Ballad metre, also known as the ballad stanza, is a quatrain form consisting of alternating lines of iambic tetrameter (four beats) and iambic trimeter (three beats), typically rhyming ABCB. Originating in oral folk traditions, this meter was designed for easy memorization and musical performance, often accompanying communal singing or storytelling. The unrhymed first and third lines allow for narrative flexibility and exposition, while the rhymed second and fourth lines provide rhythmic closure and emotional emphasis. Key features include incremental repetition, abrupt openings, dialogue, and dramatic compression, making it a cornerstone of narrative poetry from anonymous folk ballads to literary adaptations by Coleridge and Keats.

Ballad metre (or ballad stanza) consists of quatrains with alternating iambic tetrameter and trimeter lines, typically rhyming ABCB. It originates in oral folk traditions and is designed for memorization and musical performance. The unrhymed first and third lines allow narrative flexibility, while the rhyme in lines 2 and 4 provides closure. Key features include incremental repetition, dialogue, and abrupt openings. Students should practice scanning lines to distinguish it from Common Metre (which often uses ABAB).