&glosstext=<b>IAMBIC PENTAMETER:</b><br><br>You may also have come across technical terms such as "iambic pentameter" to describe a poem's rhythm. Iambic pentameter is a particular rhythm that is found in many poems. The word "iamb" just means there is one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable: di-<b>dum</b>.  "Iambic Pentameter" means that each line has five (pent is from the Latin word for five) of these iambs. So if we just concentrate on the rhythm of the line it sounds like this:<br><br>		di-<b>dum</b> di-<b>dum</b> di-<b>dum</b> di-<b>dum</b> di-<b>dum</b><br><br>For example, Shakespeare's 'Shall I Compare Thee?' is written in iambic pentameter, with each line reproducing the same rhythm: <br><br>		Rough <b>winds</b> do <b>shake</b> the <b>dar</b>ling <b>buds</b> of <b>May</b> <br><br>The main thing to remember is that "iambic pentameter" is just a way to describe the strong fixed rhythm we find in this and many other poems. A good way to hear this effect is to read the poem aloud. You may find that you have to read it several times before you get a feel for the rhythm.

