blank verse

IPA/ˌblæŋk ˈvɜːs/
IPA/ˌblæŋk ˈvɜːrs/

blank verse — noun

1. a way of writing poems or plays in which the lines have a regular rhythmic patte

1.名詞B2
釋義

a way of writing poems or plays in which the lines have a regular rhythmic pattern — most often ten syllables with a stress on every second beat — but do not end with rhyming words. This style is famously used in many of Shakespeare's plays and in Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost.

例句

The literature teacher explained that Shakespeare's plays are written mostly in blank verse.

passive: 'are written in blank verse'

Sirin prefers reading blank verse because she finds rhyming poetry too predictable.

collocation: 'reading blank verse'

同義詞
  • unrhymed verse

    a broader, less technical term that simply means verse without rhyme, without specifying the meter

反義詞
  • rhymed verse

    poetry that uses end-rhyme, such as sonnets or couplets

文法句型

written in blank verse

blank verse + noun (e.g. blank verse play)

用法筆記

Frequently used as an uncountable noun; a single poem in this form is described as 'a blank-verse poem' or 'a poem in blank verse'. This term is distinct from 'free verse', which has neither rhyme nor a fixed metrical pattern.

常見錯誤

❌Shakespeare wrote many blank verses.
✅Shakespeare wrote many plays in blank verse.
💡'blank verse' is uncountable; you cannot add -s.
❌Blank verse has no rules about rhythm.
✅Blank verse has no rhyme but follows a strict rhythmic pattern, usually iambic pentameter.
💡blank verse does have a fixed meter; learners sometimes confuse it with free verse.