For Better for Verse is "an interactive online tutorial that can train you to scan traditionally metered English poetry." Created by the University of Virginia Department of English, this site allows visitors to learn the Rules of Thumb for scanning poetry, look up key terms related to the craft of scanning in the Glossary, and try their hand at scanning a number of poems by famous authors. To practice scanning, visitors can search for poems by author, type of poem (i.e. blank verse, couplet, etc.), or By Difficulty (from Warming Up to Special Challenge). The site includes poems by William Blake, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, and William Wordsworth, among a number of other renowned poets. Once visitors select a poem, they can work to identify the stress, feet, and meter of the poem. After scanning each line, users then check their work and revise their answers until they can correctly scan the line. Occasionally, a light bulb will appear next to a specific verse. By clicking on the light bulb, the scanner may learn additional "oddities or beauties of the line in question." For Better for Verse is a great tool for any poetry classroom or for anyone looking to better appreciate famous English-language poetry.
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