In poetry, what is meant by 'feet'?

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The term 'feet' in poetry refers to units of stress within a line. Each "foot" consists of a combination of stressed and unstressed syllables, and different types of feet can create varying rhythms and patterns within the poem. For example, an iamb (an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable) is a common type of foot, contributing to the overall meter of a piece.

Understanding feet is crucial for analyzing the rhythm of poetry, as this element influences how a poem sounds when read aloud and helps convey the emotional tone or pace. In contrast, the other options, while related to poetry, do not accurately define 'feet.' A group of lines refers to stanzas, types of rhyme deal with sound patterns at the end of lines, and parts of speech pertain to grammatical categories rather than poetic meter.

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