lesson 6

ANAPESTIC METER

So far we have talked about and practiced metrical feet containing two syllables — the iamb and the trochee. Today we’ll learn and practice the first metrical foot with three syllables, the anapest. Be sure to have your meter infographic handy for reference. I have also given the graphic its own page for your convenience: poetic meter infographic. Let’s jump right in with two feet, shall we?

I AM AN ANAPEST

An anapest consists of two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable — two birdies followed by a penguin. An anapest can be a single word, two or three words, or two or three word parts. Look at this stanza from Clement Clarke Moore’s famous poem, “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.”  

Moore’s lines are an example of perfect anapestic meter with no catalectic lines. The three-syllable anapests in this verse are comprised of 

  • three words: ‘Twas the night, through the house, in the hopes, would be there

  • word parts: before Christ-, -mas and all, Not a crea-, -ture was stir-, -ring not e-, -ven a mouse, and so on.

  

The important thing about anapests is that

  • the anapest contains three syllables (excluding variations)

  • the stresses fall on the correct syllables

 

YES, IT BEARS REPEATING …

HEADLESS AND TRUNCATED METER

That said, anapestic meter is often irregular in that the first unstressed syllable is often omitted (and sometimes even both), or an extra unstressed syllable is added at the end. Take a look at this irregular example by one of anapestic meter’s biggest fans, Dr. Seuss.

 

    • The first line is perfectly anapestic, but the second line is missing the first unstressed syllable. That’s okay! We already know that a line is catalectic when it’s missing an unstressed syllable. When that syllable is missing from the first foot, it is called headless meter. Headless meter is simply a more specific type of catalectic meter.

    • Truncated meter, on the other hand, is a line of poetry that is missing one or more syllables from the middle or end of a line. Again, it’s just another, more specific type of catalectic meter. The terms are somewhat interchangeable. (Note: The term truncated can actually refer to a line that is missing syllables anywhere, including at the beginning. For the sake of clarity, however, this course uses the term to refer only to missing syllables in the middle or at the end of a line.)

 

Look again at the verse from Poe’s “The Raven” from Lesson 4. (NOTE: This is trochaic meter, not anapestic.)

 

Lines 2, 4, 5, and 6 are all examples of truncated meter because they are missing the final unstressed syllable of the trochee. There is no headless meter. Do you know why? Because trochees begin with a stressed syllable, and we never mess with the stress! We can only play fast and loose with unstressed syllables.

FEELING THE BEAT

Now listen as I read the following anapestic words and phrases and then use them in metrical lines.

 

on the shores          understand               contradict                                 New Rochelle
of our lives               interrupt                    in the blink of an eye             having fun

 

Little kids seem to grow in the blink of an eye.
I can’t understand why the radio broke.  [headless meter]
How I long to go live in a little white house on the shores of McGillikin Lake.
That the earth isn’t flat is a fact that you can’t contradict.
Like sand through an hourglass, so are the days of our lives.   [headless meter]

 

 Listen to the audio again, this time saying the words aloud as I read them. Are you feeling the anapestic beat now? If not, call in the birds and tap the beat.

SCANSION: IDENTIFYING METRICAL FEET

Now let’s practice some scansion, or breaking up a series of anapests into feet. Read aloud the following verse from Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas and tap out the rhythm as you read. How many anapests (metrical feet) are there in each line? What is the name of each metrical line (refer to the infographic)? Where are the irregularities?

 

The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season!
Now, please don’t ask why. No one quite knows the reason.
It could be his head wasn’t screwed on just right.
It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight. 
But I think that the most likely reason of all
May have been that his heart was two sizes too small.
 

Listen as I read the verse and tap the rhythm.

Points to Ponder


  • All lines have four metrical feet: ANAPESTIC TETRAMETER

  • Lines 1 and 2 are also hypercatalectic because they have an extra unstressed syllable at the end. Compare that to Poe’s trochaic poem and its missing final unstressed syllables.

  • Lines 5 and 6 both contain four perfect anapestic feet.

  • Lines 1-4 are headless meter because the first unstressed syllable in the first anapest is missing. If you have trouble catching the meter, put a little “and” in that space to help yourself get the rhythm.

ANAPESTS IN PICTURE BOOKS

Take a look at these snippets from rhyming picture books written in anapestic meter. Note the variations in the meter and how the stresses are placed naturally. 

 

The first sample is from the nonfiction picture book In a Cave by Heather Kinser (LLL 2017), illustrated by Bonnie Kelso. 

  • The dominant meter is anapestic tetrameter. But do you see the variations in the first spread below? 

    • Lines 1 and 2 are headless with both unstressed beats omitted.

    • Line 3 is headless with one unstressed beat omitted.

    • Line 4 is a perfect anapestic line. (I must also point out that I love the humor in this line!)

  • Every line in the second spread is headless and perfectly consistent. Note the feminine endings in Lines 3 and 4.

  • Each stanza consists of two rhyming couplets.

 

This second sample is from the picture book What’s Up, Pup? by Kersten Hamilton, illustrated by Lili Chin.

  • The dominant meter is anapestic tetrameter with variations. Can you point them out?

  • This book also makes use of rhyming couplets.

  • Note the fast-paced, lilting rhythm of the anapest.

And this last sample is my poem “Theater Teacher” from the anthology School People by Lee Bennett Hopkins (illustrated by Ellen Shi).

  • What is the dominant meter and rhyme scheme?

  • There are several metrical variations in this poem. Can you find them?

(Spoiler: Answers below!)

Answers

  • Dominant meter: anapestic dimeter

  • Rhyme scheme: ABCB

  • Variations: many headless and truncated lines, particularly line 7, which is missing both unstressed syllables in the first foot; caesura in line 12

LESSON 6 ASSIGNMENT

  • Read Jack Prelutsky’s poem “The Turkey Shot Out of the Oven.”

  • Download and print the Lesson 6 Practice Sheet: Anapests.

  • Please share your anapestic poem from the practice sheet in the forum, or stop in to ask questions and get feedback. 

Download Practice Sheet

PRACTICE SHEET ANSWERS

  • Want to check your work? Here’s an Answer Sheet!

Download Answer Key

MORE LEARNING & APPLICATION

  • Read some rhyming poetry or picture books written in anapestic meter. Recommended: The two books used as samples above as well as Dozens of Doughnuts by Carrie Finison (LLL co-teacher 2020) and Chester von Chime Who Forgot How to Rhyme by Avery Monsen..

  • Read aloud a prose picture book of your choice. Read slowly so that you notice the stresses. Did you find any anapestic patterns? Recommended: Caves by Nell Cross Beckerman.

  • Do the same with one of your manuscripts. Remember to read out loud!

  • Watch my video: ANAPESTIC METER TUTORIAL.

DOWNLOADS & LINKS

Download Glossary
Download Meter Infographic

NEED TO REVIEW?

USE THESE LINKS TO PREVIOUS LESSONS

Introduction

Lesson 1: Stressed and Unstressed Syllables

Lesson 2: The Iamb + Metrical Feet and Lines + Rhyme Crime #1 (Misplaced Stress)

Lesson 3: Types of Rhyme + Rhyme Crime #2 (Forced and Predictable Rhymes

Lesson 4: The Trochee + Rhyme Crime #3 (Inverted Syntax)

Lesson 5: Rhyme Scheme and Stanzas + Rhyme Crime #4 (Rhyme Dictates Story)