9th Honors Literature
Sonnet Peer Editing
1. Can you easily determine the central idea or theme the sonnet conveys. Remember that the
quatrains should deliver the problem or theme and the couplet should resolve it.
2. Count the number of lines. Sonnets are 14 lines.
3. Look at the last word of each line. Does the sonnet follow the rhyme scheme ABAB
CDCD EFEF GG? Beware of slant rhyme. Sometimes we forget that “rap rhyme” is not
the same as formal rhyme. 
4. Count the syllables in each line. There should be 10 syllables per line
5. Underline the stressed syllables in each line. They should follow a pattern of unstressed
– stressed. ie. duh-DUM
Use a dictionary to check the stress in words that you are not sure of the stress pattern. ie.
dynamic = dy nam´ ic or [dahy-nam-ik]
A dictionary will not provide the stress for a one syllable word; therefore use these
guidelines:

Usually STRESSED: One-syllable nouns, personal pronouns, action verbs,
adjectives, and adverbs. ie. night, I, move, dark, quick

Usually UNSTRESSED: One-syllable articles, possessive pronouns, linking verbs,
helping verbs, prepositions, and conjunctions. ie. a, an, the, my, am, are, is, was,
were, could, on, in, for, and, but, or.
6. Help your peer to rearrange syllables that do not fit the pattern of unstressed-stressed.
Use inverted word order; add a stress to words that end in –ed; or use an apostrophe to
delete unnecessary syllables (but be sure the word still sounds correct).