Scanning a poem involves identifying its formal elements, including syllabic patterns, meter, rhyme, and stanza form. The document outlines the process of scansion, beginning with counting syllables and identifying stressed/unstressed syllables to determine the meter. Common meters include iambic, trochaic, anapestic and dactylic. Rhyme is labeled with letters. Traditional forms like sonnets combine specific meters and rhyme schemes. The sample poem is in iambic tetrameter couplets with an AABBCCDD rhyme scheme. Scansion provides a structured analysis of the formal aspects of poetic composition.

1. Scanning poems
Analyzing verse for the use of
qualities of form

2. What is scanning?
Scansion—the act of
scanning—requires
the student to identify
and describe the
types of form a poet
uses to create
auditory, musical, and
even visual effects.

3. The Practice of Scansion
If you studied rhetoric, you
may recall that one of the
basic modes of exposition is
division. This involves
breaking the subject of study
into its component elements,
or determining its various
parts. It is a precursor to
analysis, which derives from a
Greek root meaning “to break
apart.”

4. Elements of Poetry
So what are the elements of poetic
form?
They are the attributes of composition unique to
poetry. The most unambiguous element—the
one hardest to miss and easiest to see—is the
use of verse form.

5. Elements of Poetry
Other elements unique to
poetry include:
• syllabic patterns
• rhyme
• meter
• use of stanzas, cantos, or
other line groupings
• use of traditional verse
forms (like the sonnet)
Attributes common to
poetry but not unique to it
include:
• rhythm
• emotional intensity
• unconventional grammar
or word choice
• use of imagery, metaphor,
or other literary devices

6. Elements of Poetry
elements unique to poetry:
• syllabic patterns
• rhyme
• meter
• use of stanzas, cantos, or other
line groupings
• use of traditional verse forms (like
the sonnet)
features common but not unique to
poetry:
• rhythm
• emotional intensity
• unconventional grammar or word
choice
• use of imagery, metaphor, or
other literary devices
A poem exhibiting any of the qualities of form
unique to poetry other than being written in verse
form is said to have closed form. Poems with verse
form and no other qualities of form like rhyme,
meter, or syllabic pattern are said to have open
form, and are sometimes called free verse.

7. Elements of Scansion
So when we scan a poem we look for all the
attributes or qualities of form unique to poetry.
We first:
• count the syllables in each line and
note any patterns that result

8. Elements of Scansion
We
• count the syllables in each line
• identify stressed and unstressed syllables in
each line and look for patterns, labeling them
if we see any

9. Elements of Scansion
We
• count the syllables in each line
• identify stressed and unstressed syllables
• label the phonemes, or clusters of speech
sounds, that appear at the ends of the lines to
determine if the poem uses rhyme in a
recognizable, conscious way

10. Elements of Scansion
We
• count the syllables in each line
• identify stressed and unstressed syllables
• determine if the poem uses rhyme
• look for the use of line groupings (called
stanzas, typically) and apply the appropriate
labels if we see them being used

11. Elements of Scansion
We
• count the syllables in each line
• identify stressed and unstressed syllables
• determine if the poem uses rhyme
• look for the use of stanzas
• Identify the use of traditional forms (we will
delineate some of these later in the
presentation)

12. Scansion: example
Consider the following poem:
The tusks that clashed in mighty brawls
Of mastodons are billiard balls.
The sword of Charlemagne the Just
Is ferric oxide, known as rust.
The grizzly bear, whose potent hug
Was feared by all, is now a rug.
Great Caesar’s bust is on the shelf,
And I don’t feel so well myself.

13. Scansion: example
We can hear right away that the poem uses
qualities of form, but as students we need to
bring our understanding to a conscious level and
quantify what our ears intuitively tell us.

14. Scansion: looking for syllabic
patterns
First, let’s count the syllables in each line (I use my
fingers to tap out the syllables):
8 The•tusks•that•clashed•in•migh•ty•brawls
8 Of•mas•to•dons•are•bil•liard•balls.
8 The•sword•of•Char•le•magne•the •Just
8 Is•fer•ric•ox•ide,•known•as•rust.
8 The•griz•zly•bear,•whose•po•tent•hug
8 Was•feared•by•all,•is•now•a•rug.
8 Great•Cae•sar’s•bust•is•on•the•shelf,
8 And•I•don’t•feel•so•well•my•self.

15. Scansion: looking for syllabic
patterns
Is this a pattern?
8 The•tusks•that•clashed•in•migh•ty•brawls
8 Of•mas•to•dons•are•bil•liard•balls.
8 The•sword•of•Char•le•magne•the •Just
8 Is•fer•ric•ox•ide,•known•as•rust.
8 The•griz•zly•bear,•whose•po•tent•hug
8 Was•feared•by•all,•is•now•a•rug.
8 Great•Cae•sar’s•bust•is•on•the•shelf,
8 And•I•don’t•feel•so•well•my•self.
It is the simplest pattern one can imagine, but yes,
it is a pattern. (Therefore, without going any
farther, we can say that this poem has closed form.)

16. Scansion: metrics
Next, we identify the stressed and unstressed
syllables in each line.
So how do we tell if a syllable is stressed?

17. Scansion: metrics
So how do we tell if a syllable is stressed?
When we look words up in the dictionary, we
see symbols used to tell us the words are to be
pronounced. Some are phonetic and some are
diacritical—the give us information about how
to form the sounds in our vocal apparatus.

18. Scansion: metrics
Phonemic information tells us how to form the
sounds in the mouth, nose, and throat, but not
which syllables are stressed or unstressed. So a
good dictionary will also use additional symbols—
an ictus, or accent mark, and in some cases a
symbol (called a breve) indicating an unstressed
syllable—to give us this information as well.
̸ ͝ ͝
elephant: ĕl • ǝ • fǝnt
These symbols tell us that the first syllable is
pronounced at a greater volume—more loudly—
than the other two.

19. Scansion: metrics
Try these on your own:
pǝ • jä • mǝz
tǝ • mā • tōz
vĕj • tǝ • bǝlz

20. Scansion: metrics
Did yours look like this?
͝ ̸ ͝
pǝ • jä • mǝz
͝ ̸ ͝
tǝ • mā • tōz
̸ ͝ ͝
vĕj • tǝ • bǝlz

21. Scansion: metrics
The alternation of stressed
and unstressed syllables is
called rhythm. It appears in
all spoken language and is
not a quality of poetic form.
But when it is controlled and
comes in a recognizable,
measured pattern, it is
called meter (which means
“measure”). Meter is a
quality of form unique to
poetry.

22. Scansion: metrics
Now let’s go back to our sample poem and try it.
͝ ̸ ͝ ̸ ͝ ̸ ͝ ̸
The tusks that clashed in migh•ty brawls
͝ ̸ ͝ ̸ ͝ ̸ ͝ ̸
Of mas•to•dons are bil•liard balls.

23. Scansion: metrics
The rest of the poem follows the same pattern—
an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed
syllable—until we get to the last two lines:
̸ ̸ ͝ ̸ ͝ ̸ ͝ ̸
Great Cae•sar’s bust is on the shelf,
͝ ̸ ̸ ̸ ͝ ̸ ͝ ̸
And I don’t feel so well my•self.

24. Scansion: metrics
Scan it like you hear it, and expect some variation
in the alternation of stressed and unstressed
syllables. Poets do it for the same reason drummers
and other musicians do—to keep the composition
from turning into a stick of wood!
̸ ̸ ͝ ̸ ͝ ̸ ͝ ̸
Great Cae•sar’s bust is on the shelf,
͝ ̸ ̸ ̸ ͝ ̸ ͝ ̸
And I don’t feel so well my•self.

25. Scansion: metrics
After identifying stressed and unstressed syllables
and finding a pattern, we must next label it. We first
identify the metric unit, the shortest repeated
sequence that forms the basis for each line. We call
this unit a metric foot, or just a foot.
│ ͝ ̸ │ ͝ ̸ │ ͝ ̸ │ ͝ ̸ │
In this case it is a two-syllable sequence comprised
of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed
syllable. This unit is called an iamb, and the
adjective form is iambic.

26. Scansion: metrics
This iambic sequence is the basic rhythm of
spoken English, and iambic meter is the most
common metrical pattern in English poetry, but
poets also use other meters. The three most
common are
• the trochee, which is a stressed syllable
followed by an unstressed one
│ ̸ ͝ │ ̸ ͝ │ ̸ ͝ │ ̸ ͝ │ ̸ ͝ │

27. Scansion: metrics
Other meters include
• the trochee
• the anapest, which is two unstressed syllables
followed by a stressed one
│ ͝ ͝ ̸ │ ͝ ͝ ̸ │ ͝ ͝ ̸ │ ͝ ͝ ̸ │ ͝ ͝ ̸ │

28. Scansion: metrics
Other meters include
• the trochee
• the anapest, and
• the dactyl, which is one stressed syllable
followed by two unstressed ones.
│ ̸ ͝ ͝ │ ̸ ͝ ͝ │ ̸ ͝ ͝ │ ̸ ͝ ͝ │ ̸ ͝ ͝ │

29. Scansion: metrics
One last common sequence or foot is called the
spondee, which is comprised of two stressed
syllables adjoining one another.
│ ̸ ̸ │
The spondee cannot serve as the metrical basis
for an entire composition but is used for
emphasis. We saw this unit appear in the last
two lines of our sample poem:

30. Scansion: metrics
We saw spondees appear in the last two lines of
our sample poem:
̸ ̸ ͝ ̸ ͝ ̸ ͝ ̸
Great Cae•sar’s bust is on the shelf,
͝ ̸ ̸ ̸ ͝ ̸ ͝ ̸
And I don’t feel so well my•self.
Such variations are not lapses or mistakes, but
represent the poet’s decision to introduce variety to
please the reader’s ear.

31. Scansion: metrics
Our next step in scansion is to completely label
the metrical scheme. We have already
determined the metrical foot; now we count the
feet in each line and apply the right term to
indicate the overall pattern controlling the
poem’s musical or metrical scheme.

32. Scansion: labeling the pattern
two feet per line: dimeter
three feet per line: trimeter
four: tetrameter
five: pentameter
six: hexameter
seven: heptameter
eight: octameter
nine: nonameter
Note: English poetry seldom has more than seven
feet per line.

33. Scansion: labeling the pattern
So when we count the feet in each line of our
sample poem we see that it has four feet in each
line. The term used to indicate the overall
pattern controlling the poem’s musical or
metrical scheme, then is iambic tetrameter, a
scheme with four iambic feet per line, indicated
symbolically as
│ ͝ ̸ │ ͝ ̸ │ ͝ ̸ │ ͝ ̸ │

34. Scansion: scanning for rhyme
Our scanning task is
nearing its conclusion!
We only have a couple
more activities to go.

35. Scansion: scanning for rhyme
Next, we check for the use of rhyme. We do that for
terminal rhyme or end rhyme by assigning letters to
the sound clusters we hear at the ends of the
poem’s lines. We assign the first set of sounds the
letter “A,” and the next time we see those same
sounds, we label that with an “A” as well. If we hear
a different set of sounds, we assign the next letter
to that sound cluster.

36. Scansion: labeling rhyme
scheme

37. Scansion: labeling rhyme
scheme
Did yours look like this?
brawls A
balls A
Just B
rust B
hug C
rug C
shelf D
myself D

38. Scansion: labeling rhyme
scheme
Did yours look like this?
brawls A
balls A
Just B
rust B
hug C
rug C
shelf D
myself D

39. Scansion: labeling stanzas
Now we identify line
groupings. They can
either be broken by
spaces into stanzas or
simply work in
functional groups, as
the ones in our
sample poem do.
• 1 line: monostich
• 2 lines: distich or couplet
• 3 lines: triplet, tercet
• 4 lines: quatrain
• 5 lines: cinquain
• 6 lines: sestet
• 7 lines: septet
• 8 lines: octet or octave

40. Scansion: nomenclature
• So our sample poem is
written in closed form
with iambic tetrameter
couplets and has an
AABBCCDD rhyme
scheme. This is how the
nomenclature (or
naming convention)
works in scansion. Just
one more step to go.

41. Scansion: traditional forms
Traditional forms are standardized
combinations of rhyme, meter, and stanza that
poets use to place their works within an
aesthetic tradition and give it a familiar
structure and sound.

42. Scansion: traditional forms
Traditional forms: the most common include:
• blank verse: unrhymed iambic pentameter
Ex: follow this link to see examples
http://www.types-of-poetry.org.uk/07-blank-verse.htm
• heroic verse: rhyming iambic pentameter
couplets
Ex: follow this link to see examples
http://www.types-of-poetry.org.uk/66-heroic-couplet.htm

43. Scansion: traditional forms
Traditional forms: the most common include:
• sonnet: 14 lines of rhyming iambic pentameter
Two most common types are
Petrarchan or Italian
ABBAABBACDCDCD or other variations in
the sestet
Elizabethan or Shakespearean
ABABCDCDEFEFGG
Ex: follow this link to see examples
http://www.types-of-poetry.org.uk/42-sonnets.htm

44. Scansion: traditional forms
Traditional forms: the most common include:
• Ballad stanza: special form of the quatrain with
alternating iambic tetrameter and trimeter lines
with an ABCB rhyme scheme (lots of Protestant
hymns use this form)
Ex: follow this link to see examples
http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Terms/ballad-stanza.html

45. Scansion: traditional forms
Many more traditional verse forms exist
and we may point out more as we proceed,
but understanding and recognizing these
will cover many of the scanning tasks you
will face in undergraduate study.

46. Scansion: accomplished!
I know it’s a hard
climb, but I hope this
helps you to interpret
the terminology in the
discussion topics and
the questions on the
quizzes and tests.