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An iamb is a two-syllable metrical pattern in poetry in which one unstressed syllable is followed by a stressed syllable. The word "define" is an iamb, with the unstressed syllable of "de" followed by the stressed syllable, “fine”: De- fine .
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Iamb is the most common unit of meter in the English language and is often maintained throughout an entire poem. It is fundamental to the history of English-language poetry. When written out, an iamb sounds like line du-DUM.
Definition, Usage and a list of Iamb Examples in common speech and literature. An iamb is a literary device that can be defined as a foot containing unaccented and short syllables followed by a long and accented syllable in a single line of a poem (unstressed/stressed syllables).
The iamb is one of the most fundamental metrical feet in English language and poetry. Many poets writing in strict meter choose to write with many successive iambs to create a consistent rhythm of unstressed and stressed beats. We will see some of these types of consistent meter below in more depth.
An iamb (/ ˈ aɪ æ m / EYE-am) or iambus is a metrical foot used in various types of poetry. Originally the term referred to one of the feet of the quantitative meter of classical Greek prosody: a short syllable followed by a long syllable (as in καλή (kalḗ) "beautiful (f.)").
An iamb (EYE-am) is a metrical unit consisting of two syllables where an initial unstressed syllable is followed by a stressed syllable. For example, the words amuse (a-MUSE), portray (por-TRAY), delight (de-LIGHT), and return (re-TURN) are all iambs. Iambs are used in poetry and in verse plays.
Examples of Iamb in Literature. Poets have written a number of poems in regular meters, and iambic meter is widely used in several of them. Example #1: Dust of Snow (By Robert Frost) “The way a crow Shook down on me The dust of snow From a hemlock tree. Has given my heart A change of mood And saved some part Of a day I had rued.”
