![]() PARENTHESES ( () ) - the Parenthesis is a curved notation used to contain further thoughts or qualifying remarksĪPOSTROPHE (') - the apostrophe is used to show the omission of letters from a word, possessive case: HYPHEN (-) - the hyphen is the same symbol as the endash but it is used in creating compound words, particularly modifiers before nouns, names or syllables of a word: It is used, within a verse or at the end, to indicate a break in thought or verse structure introduce a phrase added for emphasis, definition, or explanation or separate two clauses (like the semicolon): The emdash (–) is a little more complicated.The endash (-) is used to connect numbers or elements of a compound adjective:.You can also use it when indicating the time in your verse:ĭASH (– /-) - the dash is of two types, endash (short) and emdash (long/double dash). SEMICOLON ( ) - the semicolon is used to connect two independent clauses in a verse or at the end of a verse (linking two verses):ĬOLON (:) - the colon is used after a word introducing a quotation, an explanation, an example, or a series: It is also used to separate two or more complete, independent clauses in a verse: Eg "The sun, rain, and road flogged him to death" eliminating 'and the' twice. In a poem, you can also use it to eliminate excess words. It affects how the reader will view the verse or poem:ĬOMMA (,) - the comma is used to show a separation of ideas or elements within the verse. ![]() When it is being read, the reader asks himself the question, and pauses:ĮXCLAMATION POINT/MARK (!) - the exclamation point/mark is used to express a sudden outcry, excitement, finality or just add emphasis. QUESTION MARK (?) - the question mark is used to indicate a direct question at the end of a verse. The reader will most likely stop to think about what has been read so far. PERIOD (.) - the period is used to show a final end to the thought/sentence and indeed verse after an abbreviation. In this lecture, I will focus on the ones I have used: There are several punctuation marks you can use in your poem. WHICH PUNCTUATION MARKS SHOULD A POET USE? Caesura – when a punctuation mark comes within the line itselfĮxamples: Once and again on running track Bolt beat them all, a tall man black And did you not all clap with glee For all the watching world to see?.Run-on line/Enjambment – when there is no punctuation at the end of the line and/or the idea expressed in the verse is continued in the next.End-stopped line – when punctuation occurs at the end of a line/verse, allowing the reader to pause before moving on to the next verse.The fact is that the punctuation marks thrown in affect the reader’s pace, understanding, eye movement and perception.īefore we go too far, let’s talk about the TYPES OF VERSES, determined by the POSITION of the punctuation they contain: Interestingly, many poets use punctuation marks without knowing why they used them others just write their verses without using any marks at all, not deliberately, just because they do not know how and where to use them. The third group of poets place punctuation arbitrarily, without realizing that punctuation actually aids the readers’ interpretation and also determines his/her breathing pauses. signals when and where to breathe (very important).ensures coherence and the presentation of meaning.Punctuation in poetry is similar to punctuation in prose and serves almost the same purpose as bar lines in music without which the words and notes won’t flow altogether. In other words, punctuation assists in organizing your words into discernible verses: In this lecture, our main concern is PUNCTUATION. There is nothing wrong with that, especially with poets whose verses are rich in metaphors, imagery and all other ingredients of poetry. But it must be also noted that the following poetry rules give our poems structure and clarity – common ground rules that help the poet communicate clearly and effectively to the reader. These days however, new ‘poets’ simply gather expressions, break them into verses and group them into stanzas (or just flow) – then you have a poem. As a result, my poems were mostly with rhyme, rhythm and regular meter for years, until around 2009.Ī decade into poetry, I had developed my own rules. Then, I could work on a poem for days trying to master the existing styles (mostly sonnets and other metered poems). When I started writing poetry consciously in 2002, it was not unusual to see me reading a poem by the greats – like Shakespeare, Yeats, Frost, Clark, Leopold and their contemporaries – and then writing a mirror poem.
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