Christopher Aruffo, MFA, MBA, MSc, PhD

A Rational Guide to Verse

or, Scansion Made Simple

Problem One:  Too many syllables

A line may have too many syllables to fit the available space.  To resolve this problem, you need to reduce length.  You can shorten syllables to make them fit the space, or you can rearrange lines to take syllables away.

Problem 1A:  Too many short syllables

When you have too many short syllables, you can squeeze them together.  Two or three short syllables can fit into the space of one.  You naturally keep the long syllables evenly spaced by saying the squeezed syllables more quickly.

Quickened syllables may be marked by indicating how many syllables have been squeezed together into a single space.  The mark can be placed between the syllables to create a visual bridge between them.  When there are three syllables to be squeezed, two marks can bridge all three syllables.

Only two or three short syllables can be squeezed into one space.  Four is too many.  Three is the maximum that English will naturally allow.

Resolution 1A:  Squeeze short syllables together.

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