New
New
Year 5

Examining structure and language in 'The Listeners' by Walter de la Mare

I can discuss the poet's choice of structure and language.

New
New
Year 5

Examining structure and language in 'The Listeners' by Walter de la Mare

I can discuss the poet's choice of structure and language.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. 'The Listeners' by Walter de la Mare is a thirty-six line poem which is separated into 5 sentences.
  2. The poem follows a consistent pattern of rhyme in the scheme of ABCB.
  3. Walter de la Mare chose to create rhyming pairs that are separated by un-rhyming lines.
  4. Walter de la Mare uses poetic devices to have an effect on the reader.

Keywords

  • Rhyme - Rhyme in poetry is the similarity of sounds between the ending syllables of words.

  • Rhyme scheme - Rhyme scheme in poetry refers to the pattern of rhyming words or sounds at the end of each line in a poem, often represented using letters.

  • Enjambment - Enjambment is when a line in poetry continues onto the next line without pause or punctuation, creating a sense of flow.

  • Repetition - Repetition in poetry involves the deliberate use of words, phrases, sounds, or structural elements that are repeated for emphasis.

  • Poetic devices - Poetic devices are techniques enhancing expression, rhythm or meaning in poetry.

Common misconception

Pupils may believe that alliteration only occurs when the words are next to one another.

Words do not necessarily have to be right next to each other, but the repeated consonant sounds should occur in close proximity.

Pupils would benefit with some examples of adjectives and nouns using the same consonant sounds in 'Traveller' and 'Phantom'. This could be done collaboratively, to support pupils in Task B.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Who is the poet of the below collection?
An image in a quiz
Choose Love
Correct answer: Nicola Davies
Petr Horáček
Graffeg
Q2.
Match the following words to their definitions.
Correct Answer:noun,a naming word for people, places or things

a naming word for people, places or things

Correct Answer:verb,a doing, being or having word

a doing, being or having word

Correct Answer:adjective,describes a noun

describes a noun

Correct Answer:adverb,describes a verb

describes a verb

Q3.
True or False? Poems can be interpreted only one way.
Correct Answer: False, false
Q4.
Match the following adjectives to the nouns they describe in the poem, 'The Listeners'.
Correct Answer:moonlit,door

door

Correct Answer:ferny,floor

floor

Correct Answer:leaf-fringed,sill

sill

Correct Answer:lone,house

house

Q5.
True or False? Poems do not have to rhyme.
Correct Answer: True, true
Q6.
Order the following events from the poem 'The Listeners' in chronological order.
1 - The Traveller arrives at a house on horseback.
2 - The Traveller knocks on the door. No one answers.
3 - The Traveller knocks again. He feels a strange presence.
4 - The Traveller announces that he kept his promise.
5 - The Traveller gallops away on horseback.
Q1 Choose Love, Nicola Davies, Petr Horáček, Graffeg

6 Questions

Q1.
Which adjective would best describe the poem, 'The Listeners'?
happy
joyous
Correct answer: unsettling
ordinary
resolved
Q2.
Match the following keywords to their definition.
Correct Answer:rhyme,similar sounds between the ending syllables of words

similar sounds between the ending syllables of words

Correct Answer:rhyme scheme,the pattern of rhyming words or sounds in a poem, e.g. AABA

the pattern of rhyming words or sounds in a poem, e.g. AABA

Correct Answer:enjambment ,when a line continues onto the next line without pause

when a line continues onto the next line without pause

Correct Answer:repetition,deliberate repeated use of words, imagery or structure

deliberate repeated use of words, imagery or structure

Correct Answer:poetic devices,techniques enhancing expression, rhythm or meaning in poetry

techniques enhancing expression, rhythm or meaning in poetry

Q3.
Which is a suitable definition of rhyming couplets?
Correct answer: Pairs of consecutive lines in a poem that end with words that rhyme.
Pairs of lines in a poem that lack a rhyme scheme.
The same letter or sound at the beginning of a word.
The attribution of human characteristics to something non-human.
Q4.
Which of the following are examples of a slant rhyme?
then, men
door, floor
hall, call
Correct answer: stone, gone
Q5.
What is the rhyme scheme of 'The Listeners'?
AABB
ABBA
Correct answer: ABCB
ABCD
Q6.
Which of the following is an example of alliteration in the poem, 'The Listeners'?
"That dwelt in the lone house"
"By the lonely Traveller’s call"
Correct answer: "For he suddenly smote on the door"
"Tell them I came, and no one answered"
Correct answer: "Never the least stir made the listeners"

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