Christopher Aruffo, MFA, MBA, MSc, PhD

A Rational Guide to Verse

or, Scansion Made Simple

Problem Two:  Not enough syllables

A line may not have enough syllables to fill the required space.  To resolve this problem, you need to increase length.  You can expand syllables to make them fill the space, or you can insert pauses to stand in for missing syllables and feet.

Problem 2C:  Missing feet or syllables

Sometimes a line just doesn't have enough syllables, period.  Even when every syllable is as long as it can naturally be, you may still find a foot that's missing a syllable, or a line that's missing a foot.  Whenever this happens, the empty space can be filled with pauses.

"Empty" feet are filled by pauses.

Pauses finish unequal feet and balance unequal lines.  Pauses can be any length, and they can be placed anywhere that English grammar will allow.  Pauses can be marked with circles to suggest empty space.  A dot can represent a short pause, a circle a long pause, and two circles for a full foot.

Pauses are essentially silent syllables.  In fact, "adding" a pause doesn't add anything new to a verse; rhythmically, the syllables are already there.  Marking pauses makes those hidden syllables visible.

Resolution 2C:  Find natural pauses.

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