CLASS: FORM TWO
ORAL SKILLS: LISTENING AND SPEAKING
TOPIC: RHYME IN POETRY
Objectives:
By the
end of the lesson, the learner should be able to:
a. Identify rhyme in poetry.
b. Create a poem with rhyming sounds.
Rhyme
Rhyme is the
repetition of similar sounds
at the ends of lines of a poem.
The
repeating patterns bring rhythm or musicality to the poem.
The music
created by rhyming words makes the poem both interesting and the idea/subject
in the poem memorable.
Remember, when
studying rhyme in poetry consider the SOUNDS and not LETTERS at the
end of the lines of the poem or song.
The vowel
sound in the last syllable of the words at the end of the poem determines
whether the words \ or not.
When you
listen to popular local or international songs you may observe that the rhythm
or musicality in the song is created by rhyming words/rhyme at the end of each
line.
Consider
this snippet of Bado lyrics by Harmonize and Diamond:
Kutwaa
kidomo wazi, nikifutwa na machozi,
Huku
namwomba Mola unitoke moyoni/
Ila ndio siwezi nakesha ka mlinzi,
Maana
hata nikilala unanijia ndotoni/
Juicy by
The Notorious BIG
Lunches,
brunches, interviews by the pool/
Considered
a fool ‘cause I dropped out of house school/
Stereotypes
of a black male misunderstood/
And it’s
still all good/
Can you
identify the rhyming words?
Pool school
Misunderstood
good
NB: -
Words may have the same letter at the end but still not rhyme; and words with
different letters at the end of the lines may rhyme.
This is
because we consider the sounds and not the letters.
For
example;
Cat and
fight do not rhyme.
Mite and
come do not rhyme.
Mite
rhymes with fight
Cat
rhymes with mat
Let’s use
an example from KCSE 2012 ENGLISH PAPER
1 to demonstrate.
Identify
any two pairs of rhyming words in the poem.
For
example “hogs” rhymes with “dogs”
A rhyme scheme is a pattern of sounds
that repeat at the end of a line of a poem.
The
patterns are encoded by letters of the alphabet. Lines are designated with the
same letter rhyme with each other. For example, the rhyme scheme abab
shows that line 1 rhymes with line 3 while line 2 rhymes with line 4.
Example:
Under the
tree she sat, a
Silently
watching the river, b
She saw a
dog chasing a cat, a
The sight
of that gave her a shiver, b
Sat rhymes
with cat so we assign letter a to them.
River rhymes
with shiver so we assign letter b to them.
Can you describe the rhyme scheme of the poem ‘If We Must Die’ by Claude McKay?
The rhyme
scheme is ababcdcdefefgg
Note: In
the poem die /dɑɪ/ rhymes with defy /dɪfɑɪ/ and foe /fəʊ/ rhymes
with deathblow /deɵbləʊ/
Try
saying the words aloud.
The words
die and defy have the sounds /ɑɪ/ while
foe and deathblow have the sound /əʊ/
There are two types of
rhyme schemes;
1) Regular rhyme scheme
2) Irregular rhyme scheme
Regular rhyme scheme
The poem
has a constant/definite pattern of rhyme. You can predict the pattern.
The poem 'If We Must Die' has a regular rhyme scheme
ababcdcdefefgg
Irregular
rhyme scheme
The poem
has an uneven pattern of rhyme. You cannot predict the pattern or tell the next
rhyme.
For
example;
abcadefba
- If you attempt a question that asks you to describe the rhyme scheme of a given poem
- Identify the rhyming words in the poem
- Assign each rhyme a letter of the alphabet starting with a. Go all the way to the last line. Do not add more letters after the last line even if the pattern is predictable.
- Write down the pattern e.g. abab or abba
- State whether the rhyme scheme is regular or irregular. Usually, it is regular.
SAMPLE KCSE QUESTIONS ON
RHYME IN POETRY
KCSE ENGLISH PAPER 1 2022
KCSE ENGLISH PAPER 1 2018
3(ii)
Describe the rhyme scheme of the poem (3 marks)
KCSE ENGLISH PAPER 1 2016
3(i)
Describe the rhyme scheme of the poem and explain its function.
KCSE ENGLISH PAPER 1 2015
3(b) Describe the rhyme scheme in this poem and say what it does (4 marks)
KCSE ENGLISH PAPER 1 2012
Next we analyse oral skills notes on turn-taking skills in dialogue.
Do you know any words that rhyme?
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