So, you want to rhyme? Well, there are many different types of rhyme you can choose from. Examples of rhyme mostly happen when two or more words or syllables sound similar or the same; however, don’t be caught out by this simple definition because rhymes come in many different patterns. Here we have many explanations, definitions, and examples of rhyme for kids, homeschooling, and the ELA classroom.
Before setting off on our adventure into rhymes for homeschooling or the ELA classroom, it's essential that we clear up the difference between imperfect and perfect rhymes. Perfect rhymes are sometimes called full, exact, or true rhymes, and they form a relationship between two words in which the sounds and stressed syllables are identical.
5 Examples of Rhyme In Poetry and Nursery Rhymes
Imperfect rhymes do not perfectly match rhyming schemes or syllabic stress; they have similar but not identical sounds.
Alliteration, head rhyme, or initial rhyme occurs when each word's first letter is repeated. Alliteration is only used with consonants and, technically, is a poetic device, not a strict rhyme.
Assonance occurs when repeated vowel sounds are close to each other in words. Some people refer to assonance as a type of slant rhyme, and it's used in literature and prose. Assonance helps change the mood or atmosphere of your work. Here are some examples of rhyme using assonance:
Consonance in rhyme occurs when two or more consonants are close; instead of vowel sounds, it's consonant sounds. There are many examples of consonance in poetry and prose, and it's used to add drama or emotion. Let's take a look at a few examples of rhyme with consonance.
End rhymes, syllabic rhymes, tail rhymes, or masculine rhymes occur in poetry when the ending syllables in a word of a poem rhyme. The ending of the subsequent stanza doesn't need to rhyme, but the pattern needs to be repeated at the end of some lines to make an end rhyme. Here are some examples of rhyme.
End Rhyme Examples in Poetry For Kids
"I cannot go to school today,’
Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
‘I have the measles and the mumps,
a gash, a rash, and purple bumps."
End rhyme on today and McKay and mumps and bumps.
The Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost.
"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth."
End rhyme examples on both, and undergrowth, and wood and could.
Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down and broke his crown,
And Jill came tumbling after.
Up Jack got, and home did trot,
As fast as he could caper,
He went to bed to mend his head,
With vinegar and brown paper.
End rhyme examples on water and after, paper and caper.
Eye rhymes are more about the spelling of a word than the sound of it. When reading, words that look like they should rhyme but don't when spoken are eye rhymes; some examples include,
Feminine, double, triple, multiple, or extended rhyming happens when a word has a stressed syllable and an unstressed syllable that rhymes internally. Here are some examples of feminine rhyme word pairs.
A half rhyme is a word that doesn't blend perfectly with another word but sounds similar. A half rhyme is also known as a type of slant rhyme, oblique rhyme, or near rhyme. Let's look at some examples,
An internal rhyme is when a word shares a rhyming scheme with another word in the middle of a phrase. So, for example:
A macaronic rhyme is a word that shares a rhyming scheme with a word in a different language. For example,
Rich rhymes are the opposite of eye rhymes, these words do not share the exact spelling, but they form the same sounding rhyme.
This type of rhyme is imperfect and is a term used for words that don't have many rhyming pairs. For example,
A wrenched rhyme, often used in folk music, is a type of rhyme that pairs together two words with a stressed and unstressed rhyming scheme. Like the following,
Every type of rhyme scheme follows a specific pattern. Let’s look at a few now!
An alternative rhyme scheme works by rhyming the first and third lines of a stanza and the second and fourth lines of a stanza, following an ‘AB, AB ’ pattern.
A: I saw this man,
B: He looked quite old,
A: His name was Stan,
B: Or, so I’m told.
A ballade rhyme scheme is a little more complicated but follows the same pattern each time. The rhyme scheme goes as such, 'ABAB, BCBC. '
A: She looked at me,
B: With so much grace,
A: Through the trees,
B: I saw her face.
B: Me, in my place,
C: I almost cried.
B: But without a trace,
C: She left my side.
These are just a couple of examples in the world of rhyme schemes, but for the most part, there aren't any limits to creativity, and we encourage you to try out any rhyme pattern that appeals to you!
So now it's time to say goodbye; we wish you well, come rain or shine! If you want to practice rhyme with your students in the ELA classroom or to empower homeschooling, check out our rhyming words practice page.