StudySmarter - The all-in-one study app.
4.8 • +11k Ratings
More than 3 Million Downloads
Free
Americas
Europe
An example of multisyllabic rhyme is fluttering and spluttering. These words have identical endings (-uttering) and are both three-syllable words (flutt-er-ing & splutt-er-ing).'Multisyllabic' refers to words with more than one syllable. Multisyllabic rhyme is the rhyming of two or more syllables.Multisyllabic rhyme can occur between multisyllabic words and between multiple monosyllabic (one-syllable) words. An example of this would be rhyming 'no way' and 'snow day'. Both monosyllabic words (no way) rhyme with two other…
Explore our app and discover over 50 million learning materials for free.
Save the explanation now and read when you’ve got time to spare.
SaveLerne mit deinen Freunden und bleibe auf dem richtigen Kurs mit deinen persönlichen Lernstatistiken
Jetzt kostenlos anmeldenAn example of multisyllabic rhyme is fluttering and spluttering. These words have identical endings (-uttering) and are both three-syllable words (flutt-er-ing & splutt-er-ing).
'Multisyllabic' refers to words with more than one syllable. Multisyllabic rhyme is the rhyming of two or more syllables.
Multisyllabic rhyme can occur between multisyllabic words and between multiple monosyllabic (one-syllable) words. An example of this would be rhyming 'no way' and 'snow day'. Both monosyllabic words (no way) rhyme with two other monosyllabic words (snow day).
Multisyllabic rhymes are also referred to as compound rhymes or polysyllabic rhymes.
It is important to distinguish between Monosyllabic Rhyme, Multisyllabic Rhyme, and Syllabic Rhyme.
Monosyllabic rhyme is the rhyming of single-syllable words. An example of Monosyllabic rhyme is hit and sit.
Multisyllabic rhyme is the rhyming of multiple syllables. This can be multisyllabic words, or rhyming multiple monosyllabic words with other monosyllabic words. An example of multisyllabic rhyme is gratitude (gr-ah-tih-chew-d) and latitude (l-ah-tih-chew-d) (rhyming multisyllabic words). Another example of multisyllabic rhyme is no way and snow day (rhyming multiple monosyllabic words).
Gerard Manley Hopkins (Victorian-era poet) often used multisyllabic rhyme in his poetry. - pixabay
One poet who frequently used multisyllabic rhyme in his poetry was Gerard Manley Hopkins, an English Victorian-era poet. Let's examine his poem 'The Windhover ' (1877) to explore this technique. Try to spot the different types of rhyme:
I caught this morning morning's minion, king-
dom of daylight's dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon, in his riding
Of the rolling level underneath him steady air, and striding
High there, how he rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing
In his ecstasy! then off, off forth on swing,
As a skate's heel sweeps smooth on a bow-bend: the hurl and gliding
Rebuffed the big wind. My heart in hiding
Stirred for a bird, —the achieve of; the mastery of the thing!
Note the first multisyllabic rhymes present here: the slant rhyme between morning (maw-ning) and dauphin (daw-fin), and minion (min-yun) and kingdom (king-dum). Both are multisyllabic slant rhymes because they have identical vowel sounds but are not perfect rhymes with identical word endings.
Monosyllabic rhymes are also present in this poem, such as rhyming dawn with drawn.
Hopkins uses multisyllabic rhyme again for most of the end rhymes in this poem - he rhymes riding, striding, gliding, and hiding, all of which are multisyllabic words.
Another example of multisyllabic rhyme in Hopkins' poetry is 'The Burglar's First Communion' (published 1918). Let's examine the second and penultimate stanzas:
This very very day came down to us after a boon he on
My late being there begged of me, overflowing
Boon in my bestowing,
Came, I say, this day to it - to a First Communion.
...
Seems by a divine doom channeled, nor do I cry
Disaster there; but may he not rankle and roam
In backwheels though bound home? -
That left to the Lord of the Eucharist, I here lie by;
Hopkins displays a less common form of multisyllabic rhyme - rhyming multiple monosyllabic words (boon he on) with a single multisyllabic word (Communion).
The second and third lines of the second stanza are multisyllabic end rhymes, both having identical multisyllabic endings (ow-ing).
'I cry' and 'Lie by' is another example of multisyllabic rhyme between multiple monosyllabic words.
'And roam' and 'Bound home' might be considered examples of multisyllabic slant rhyme. 'And' and 'Bound' are an example of syllabic rhyme - where the sound in the last syllable of word pairs is the same ( -nd ) but does not contain stressed vowels. Therefore although 'and' and 'bound' are not perfect rhymes, rhyming 'and roam' and 'bound home' is still an example of multisyllabic rhyme.
Hip-hop and rap music uses multisyllabic rhyme. - pixabay
Multisyllabic rhyme is a feature of rap music, which prioritises the sonic aspects of poetry. In hip-hop, an artist's ability to craft multiple multisyllabic rhymes earns them great admiration.
One artist known for his use of compound rhymes is Eminem. Here is an example of multisyllabic rhyme in one of his verses:
His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy.
There's vomit on his sweater already, mom's spaghetti.
He's nervous. But on the surface, he looks calm and ready ...
to drop bombs. But he keeps on forgetting.
Eminem rhymes the monosyllabic words 'palms are sweaty' with 'arms are heavy', 'mom's spaghetti', 'calm and ready' and 'on forgetting'. The singular words are combined to form one compound rhyme (which is why these rhymes are often referred to as compound rhymes).
Here, he uses slant rhymes to rhyme multiple syllables - 'on forgetting' and 'mom's spaghetti' do not perfectly rhyme, but their near-identical vowel sounds mean the words still sound like they rhyme.
Eminem often combines singular words to create multisyllabic rhyme. - pixabay
Let's examine the way another rap artist, MF Doom, makes use of multisyllabic rhymes in this verse:
The worst hated God who perpetrated odd favors ...
demonstrated in the perforated Rod Lavers.
In all quad flavors! Lord, save us!
Here's a list of the present multisyllabic rhymes:
Hated God - Perpetrated Odd
Perpetrated Odd Favors - Perforated Rod Lavers
Worst Hated - Perforated
Flavors - Save Us
As you might imagine, writing multisyllabic rhymes is no easy feat! In rap music, multisyllabic rhyme is often accompanied by slant rhymes. As rap music is an auditory experience, the rapper's cadence (inflection of voice) will determine whether two multisyllabic phrases appear to rhyme or not.
'Multisyllabic' refers to words with more than one syllable. Multisyllabic rhyme is the rhyming of two or more syllables.
Multisyllabic rhyme can occur between multisyllabic words and between multiple monosyllabic (one-syllable) words.
Multisyllabic rhymes are also referred to as compound rhymes or polysyllabic rhymes.
Multisyllabic rhyme is a vital feature of rap music, which prioritises the sonic aspect of poetry.
Multisyllabic rhyme is the rhyming of two or more syllables.
You can create your own multisyllabic rhymes by finding two words that have the same amount of syllables, and have the same vowels or consonants in both syllables. Think of 'fluttering' and 'spluttering.' These share the same vowel sounds in the first syllable and in the second syllable and also have the same ending consonants.
Some multisyllabic word pairs are: fluttering and spluttering, pitter and patter, gratitude and latitude, coco and loco, cheesy and wheezy.
Multisyllabic rhymes can be used in a variety of rhyme schemes, such as AA BB CC, ABAB CDCD, or AAAA AAAA.
Eminem uses both end rhyme and internal rhyme, with some of his raps having the rhyme scheme AAAA BBBB CCCC. He often uses multisyllabic rhyme in his lyrics and combines monosyllabic words to create compound rhymes across different lines.
How would you like to learn this content?
How would you like to learn this content?
Free english cheat sheet!
Everything you need to know on . A perfect summary so you can easily remember everything.
Be perfectly prepared on time with an individual plan.
Test your knowledge with gamified quizzes.
Create and find flashcards in record time.
Create beautiful notes faster than ever before.
Have all your study materials in one place.
Upload unlimited documents and save them online.
Identify your study strength and weaknesses.
Set individual study goals and earn points reaching them.
Stop procrastinating with our study reminders.
Earn points, unlock badges and level up while studying.
Create flashcards in notes completely automatically.
Create the most beautiful study materials using our templates.
Sign up to highlight and take notes. It’s 100% free.
Save explanations to your personalised space and access them anytime, anywhere!
Sign up with Email Sign up with AppleBy signing up, you agree to the Terms and Conditions and the Privacy Policy of StudySmarter.
Already have an account? Log in