Page 8 - Lesson Notes

As long as it takes to pass (C)
A ship keeps raising its hull; (C)
The wetter ground like glass (D)
Reflects a standing gull. (D)

This is an ABAB pattern of rhyme scheme, in which each stanza applies this format. For
instance, in the first stanza, “sand” rhymes with the word “land,” and “way” rhymes with
the word “day.”

Example #2: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (By Donald Barthelme)

Twinkle, twinkle, little star, (A)
How I wonder what you are. (A)
Up above the world so high, (B)
Like a diamond in the sky. (B)

The following example uses an AABB rhyme scheme. Here, the first line ends in the word
“star,” which rhymes with the final word of the second line, “are.” Since both words rhyme
with each other, they are signified with letter “A.”

Example #3: A Monorhyme for the Shower (By Dick Davis)

Lifting her arms to soap her hair (A)
Her pretty breasts respond – and there (A)
The movement of that buoyant pair (A)
Is like a spell to make me swear… (A)

This poem presents a perfect example of monorhyme, in which you’ll notice that every line
ends in a similar rhyme, “AAAA” like these words, “hair, there, pair, and swear.”

Example #4: Nature’s Way (By Heidi Campbell)

Upon a nice mid-spring day, A
Let’s take a look at Nature’s way. A
Breathe the scent of nice fresh air, B
Feel the breeze within your hair. B
The grass will poke between your toes, C
Smell the flowers with your nose. C
Clouds form shapes within the skies, D
And light will glisten from your eyes D

This extract from a poem by Heidi Campbell has a beautiful rhyme scheme AA, BB, CC and
DD.