How to Format the English Sonnet
You may be asked to write an English Sonnet for an English class, or perhaps you just want to write one for your loved one. Either way, you will need to know how to format the English Sonnet.
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Instructions
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Formatting an English Sonnet
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Write the first four lines of the sonnet. These first four lines usually follow an a-b-a-b rhyme scheme.These first four lines can be used as a sort of introduction to your sonnet. Tell your reader what you intend to write about, but don't think of in the sense of a typical introduction like you might read in an academic essay. Instead, think about the first four lines of your sonnet as a place to make a strong impact on your reader and a place where your intended topic should be made clear somewhere near the end.
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2
Skip a line and then write another four lines of the sonnet. These four lines usually follow the c-d-c-d rhyme scheme.The second four lines of your sonnet can be used as a build up in the plot of your sonnet with a sort of climatic cliff hanger at the end of these four lines. This will set you up perfectly for the last set of four lines.
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3
Skip yet another line and then write another four lines of the sonnet. These four lines should follow the rhyme scheme of e-f-e-f.The last four set of lines can be used at the conclusion, which would be a resolution to the climax that occurs in the end of the second four set of lines.
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Skip another line and write the last two lines of the sonnet. The last two lines of your sonnet should rhyme.These last two lines, or the rhyming couplet, at the end of your sonnet is a great place to clearly lay out the "lesson" the reader is intended to learn by the end of your sonnet. To help you figure out how to approach these last two lines you might try to think of a way in which you could rewrite your whole sonnet in two lines. How can you really drive your point home?
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Proof read your sonnet for spelling errors and any grammatical errors that you didn't mean to make. Remember, poetry tends to be less strict when it comes to grammar, but the choice to go against the rules of grammar in poetry usually serves a purpose.
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Tips & Warnings
Advanced sonnet writers may choose to employ iambic pentameter to make their sonnet more traditional in format.
Sonnets are usually written about philosophical or love related topics.
You may also choose to use techniques like alliteration to draw focus to a particular part of your sonnet.
