Mammoth Memory

Dactylic monometer

A dactylic foot (known as a dactyl) has a long syllable followed by two short syllables (LSS or /UU)

 

Monometer is one foot per line.

 

Dactylic monometer is far from being a favourite form with poets – we couldn’t find any examples! However, if this form exists, it would be something like this:

 

Example 1

Monometer is one foot per line. 

 

Following

Tinkerbell

over the

mountainside

we met a-

nother cat

wrapped in an

eiderdown.

A closer look at the feet in these lines

 

U = short syllable; / = long syllable; | = division between feet

Dactylic monometer example 1 

 

If your ear for poetic rhythm is beginning to develop, you should notice that an entire verse in dactylic monometer is rather tedious – which is why poets don’t us it. However, combined with other rhythms, it can work well. For instance:

 

Example 2

Dactylic monometer example 2  

Following

Tinkerbell

over the hill

we met a-

nother cat

waiting­­­ to kill

In lines three and six, we have broken the repetitive pattern by throwing in a single stressed word at the end. Can you hear the difference it makes in your mind’s ear? This is how poets often work, varying the foot to produce work that sounds pleasing to the ear.

 

A closer look at the feet in these lines

 

U = short syllable; / = long syllable; | = division between feet

 

Dactylic monometer example 2 text 

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