Which term refers to a foot that is short-long?

Which term refers to a foot that is short-long?

• A. Trochee
• B. Iamb
• C. Antapest
• D. Dactyl

Answer: (B)

In poetry meter, a foot is a unit built from stressed and unstressed syllables. A pattern described as short-long means the first syllable is unstressed (light) and the second is stressed (heavy). That exact unstressed-stressed sequence is called an iamb. In English verse, iambs create the familiar da-DUM rhythm, and lines often use multiple iambs in a row (iambic meter), like in everyday speech or in Shakespeare’s blank verse. The other feet have different orders: a trochee starts with a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed one, a dactyl is a stressed followed by two unstressed syllables, and antapest has a different unstressed-stressed arrangement. The key idea here is recognizing the unstressed-then-stressed pattern, which names the foot as an iamb.

In poetry meter, a foot is a unit built from stressed and unstressed syllables. A pattern described as short-long means the first syllable is unstressed (light) and the second is stressed (heavy). That exact unstressed-stressed sequence is called an iamb. In English verse, iambs create the familiar da-DUM rhythm, and lines often use multiple iambs in a row (iambic meter), like in everyday speech or in Shakespeare’s blank verse.

The other feet have different orders: a trochee starts with a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed one, a dactyl is a stressed followed by two unstressed syllables, and antapest has a different unstressed-stressed arrangement. The key idea here is recognizing the unstressed-then-stressed pattern, which names the foot as an iamb.