Literary terms · AP English Literature, AP English Language, SAT Reading and Writing, ACT Reading
Free verse
Free verse: Poetry without a regular meter or rhyme scheme, which relies on line breaks, rhythm and imagery for structure.
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What it means
Free verse has no fixed pattern. Poets shape meaning with line length, line breaks, white space, repetition and the rhythm of natural speech.
In free verse, line breaks carry extra weight because they are one of the poet's main structural tools.
Example
A free verse poem might place a single word on its own line to isolate it, such as 'alone' set apart from the stanza above it.
On the exam
Discuss how line breaks and spacing create emphasis or pacing.