The Everything Writing Poetry Book by Tina D. Eliopulos Page A

change the root in different ways. Generally speaking, a prefix will change the meaning of the word, while a suffix will change the function of the word. Thus inflect and reflect are two different verbs from the root - flect -, but the suffix - ion transforms both verbs into nouns.
    The following points should help you keep these general rules straight:
    â€¢ Unstressed syllables: articles, conjunctions, prepositions, prefixes, suffixes, linking and helping verbs
    â€¢ Stressed syllables: nouns, roots and bases, main verbs (showing action)
    These tendencies are not 100 percent accurate, but they provide a reasonable starting point. Note that certain parts of speech (adjectives, adverbs, pronouns) are not listed; they are usually stressed according to the needs and the syntax of the sentence or to the other general tendencies noted previously.
    Use Your Dictionary
    The easiest way to distinguish between the stressed and unstressed syllables of polysyllabic words is to look them up in a dictionary. For example, if you locate the word modulate , you will see a guide for pronunciation and syllabification next to it, likely using parentheses or backward slashes. Hyphens or centered periods will set off the syllables; a high-set mark will precede the syllable with the primary stress, a low-set mark will precede syllables with secondary stress, and alternative letters and symbols will show the pronunciations of the letters. A good desk dictionary, rather than a simple spelling dictionary, will give you the information you need.

    If you want to learn more about the history of stresses and sounds in English, consult the book Essentials of English Grammar by Otto Jespersen. It is a condensed version of a longer study he made. Much of the information about stresses in this chapter comes from this source.
    Solid Footing
    Partly because of the way words are pronounced and partly because of the early influence of music on poetry, certain patterns of stressed and unstressed syllables emerge in poems and create recognizable beats. A poet may use a specific pattern in a poem to give it shape and structure. This pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables is called a foot (plural feet ).
    Foot Patterns
    Just as footfalls in an empty corridor can create a rhythm of sound to your ear, the foot patterns of some poetry create very strong rhythms. Consider the following chart:
    Eight Foot Patterns Found in English Poetry

    In case you're wondering, the scansion marks are called breves (˘) and accents (′). You can use them when you are reading poetry and want to record the foot patterns you see. In the examples throughout this book, you may see capital letters or accents used to set off the stressed syllables. The unstressed syllables will remain in lowercase, unmarked.
    Now, look at some examples of foot patterns as they appear in real verses. To start, consider Sonnet 2 by William Shakespeare:
    When forty winters shall besiege thy brow,
And dig deep trenches in thy beauty's field,
Thy youth's proud livery so gazed on now,
Will be a tatter'd weed of small worth held:
Then being asked, where all thy beauty lies,
Where all the treasure of thy lusty days;
To say, within thine own deep sunken eyes,
Were an all-eating shame, and thriftless praise.
How much more praise deserv'd thy beauty's use,
If thou couldst answer “This fair child of mine
Shall sum my count, and make my old excuse,”
Proving his beauty by succession thine!
This were to be new made when thou art old,
And see thy blood warm when thou feel'st it cold .
    As you read the sonnet, take note of which syllables are stressed and which are not stressed. For example, in the first line, the stresses seem to fall most naturally on the syllables as follows: “When FORTy WINTers shall beSIEGE thy BROW.” The capitalized (stressed) syllables belong mostly to nouns and verbs, with one stressed syllable falling within an adjective. Three of the four stressed syllables