Because I write poetry almost every day, I'm familiar with the way it can aid in pronunciation of the English language. The arrangement of words is important when writing poetry if one is rhyming. To make the rhythm of the lines uniform, one must often place the words in such a way that they do not easily flow out of the mouth. The words would seem to be unnatural in their arrangement. This results in a sort of tongue-twisting effort when the poem is being read aloud.

"Tell me a terrible timely tale,
Halloween is happening here.
Shrieks and screams on shattering scale,
Cleavers and candy and cheer."

Reading this short poem provides a pronunciation challenge, especially for someone whose primary language is not English. It's a good exercise in getting the tongue around the words while keeping with the rhythm of the poem. Even a person with excellent reading skills may find this short rhyme a bit of a test of the tongue. However, the reading of this verse will help with pronunciation so that the words are clear and understandable.

Free verse and other styles of poetry are valuable as pronunciation tools when they are read with passion and when each word is enunciated so as to convey the feeling with which the poetry is written. The poetry of the classical authors is are examples of verse in which the words must be enunciated precisely to involve the audience in the depth of emotion intended by the author.

Learn more about this author, Arabella Kelly.
Click here to send author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about How to use poetry as an aid to pronunciation?
We want to hear your view. Write now!