Question

Which statements about iambic pentameter are true? Check all that apply.
An iamb consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.
A line of iambic pentameter contains five iambs, or ten syllables.
A line of iambic pentameter contains four iambs, or eight syllables.
Iambic pentameter does not follow a regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables.
Shakespeare uses iambic pentameter in his sonnets.

Answer 1

The correct statements are as follows:

• An iamb consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.
• A line of iambic pentameter contains five iambs or ten syllables.
• Shakespeare uses iambic pentameter in his sonnets.

Iambic Pentameter

• It is one of the most common rhyming patterns used in poems.

• 'Iambic' refers to the pattern of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. It gives a musical quality to the poem.

• Pentameter refers to the meter of five pairs of unstressed and stressed syllables in a single line of a poem.