Metric patterning describes the regular or deliberately varied rhythms created by sequences of stressed and unstressed syllables. Common English patterns include iambs, trochees, anapests, and dactyls, which may be organized into lines of differing lengths. Poets can follow a pattern closely, alter it for emphasis, or abandon it in favor of freer rhythms. Studying metric patterning helps readers hear structure beneath a poem’s language and understand how pace, expectation, tension, and emotional force can arise from rhythmic repetition and variation.

Metric patterning may use regular feet, such as iambs or trochees, or establish a looser recurring pulse. Scan lines aloud before marking stresses, since natural speech is the best guide. Variations from an expected pattern can create emphasis, tension, surprise, or a feeling of disruption.