What is a Sonnet poem?
A sonnet is a poem of an expressive thought or idea made up of 14 lines, each being 10 syllables long. Its rhymes are arranged according to one of the schemes – Italian, where eight lines called an octave consisting of two quatrains which normally open the poem as the question are followed by six lines called a sestet that are the answer, or the more common English which is three quatrains followed by a rhyming couplet.
The Structure of a Sonnet Poem
ab ab, cdcd, efef, gg - English
(abba abba cdecde) - Italian
An example of a Sonnet poem
| Scribbler! oh what a joy you can find here |
A |
| Eric is the one that heads the great team |
B |
| Full of poems, stories and happy cheer |
A |
| Hopefully it will make our readers gleam |
B |
| Bronte's Grammar is full of homework help |
C |
| Guest authors revealing secrets galore |
D |
| While the tricky puzzles will make you yelp |
C |
| There is no way Scribbler! will make you snore |
D |
| Eric will start a tale needing an end |
E |
| Fancy a challenge? Puzzle Time is here |
F |
| Shakespeare picks the great pictures you all send |
E |
| Ev'ry issue's jam-packed, let's give a cheer |
F |
| How 'bout finding Eric hidden away |
G |
| Jump on the Scribbler! wagon, come and play! |
G |
Why don't you try writing a sonnet and enter it into one of our poetry competitions.
For information on poetry types other than a sonnet visit our poetry glossary – poetry types.
