Meter

Definition: The rhythmic structure or patterns of lines in a verse.

Example: Iambic pentameter (5 iambs, 10 syllables)

• That time | of year | thou mayst | in me | behold
• 
  
• trochaic tetrameter (4 trochees, 8 syllables)

• Tell me | not in | mournful | numbers

anapestic trimeter (3 anapests, 9 syllables)

• And the sound | of a voice | that is still

dactylic hexameter (6 dactyls, 17 syllables; a trochee replaces the last dactyl)

• This is the | forest pri | meval, the | murmuring | pine and the | hemlocks

Significance: The significance of meter is great because it allows you to read the poem in the correct beat and pattern. Meter gives the poem a nice rhythm.