1. Determine the Dominant Metrical Foot used
- determined by duration of syllables, in relation to other syllables
- monosyllabic words, which receive more or less stress dependent upon their grammatical function (i.e. nouns, verbs, adjectives, versus articles and prepositions)
- prevailing meter of the line
2. Count the Number of Feet in the Line
3. Identify Rhyme scheme and rhyme (both at ends of lines and internally)
4. Analyze Stanza Form : often helps us in identifying the verse form
5. Analyze General sound devices (alliteration, assonance, consonance, etc.)