A major element of sound is rhyme, which occurs when the sounds of parts of two or
more words are identical or very similar. Perfect rhyme occurs when vowel and
consonant sounds at the end of two words are identical, as in “doom” and “gloom.”
Imperfect, or slant, rhyme occurs when the vowel sounds of two words are different
but the final consonants are identical—“bind” and “bond,” for example. The most
common and noticeable place for rhyme to occur is at the ends of lines, and such
rhymes are called, appropriately, end rhymes. In fact, when most people talk about
rhyme, they usually are talking about end rhyme. Most poets who use end rhyme
apply it in a systematic way by adopting or inventing a rhyme scheme. A rhyme
scheme is a pattern of rhymes that the poet follows while writing. There is also a
subtler rhyme than end rhyme: internal rhyme is a rhyme on two words, at least one
of which does not appear at the end of a line. In English, internal rhyme is not often
used in a systematic way, but it is used on occasion to bring additional musicality to
a poem. Although rhyme is used in some of the most sophisticated poetry, it really is
a popular technique. End rhyme in particular is used in every kind of popular music,
from rock to rap to country to reggae. Aside from its obvious musical qualities,
rhyme has the advantage of rendering lines of poetry memorable.