A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhymes at the end of each line of a poem or song. It is typically described using letters to indicate which lines rhyme with each other. For example, in a four-line stanza (quatrain), if the first and third lines rhyme with each other while the second and fourth lines rhyme with each other, the rhyme scheme would be labeled as ABAB.
Here are some common rhyme schemes:
- ABAB: The first and third lines rhyme, and the second and fourth lines rhyme.
- AABB: The first two lines rhyme with each other, and the next two lines rhyme with each other.
- ABBA: The first and fourth lines rhyme, and the second and third lines rhyme.
- ABCABC: A larger form where the first and fourth lines rhyme, the second and fifth lines rhyme, and the third and sixth lines rhyme.
Rhyme schemes are often used to create rhythm, structure, and musicality in poetry and lyrics.