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iambic pentameter

[ (eye-am-bik pen-tam-uh-tuhr) ]
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The most common meter in English verse. It consists of a line ten syllables long that is accented on every second beat (see blank verse). These lines in iambic pentameter are from The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare:

Ĭn sóoth,/Ĭ knów/nŏt whý/Ĭ ám/sŏ sád.
Ĭt wéa/riĕs mé;/yŏu sáy/ĭt wéa/riĕs yóu....
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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.
His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.
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Words nearby iambic pentameter

-ial, Ialysus, IAMAW, iamb, iambic, iambic pentameter, iambus, Ian, -iana, IAP, Iapetus
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Words related to iambic pentameter

blank verse, iamb, iambus

How to use iambic pentameter in a sentence

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