty.
A woman sleeps with her bag
held tight against her chest.
Outside, the city hums its tune
of brake lights and wet pavements,
and every window is a small lit room
where someone is still awake.
The driver does not look up.
He waits at each stop
as if the street might still change its mind,
then pulls away again,
the engine humming under us like a held breath.
Poem 2: Allotment in March (original, sonnet)
The frost has left the furrows, cold and grey,
and I kneel down to loosen the hard ground;
a robin watches from the fence all day,
then hops in close and turns its head around.
I push the fork in, and the earth gives way,
its smell of turned soil rising, sharp and clean;
a worm slides back into the dark, as if to say
that winter's over, and the hedge is green.
I sit back on my heels and close my eyes,
and hear the church bell, faint across the town;
the pale sun lifts its head above the rise,
and I sit awhile before the seeds go down.
Tomorrow I will sow the peas and beans,
and learn again what patience means.
Poem 3: Kite on the hill (original, narrative ballad)
Ravi climbed the hill at dawn,
his red kite tugging on its string;
the wind was high, the grass was wet,
then the cord slipped free and the kite took wing.
It drifted over fields of hay,
past chimneys, churches and the river's bend;
Ravi ran until his breath was gone,
and watched it fade toward the valley's end.
He sat down on a cold, flat stone,
and wondered where the red kite flew,
past crooked lanes and sleepy farms
and out to where the sea lay blue.
That evening, down the crooked lane,
a girl came walking, kite in hand.
"I found it caught beyond the weir,"
she said, "it came to rest on our land."
Key ideas
- A stanza is a group of lines; a sonnet has 14 lines.
- Free verse has no regular rhyme or beat; line breaks control the pace.
- A narrative poem tells a story, often in regular stanzas.
Method. Count the groups of lines, separated by gaps.
- Find the gaps. Gaps separate the lines into groups.gaps
- Count the groups. Three groups of four lines, then one of two.three of four, one of two
- Write the number. The sonnet has four stanzas.4
- Write the answer. 4
Check. Three quatrains and a couplet make four stanzas. ✓
Method. Look at the end of each line for a pattern.
- Check the ends. The lines end with brake lights, chest, awake, and so on.no pattern
- Check the beat. The lines vary in length, with no steady beat.vary in length
- Name the form. A poem with no regular pattern is free verse.free verse
- Write the answer. no, it is free verse
Check. The poem has no regular pattern. ✓
Method. Decide what the poem does, then look at its stanzas.
- What does it do? It tells the story of Ravi and his kite.tells a story
- How is it shaped? It has four stanzas of four lines each.four lines each
- Name the form. It is a narrative poem in regular stanzas.narrative poem
- Write the answer. a narrative poem, in regular stanzas of four lines
Check. The poem tells a story in regular stanzas. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: "free" does not mean "random". A free verse poem still makes choices about line breaks and stanzas, which affect the pace.
Exam tip
Exam tip. Name the form first, then say how its shape (stanzas, lines, length) supports the poem's meaning.
Exercise 3A Practice: form, stanzas and lines
Method. Count the groups of lines.
- Count the groups. Three quatrains and a final couplet make four groups.four groups
- Write the number. There are four stanzas.4
- Write the answer. 4
Check. Four stanzas. ✓
Method. Recall the form of a sonnet.
- Recall the form. A sonnet is a fixed form of fourteen lines.fourteen lines
- Write the number. It has 14 lines.14
- Write the answer. 14
Check. A sonnet has 14 lines. ✓
Method. Count the lines in the first stanza.
- Count the lines. Ravi climbed... / his red kite... / the wind... / then the cord...four lines
- Write the number. Each stanza has four lines.4
- Write the answer. 4
Check. Four lines in each stanza. ✓
Method. Test each choice against the sentence or the text.
- Read what the question asks for. Decide what the sentence or the text needs.
- Test the choice. It has no regular rhyme or beat, so it is free verse.Night bus fits
- Reject the other choices. Allotment in March has a fixed form, and Kite on the hill has a regular rhyme pattern.Allotment in March and Kite on the hill do not fit
- Write the answer. Night bus
Check. The choice fits the sentence or the text. ✓
Method. Test each choice against the sentence or the text.
- Read what the question asks for. Decide what the sentence or the text needs.
- Test the choice. It follows Ravi, his kite, and the girl who returns it.Kite on the hill fits
- Reject the other choices. The other poems describe a moment, rather than a sequence of events.Night bus and Allotment in March do not fit
- Write the answer. Kite on the hill
Check. The choice fits the sentence or the text. ✓
Method. Look for the gap between groups of lines.
- Look for the gap. There is one gap, after the first seven lines.one gap
- Answer. So the poem has stanzas.yes
- Write the answer. yes
Check. The gap separates two stanzas. ✓
Method. Search the poem for the words the question asks for.
- Find the place in the poem. The first line is a sentence on its own.The bus is almost empty.
- Copy the words exactly. Copy them with no changes.The bus is almost empty.
- Write the answer. The bus is almost empty.
Check. The words are copied exactly from the poem. ✓
Method. Count the gaps, then add one.
- Count the gaps. There is one gap in the poem.one gap
- Add one. One gap gives two stanzas.2
- Write the answer. 2
Check. Two stanzas. ✓
Method. Test each choice against the sentence or the text.
- Read what the question asks for. Decide what the sentence or the text needs.
- Test the choice. Free verse does not follow a regular rhyme scheme.a regular rhyme scheme fits
- Reject the other choices. A title and a speaker can appear in any poem, including free verse.a title and a speaker do not fit
- Write the answer. a regular rhyme scheme
Check. The choice fits the sentence or the text. ✓
Method. Think about what the form feels like.
- Think about the subject. A bus journey is ordinary and unplanned.ordinary and unplanned
- Link the form. Free verse has no fixed pattern, which suits the feel.no fixed pattern
- Write the answer. it suits the unplanned, everyday feel of the journey.
Check. The form is linked to the subject. ✓
Method. Link the form to the subject.
- Name the form. A sonnet has fourteen lines in set stanzas.set stanzas
- Link it to the subject. The gardener observes the garden step by step, in order.step by step
- Write the answer. its tight structure matches the patient, careful way the gardener observes each detail.
Check. The form is linked to the subject. ✓
Rhyme, rhythm and stanza patterns
A rhyme scheme is the pattern of end sounds, shown with letters: lines that rhyme share a letter. So ABAB means that lines 1 and 3 rhyme, and lines 2 and 4 rhyme. A rhythm is the beat of the line. Many sonnets use iambic pentameter: ten syllables, with an unstressed-stressed beat in each pair, such as the FROST.
Key ideas
- A rhyme scheme is shown with letters: the same letter means the lines rhyme.
- A sonnet's usual scheme is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, ending with a couplet.
- Rhythm is the beat of a line; count syllables to check it.
Method. Find the end word of each line, then check which lines rhyme.
- Line 1 and 3. Grey and day rhyme.grey, day
- Line 2 and 4. Ground and around rhyme.ground, around
- Write the scheme. Lines 1 and 3 share A; lines 2 and 4 share B.ABAB
- Write the answer. ABAB
Check. Two pairs of rhyming lines make ABAB. ✓
Method. Check each pair of lines.
- Lines 1 and 3. Dawn and wet do not rhyme.no rhyme
- Lines 2 and 4. String and wing rhyme.string, wing
- Write the scheme. Only lines 2 and 4 rhyme, so the scheme is ABCB.ABCB
- Write the answer. ABCB
Check. Only lines 2 and 4 rhyme. ✓
Method. Test each choice against the sentence or the text.
- Read what the question asks for. Decide what the sentence or the text needs.
- Test the choice. Each line has ten syllables, with a beat on every second syllable.iambic pentameter fits
- Reject the other choices. Free verse has no steady beat, and a two-beat line has only two stresses.free verse and a steady two-beat rhythm do not fit
- Write the answer. iambic pentameter
Check. The choice fits the sentence or the text. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: rhyme is about the sound of the end of the line, not the spelling. Check the sound, then name the letter.
Exam tip
Exam tip. When you name a rhyme scheme, write the letters for the whole stanza, such as ABAB, and say which lines rhyme.
Exercise 3B Practice: rhyme and rhythm
Method. Find the end words of the first lines.
- Find the end words. Line 1 ends grey, and line 3 ends day.day
- Check the sound. Grey and day share the same ending sound.same ending sound
- Write the answer. day
Check. day rhymes with grey. ✓
Method. Find the end words of lines 2 and 4.
- Find the end words. Line 2 ends ground, and line 4 ends around.around
- Check the sound. Ground and around rhyme.rhyme
- Write the answer. around
Check. around rhymes with ground. ✓
Method. Find the end word of line 4 of the first stanza.
- Find the end word. Line 4 ends with wing.wing
- Check the sound. String and wing share the ending sound.ending sound
- Write the answer. wing
Check. wing rhymes with string. ✓
Method. Recall the parts of a sonnet.
- Recall the parts. A sonnet ends with two rhyming lines.two rhyming lines
- Name them. Two rhyming lines at the end are a couplet.couplet
- Write the answer. couplet
Check. A couplet is two lines. ✓
Method. Test each choice against the sentence or the text.
- Read what the question asks for. Decide what the sentence or the text needs.
- Test the choice. Every stanza of the sonnet follows a set rhyme pattern.Allotment in March fits
- Reject the other choices. Night bus has no rhyme pattern, so the answer is not none of these.Night bus and none of these do not fit
- Write the answer. Allotment in March
Check. The choice fits the sentence or the text. ✓
Method. Check each pair of lines.
- Check lines 2 and 4. Bend and end rhyme.bend, end
- Check lines 1 and 3. Hay and gone do not rhyme.no rhyme
- Write the scheme. Only lines 2 and 4 rhyme, so the scheme is ABCB.ABCB
- Write the answer. ABCB
Check. bend and end rhyme. ✓
Method. Count the syllables, one beat at a time.
- Count the syllables. The / frost / has / left / the / fur / rows / cold / and / grey.10 beats
- Write the number. The line has ten syllables.10
- Write the answer. 10
Check. Ten syllables. ✓
Method. Count the syllables, one beat at a time.
- Count the syllables. I / push / the / fork / in / and / the / earth / gives / way.10 beats
- Write the number. The line has ten syllables.10
- Write the answer. 10
Check. Ten syllables. ✓
Method. Test each choice against the sentence or the text.
- Read what the question asks for. Decide what the sentence or the text needs.
- Test the choice. Lines 2 and 4 end with string and wing.lines 2 and 4 fits
- Reject the other choices. Lines 1 and 3 end with dawn and wet, and lines 1 and 2 end with dawn and string.lines 1 and 3 and lines 1 and 2 do not fit
- Write the answer. lines 2 and 4
Check. The choice fits the sentence or the text. ✓
Method. Look at the first four lines.
- Check the pairs. Lines 1 and 3 rhyme; lines 2 and 4 rhyme.two pairs
- Write the letters. The scheme is ABAB.ABAB
- Write the answer. ABAB
Check. Two pairs of rhymes. ✓
Method. Think about the effect of a pattern.
- Think about the reader. A pattern is easy to remember.easy to remember
- Think about the story. The rhyme carries the reader through the events.carries the reader
- Write the answer. it makes the story easy to follow and memorable, because the pattern carries the reader along.
Check. The rhyme is linked to the story. ✓
Method. Think about what the couplet adds to the poem.
- Find the phrase. Learn again what patience means.learn again
- Explain the suggestion. The speaker understands patience through the garden.understands patience
- Write the answer. the speaker has learned that patience is part of gardening, and of waiting for the seasons.
Check. The couplet suggests a lesson learned. ✓
Imagery and figurative language
Imagery is the picture a poem creates. Poets use figures of speech: a simile compares with like or as; a metaphor says one thing is another; personification gives human actions to something that is not human. The effect is the feeling or picture the reader is left with.
Key ideas
- Imagery makes the reader see, hear, smell, taste or feel the poem.
- A metaphor is one thing called another, without like or as.
- Always say what the image makes the reader picture or feel.
Method. Look for like or as, then check whether one thing is called another.
- Check for like or as. There is no like or as.no like or as
- Check the comparison. A window is called a room.a window is a room
- Name the device. Calling one thing another is a metaphor.metaphor
- Write the answer. metaphor
Check. A window is called a room. ✓
Method. Name the device, then say what it makes the reader picture.
- Name the device. Giving the sun a head and an action is personification.personification
- Picture it. The sun is shown rising, as a person would lift their head.lift their head
- Explain the effect. The image makes the dawn seem alive and hopeful.alive and hopeful
- Write the answer. the sun seems alive and lifting, like a person waking
Check. The sun is given a human action. ✓
Method. Name the device, then the picture it creates.
- Name the device. Like a held breath is a simile.simile
- Picture the comparison. The engine is compared to someone holding their breath.holding their breath
- Explain the effect. The bus seems tense, as if it is waiting.tense
- Write the answer. the bus seems tense and waiting
Check. The simile creates a tense picture. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: "the engine is like a held breath" is a simile; "the engine is a held breath" would be a metaphor. Check the words.
Exam tip
Exam tip. Quote the image, name the device, then write one sentence on what the picture adds.
Exercise 3C Practice: imagery and effect
Method. Look at the words, then decide what kind of device they are.
- Find the device. A window is called a room, without like or as.a small lit room
- Name it. The device is metaphor.metaphor
- Write the answer. metaphor
Check. The device is named correctly. ✓
Method. Look at the words, then decide what kind of device they are.
- Find the device. The engine is compared to a held breath, using like.like a held breath
- Name it. The device is simile.simile
- Write the answer. simile
Check. The device is named correctly. ✓
Method. Look at the words, then decide what kind of device they are.
- Find the device. The sun is given a head and a human action.the pale sun lifts its head above the rise
- Name it. The device is personification.personification
- Write the answer. personification
Check. The device is named correctly. ✓
Method. Name the choice, then say what it makes the reader picture or feel.
- Find the choice. The poet chooses these words.where someone is still awake
- Explain the effect. The lit windows hint that others are awake too, so the reader feels the city is alive.it suggests quiet, private lives behind each lit window
- Write the answer. it suggests quiet, private lives behind each lit window.
Check. The effect is linked to the words. ✓
Method. Name the choice, then say what it makes the reader picture or feel.
- Find the choice. The poet chooses these words.its smell of turned soil rising, sharp and clean
- Explain the effect. The smell makes the reader feel the cold, clean air and the newly turned earth.it gives a fresh, sharp sensory picture of the garden
- Write the answer. it gives a fresh, sharp sensory picture of the garden.
Check. The effect is linked to the words. ✓
Method. Test each choice against the sentence or the text.
- Read what the question asks for. Decide what the sentence or the text needs.
- Test the choice. It compares the engine to a held breath, using like.like a held breath fits
- Reject the other choices. The first is a metaphor, and the third gives the sun a human action.every window is a small lit room and the pale sun lifts its head do not fit
- Write the answer. like a held breath
Check. The choice fits the sentence or the text. ✓
Method. Decide whether a worm is a human or an animal.
- Check the subject. A worm is an animal, and sliding is what a worm does.what a worm does
- Decide. Because the action is literal, this is not personification.no
- Write the answer. no
Check. The action is literal. ✓
Method. Search the poem for the words the question asks for.
- Find the place in the poem. The bell is heard from far away.faint across the town
- Copy the words exactly. Copy them with no changes.faint across the town
- Write the answer. faint across the town
Check. The words are copied exactly from the poem. ✓
Method. Name the choice, then say what it makes the reader picture or feel.
- Find the choice. The poet chooses these words.then hops in close and turns its head around
- Explain the effect. The robin's movement suggests it is curious about the gardener.the robin seems curious, almost friendly, as if it is part of the garden
- Write the answer. the robin seems curious, almost friendly, as if it is part of the garden.
Check. The effect is linked to the words. ✓
Method. Look for a word about the senses.
- Look for the sense. Smell is a sense the poem uses.smell
- Copy the word. The word is smell.smell
- Write the answer. smell
Check. smell names a sense. ✓
Method. Choose one image, then say what it adds.
- Choose the image. The engine is compared to a held breath.a held breath
- Give the reason. It makes the bus seem tense and alive.tense and alive
- Write the answer. like a held breath, because the bus seems to wait, tense and alive.
Check. The choice is explained with a reason. ✓
Method. Compare the two images.
- The metaphor. A window is a room, which suggests private lives.private lives
- The personification. The sun lifts its head, which feels human.feels human
- Write the answer. the personification, because the sun lifting its head makes the scene feel alive and human.
Check. The comparison is explained. ✓
Method. Name the choice, then say what it makes the reader picture or feel.
- Find the choice. The poet chooses these words.the city hums its tune
- Explain the effect. The city is given a human action, a tune, which makes it feel alive.it makes the city seem alive, with a steady sound like music
- Write the answer. it makes the city seem alive, with a steady sound like music.
Check. The effect is linked to the words. ✓
Method. Look at the words, then decide what kind of device they are.
- Find the device. The city is given a human action, humming a tune.the city hums its tune
- Name it. The device is personification.personification
- Write the answer. personification
Check. The device is named correctly. ✓
Sound patterns: alliteration, sibilance and repetition
Poets use sound patterns. Alliteration repeats the same starting sound in words close together, such as frost and furrows. Sibilance repeats the soft s sound, as in smell, soil and sharp. Repetition repeats a word or a root word, to build a pattern or a feeling.
Key ideas
- Alliteration: the same starting sound in neighbouring words.
- Sibilance: the soft s sound, repeated.
- Repetition: a word or root repeated for effect; say what the repetition builds.
Method. Look at the first letters of the words.
- Look at the first letters. Frost and furrows both begin with f.f
- Check they are close. They are in the same line, close together.same line
- Name the pattern. The same starting sound is alliteration.alliteration
- Write the answer. frost and furrows
Check. frost and furrows both start with f. ✓
Method. Look for the soft s sound at the start or middle of words.
- Find the s sounds. Smell, soil and sharp each contain an s sound.smell, soil, sharp
- Check they repeat. The s sound is repeated across the line.repeated
- Name the pattern. Repeated s sounds are sibilance.sibilance
- Write the answer. smell, soil and sharp
Check. The s sounds are repeated. ✓
Method. Test each choice against the sentence or the text.
- Read what the question asks for. Decide what the sentence or the text needs.
- Test the choice. The root hum is repeated in two places, to build a steady pattern.repetition fits
- Reject the other choices. Alliteration is repeated starting sounds, not a repeated root word.alliteration and onomatopoeia do not fit
- Write the answer. repetition
Check. The choice fits the sentence or the text. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: alliteration needs the same starting sound in close words. "Frost" and "furrows" both start with f; "frost" and "left" do not.
Exam tip
Exam tip. Quote the words, name the sound pattern, then say what it adds, such as a crisp feeling or a steady pace.
Exercise 3D Practice: sound patterns
Method. Look at the first letters.
- Find the words. Frost and furrows both start with f.f
- Write them. The words are frost and furrows.frost and furrows
- Write the answer. frost and furrows
Check. Both begin with the f sound. ✓
Method. Look at the repeated s sounds.
- Find the sounds. Each word has an s sound.s sound
- Name the pattern. Repeated s sounds are sibilance.sibilance
- Write the answer. sibilance
Check. sibilance is the pattern. ✓
Method. Test each choice against the sentence or the text.
- Read what the question asks for. Decide what the sentence or the text needs.
- Test the choice. The root hum is repeated in two lines.repetition fits
- Reject the other choices. Alliteration repeats starting sounds, and rhyme repeats end sounds.alliteration and rhyme do not fit
- Write the answer. repetition
Check. The choice fits the sentence or the text. ✓
Method. Think about what a steady sound does to a journey.
- Find the repetition. Hums and humming repeat the same root.hum
- Explain the effect. The sound feels steady and continuous.steady
- Write the answer. it creates a steady, drowsy sound, so the journey feels calm and continuous.
Check. The repetition creates a steady feeling. ✓
Method. Name the choice, then say what it makes the reader picture or feel.
- Find the choice. The poet chooses these words.frost has left the furrows
- Explain the effect. The f sounds are sharp, which matches the cold ground.the hard f sounds give a crisp, cold feeling
- Write the answer. the hard f sounds give a crisp, cold feeling.
Check. The effect is linked to the words. ✓
Method. Look at the first letter of each word.
- Look at the words. Sharp begins with s; clean begins with c.sharp
- Copy the word. The word is sharp.sharp
- Write the answer. sharp
Check. sharp begins with s. ✓
Method. Think about what soft sounds suggest.
- Find the sounds. Smell, soil and sharp repeat the s sound.repeat the s sound
- Explain the effect. The soft s sound suggests fresh, calm air.fresh, calm air
- Write the answer. they make the air feel fresh and gentle, as the garden wakes.
Check. The soft sounds create a calm feeling. ✓
Method. Look at the first letters.
- Look at the first letters. Both start with f.f
- Write the answer. f
Check. Both start with f. ✓
Method. Look at the first letters.
- Look at the first letters. All three start with s.s
- Write the answer. s
Check. All three start with s. ✓
Method. Think about the sound and the subject.
- Find the sound. Frost and furrows use the f sound.f sound
- Link to the subject. The sharp sound matches the cold ground.sharp sound
- Write the answer. the hard starting sounds suggest sharpness and cold, so the reader feels the chill.
Check. The sound matches the subject. ✓
Method. Compare the two uses of hum.
- The city. The city hums its tune.city hums
- The engine. The engine is humming under us.engine humming
- Link them. The shared sound makes the bus part of the city.part of the city
- Write the answer. the same sound links the city and the engine, so the bus feels part of the city.
Check. The link is explained. ✓
Method. Look at the starting letters.
- Look at the starts. Wind and wet both start with w.w
- Write the word. The word is wind.wind
- Write the answer. wind
Check. wind and wet both start with w. ✓
Persona, tone and enjambment
The persona is the voice the poem speaks in. It may be the poet, or a character. The tone is the mood of that voice. Enjambment is when a sentence runs over the end of a line, so the reader moves on without a stop. A pause inside a line, marked by punctuation, is a caesura.
Key ideas
- The persona is the voice of the poem; the tone is its mood.
- Enjambment carries the sentence over the line end, with no full stop.
- Punctuation inside a line creates a pause, which changes the pace.
Method. Look for the pronouns and the activity.
- Find the pronoun. The poem uses I, as in I push the fork in.I push the fork in
- Find the activity. The speaker kneels, digs and sows seeds.kneels and digs
- Name the persona. The speaker is a gardener, using the first person.a gardener
- Write the answer. a gardener, speaking in the first person
Check. The speaker works in the garden. ✓
Method. Look at the words of the last two lines.
- Look at the words. Tomorrow I will sow the peas and beans.Tomorrow
- Look at the meaning. The speaker plans, and accepts that patience takes time.accepts that patience takes time
- Name the tone. The tone is hopeful and patient.hopeful and patient
- Write the answer. hopeful and patient
Check. The planning and patience show hope. ✓
Method. Look at where the sentence ends.
- Find the line end. Line 9 ends with eyes, with a comma, and the sentence runs on.eyes,
- Check the next line. Line 10 continues: and hear the church bell.and hear the church bell
- Explain the effect. The reader moves on smoothly, as the speaker listens.moves on smoothly
- Write the answer. it moves the reader smoothly from the eyes to the bell
Check. The sentence runs over the line end. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: the speaker is not always the poet. Name the persona by its pronouns and its situation.
Exam tip
Exam tip. Say who the speaker is, then what the tone is, then give one quotation as evidence.
Exercise 3E Practice: persona, tone and enjambment
Method. Test each choice against the sentence or the text.
- Read what the question asks for. Decide what the sentence or the text needs.
- Test the choice. The speaker says us, so the speaker is one of the people on the bus.a passenger fits
- Reject the other choices. The driver does not speak, and the woman is described, not the speaker.the driver and a woman asleep do not fit
- Write the answer. a passenger
Check. The choice fits the sentence or the text. ✓
Method. Look at the first person in the poem.
- Look at the poem. The speaker uses I, as in I sit back on my heels.I sit back
- Write the pronoun. The pronoun is I.I
- Write the answer. I
Check. I is the first person. ✓
Method. Name the tone, then quote.
- Name the tone. The speaker watches quietly.quiet and watchful
- Quote the evidence. The street might still change its mind.as if the street might still change its mind
- Write the answer. quiet and watchful, as in "as if the street might still change its mind"
Check. The tone is supported by a quotation. ✓
Method. Look at what the speaker plans.
- Look at the plan. Tomorrow I will sow the peas and beans.sow the peas
- Name the tone. The plan shows hope.hopeful
- Write the answer. hopeful
Check. The tone is hopeful. ✓
Method. Test each choice against the sentence or the text.
- Read what the question asks for. Decide what the sentence or the text needs.
- Test the choice. The sentence I sit back ... close my eyes, and hear the church bell runs on.yes fits
- Reject the other choices. Each line does not end with a full stop, so the sentence continues.no do not fit
- Write the answer. yes
Check. The choice fits the sentence or the text. ✓
Method. Look for the line that ends with a full stop.
- Check the lines. Line 4 ends with around: a full stop.line 4
- Write the number. It is line 4.4
- Write the answer. 4
Check. Line 4 ends with a full stop. ✓
Method. Look at the punctuation inside line 7.
- Look at line 7. a worm slides back into the dark, as if to saydark,
- Name the mark. The mark after dark is a comma.comma
- Write the answer. comma
Check. The comma creates a pause. ✓
Method. Name the choice, then say what it makes the reader picture or feel.
- Find the choice. The poet chooses these words.where someone is still awake
- Explain the effect. The line ends quietly, so the reader thinks about the people in the windows.it suggests other private lives, and so the reader feels a quiet connection with strangers
- Write the answer. it suggests other private lives, and so the reader feels a quiet connection with strangers.
Check. The effect is linked to the words. ✓
Method. Think about who us includes.
- Find the word. The engine is humming under us.under us
- Explain. The speaker is on the bus with others.with others
- Write the answer. to show the speaker is one of the passengers, sharing the journey with others.
Check. us includes the speaker and the other passengers. ✓
Method. Search the poem for the words the question asks for.
- Find the place in the poem. The stanza describes his effort.until his breath was gone
- Copy the words exactly. Copy them with no changes.until his breath was gone
- Write the answer. until his breath was gone
Check. The words are copied exactly from the poem. ✓
Method. Compare the two speakers, then choose.
- The gardener. The gardener kneels, digs and watches the robin.digs and watches
- The passenger. The passenger sees the city through a window.through a window
- Write the answer. the gardener, because the speaker works with the soil and waits for the seasons.
Check. The comparison is supported. ✓
Method. Compare the mood of the last stanza with the earlier stanzas.
- Earlier stanzas. The earlier stanzas are lonely, with the kite lost.lonely
- Last stanza. The girl brings the kite back, which feels kind.brings the kite back
- Write the answer. it becomes warm and kind, as the girl returns the kite and shares it with Ravi.
Check. The change in mood is explained. ✓
Chapter summary
| Skill | Method |
|---|---|
| Form | Name the form (free verse, sonnet, ballad) and say how stanzas and lines shape the poem. |
| Rhyme scheme | Write the letters for the rhyming lines, such as ABAB, ABCB or AABB. |
| Rhythm | Count syllables to check the beat; iambic pentameter has ten syllables per line. |
| Imagery | Name the simile, metaphor or personification, and say what it makes the reader picture. |
| Sound patterns | Alliteration (starting sounds), sibilance (soft s) and repetition: say what each adds. |
| Persona, tone and enjambment | Name the speaker, the tone, and the effect of a sentence running over a line end or a pause. |
Can you…?
- I can name a poetic form and explain how its stanzas and lines are shaped
- I can identify a rhyme scheme, and count syllables to check rhythm
- I can name a figure of speech in a poem and explain its effect
- I can identify alliteration, sibilance and repetition and their effect
- I can explain the persona, the tone, and the effect of enjambment
Key terms
- stanza
- a group of lines in a poem, separated from others by a gap
- sonnet
- a poem of fourteen lines, often in three quatrains and a couplet
- couplet
- two lines that rhyme, often at the end of a sonnet
- free verse
- poetry with no regular rhyme or beat
- rhyme scheme
- the pattern of end sounds in a poem, shown with letters
- iambic pentameter
- a line of ten syllables, with a beat on every second syllable
- alliteration
- the repetition of the same starting sound in close words
- sibilance
- the repetition of soft s sounds
- persona
- the voice or character who speaks in a poem
- enjambment
- a sentence that runs over the end of a line without a full stop
Exercise 3Z Check-up
Method. Count the groups of lines.
- Count the groups. The poem has two groups of lines.two groups
- Write the number. There are two stanzas.2
- Write the answer. 2
Check. Two stanzas. ✓
Method. Check each pair of lines.
- Check the pairs. Only lines 2 and 4 rhyme: string and wing.string, wing
- Write the scheme. The scheme is ABCB.ABCB
- Write the answer. ABCB
Check. Lines 2 and 4 rhyme. ✓
Method. Look at the words, then decide what kind of device they are.
- Find the device. A window is called a room.a small lit room
- Name it. The device is metaphor.metaphor
- Write the answer. metaphor
Check. The device is named correctly. ✓
Method. Name the choice, then say what it makes the reader picture or feel.
- Find the choice. The poet chooses these words.the pale sun lifts its head above the rise
- Explain the effect. The sun is given a human action, which makes the dawn feel alive.the sun seems alive and rising, like a person waking
- Write the answer. the sun seems alive and rising, like a person waking.
Check. The effect is linked to the words. ✓
Method. Test each choice against the sentence or the text.
- Read what the question asks for. Decide what the sentence or the text needs.
- Test the choice. It has no regular rhyme or beat.Night bus fits
- Reject the other choices. The sonnet and the ballad both follow a set pattern.Allotment in March and Kite on the hill do not fit
- Write the answer. Night bus
Check. The choice fits the sentence or the text. ✓
Method. Look at the first letters.
- Look at the first letters. Furrows starts with f, like frost.f
- Write the word. The word is furrows.furrows
- Write the answer. furrows
Check. Both start with f. ✓
Method. Check each pair.
- Check the pairs. Grey and day rhyme; ground and around rhyme.two pairs
- Write the scheme. The scheme is ABAB.ABAB
- Write the answer. ABAB
Check. Two pairs of rhymes. ✓
Method. Name the persona, then the evidence.
- Name the persona. The speaker works in the garden.works in the garden
- Evidence. The speaker uses I, as in I push the fork in.I push the fork in
- Write the answer. a gardener, because the speaker uses I and works in the garden.
Check. The persona is supported by evidence. ✓
Method. Find where the sentence runs on.
- Find the run-on. Line 9 ends with a comma, and the sentence continues.eyes,
- Explain the effect. The reader moves on without a stop.moves on
- Write the answer. the sentence runs over the line end, so the reader moves smoothly from the eyes to the bell.
Check. The enjambment is explained. ✓
Method. Name the pattern, then explain.
- Name the pattern. Hums and humming repeat the root hum.hum
- Explain the effect. The steady sound makes the journey feel continuous.continuous
- Write the answer. repetition of hum, which makes the journey feel steady and continuous.
Check. The pattern and effect are both named. ✓
Total 17 marks. Allow about 17 minutes.
Exercise 3X Practice test questions
Method. Look for like or as.
- Find like. The phrase uses like.like
- Name the device. A comparison with like is a simile.simile
- Write the answer. simile
Check. like makes a simile. ✓
Method. Look for the repeated soft s sound.
- Find the sounds. Smell, soil and sharp each begin or contain an s sound.s sounds
- Name the pattern. Repeated soft s sounds are sibilance.sibilance
- Write the answer. sibilance
Check. The s sounds are repeated. ✓
Method. Name the device, then explain its picture.
- Name the device. The sun is given a head and a human action.personification
- Explain the effect. The sun seems alive, like a person waking.seems alive
- Write the answer. Personification; the sun seems alive, lifting its head like a person waking.
Check. The sun is given a human action. ✓
Method. Find which lines rhyme.
- Check the pairs. Lines 1 and 3 rhyme; lines 2 and 4 rhyme.two pairs
- Write the letters. The scheme is ABAB.ABAB
- Write the answer. ABAB
Check. Two pairs of rhymes make ABAB. ✓
Method. Check the end word of each line.
- Check the end words. Line 2 ends string; line 4 ends wing.string, wing
- Name the lines. Lines 2 and 4 rhyme.lines 2 and 4
- Write the answer. lines 2 and 4
Check. string and wing rhyme. ✓
Method. Find the punctuation, then say what it does.
- Find the punctuation. A comma comes after dark.comma
- Say what it does. It creates a pause before the next phrase.a pause
- Write the answer. The comma creates a pause before as if to say.
Check. The pause is created. ✓
Method. Name the device, then explain what it suggests.
- Name the device. A window is called a room, without like or as.metaphor
- Explain the effect. Each window suggests a private life, so the city feels full of people.private life
- Explain the reader's response. The reader feels a quiet connection with others.quiet connection
- Write the answer. A metaphor; it suggests that each window holds a private life.
Check. The metaphor is named and explained. ✓
Method. Read the couplet, then say what the speaker has learned.
- Read the first line. The speaker plans to sow seeds tomorrow.sow the peas
- Read the second line. The speaker has learned that patience matters.patience matters
- Write the answer. The speaker has learned that patience matters, and looks forward to planting.
Check. The couplet suggests a lesson learned. ✓
Method. Find where the sentence runs on, then explain its effect.
- Find the run-on. The line ends with eyes, but the sentence continues.eyes,
- Explain the effect. The reader moves on smoothly, as if listening.moves on smoothly
- Write the answer. The sentence runs over the line end, so the reader moves on smoothly to the bell.
Check. The enjambment is explained. ✓
Method. Check each pair of lines.
- Check lines 1 and 3. Hay and gone do not rhyme.no rhyme
- Check lines 2 and 4. Bend and end rhyme.bend, end
- Write the scheme. Only lines 2 and 4 rhyme, so the scheme is ABCB.ABCB
- Write the answer. ABCB
Check. Only lines 2 and 4 rhyme. ✓