Meter and Feet Cheat Sheet

Although I'm not a big fan of forced poetry, see previous post I've Got Rhythm or Not, I've prepared these easy to follow tables because some of you asked for an easy to follow cheat sheet for meter and feet.

Writing Style	Type of Feet Used	Description
Iambic	Iamb	(u /)
Trochaic	Trochee	(/ u)
Anapestic	Anapest	(u u /)
Dactylic	Dactyl	(/ u u)
Amphibrachic	Amphibrach	(u / u)
Spondaic	Spondee	(/ /)
Pyrrhic	Pyrrhic	(u u)
Stressed =   /      and      Unstressed =   u

Meters	# of Feet
monometer	1
dimeter	2
trimeter	3
tetrameter	4
pentameter	5
hexameter	6
heptameter	7
octameter	8
enneameter	9
decameter	10

Understanding the names given to different types of poetry depends on the type of feet used and the number of feet; for example, a poem written in iambs (u/) feet would be labeled iambic. You then need to know how many times the foot is used to get the description for the meter; for instance, the use of five feet would be pentameter. You merely combine the two parts to get the complete description iambic pentameter.

For example, a poem using six Spondee feet (//) all stressed syllables would not only be loud and annoying, but easily described as Spondaic Hexameter. I wrote the example below using all stressed syllables to illustrate the loudness, and stressfulness of annoying traffic. I could have used pentameter, but it didn’t seem irritating enough. The poem works because whenever I verbalize it at a poetry reading the audience complains it is exactly that loud, annoying and stressful like traffic. It has even been accused of giving the audience headaches much like traffic does me. If you want to get rid of unwanted company, tell them your favorite poem is Traffic by Frank G. Poe, Jr., and recite it from memory. It is easy to remember, and clears a room.

Example: by Frank G. Poe, Jr. 

Traffic

Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop,

Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go,

Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep,

Slow, slow, slow, slow, slow, slow, slow, slow, slow, slow, slow, slow,

Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop,

Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go,

Honk, honk, honk, honk, honk, honk, honk, honk, honk, honk, honk, honk,

Slow, slow, slow, slow, slow, slow, slow, slow, slow, slow, slow, slow,

Free, free, free, free, free, free, free, free, free, free, free, free,

Speed, speed, speed, speed, speed, speed, speed, speed, speed, speed, speed, speed,

Cop, cop, cop, cop, cop, cop, cop, cop, cop, cop, cop, cop,

Slow, slow, slow, slow, slow, slow, slow, slow, slow, slow, slow, slow,

Lights, lights, lights, lights, lights, lights, lights, lights, lights, lights, lights, lights,

Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit,

Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop.