Page:The Comic English Grammar.djvu/127

 1. The Trochee, which has the first syllable accented, and the last unaccented: as, "Yānkěe dōodlĕ."

2. The Iambus, which has the first syllable unaccented, and the last accented: as, "Thē māid hĕrsēlf wīth roūge, ălās! bědaūbs."

3. The Spondee, which has both the words or syllables accented: as, "āll hāil, grēat kīng, Tōm Thūmb, āll haīl!"

4. The Pyrrhic, which has both the words or syllables unaccented: as, "ŏn thě tree-top."

5. The Dactyl, which has the first syllable accented and the two latter unaccented: as, "Jōnăthăn, Jēffĕrsŏn."

6. The Amphibrach has the first and last syllables unaccented and the middle one accented: as, "Oĕ'r-whelmĭng, trănspōrted, ĕcstātĭc, dĕlightfūl, ăccēptĕd, ăddrēssĕs."

7. The Anapæst (or as we used to say, Nasty-beast) has the two first syllables unaccented and the last accented: as, "ŏvĕrgrōwn grĕnădiēr."

8. The Tribrach has all its syllables unaccented: as, "Matrĭmŏny, exquĭsĭtenĕss."

These feet are divided into principal feet, out of which pieces of poetry may be wholly or chiefly formed; and secondary feet, the use of which is to diversify the number and improve the verse.

We shall now proceed to explain the nature of the principal feet.

Iambic verses are of several kinds, each kind consisting of a certain number of feet or syllables.

1. The shortest form of the English Iambic consists of an Iambus, with an additional short syllable thus coinciding with the Amphibrach: as,