Rhyme Terms: End Rhyme & Internal Rhyme

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Since the start of the year, I’m sharing a series focused on rhyme terms and rhyme schemes. Today, we’ll take a closer look at End Rhyme and Internal Rhyme.
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​We identify rhymes as end rhymes when they occur at the end of lines, and internal rhymes when one or more rhyming words are within a line.

​Most writers aim to perfect their end rhymes, which due to the placement at the end of a line or stanza have a lingering musical effect in the overall structure of a piece and are the most noticeable.

​But for those writers that also focus equally on “middle rhyme” (which is another term for internal rhyme since it occurs within a phrase), I heartily applaud you! I adore internal rhyme, and to me, it is such a beautiful poetic device when employed.

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​Today I bring you a masterclass in these rhyme elements as we take a closer look at New York Times best-sellers—author Andrea Beaty and illustrator David Roberts—and the infamous picture book that kicked off their great series of titles,
​Iggy Peck, Architect.

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Let's take a look at the opening spread in the picture book (pictured above):

Young Iggy Peck is an architect
and has been since he was two,
when he built a great tower—in only an hour--
with nothing but diapers and glue.

"Good Gracious, Ignacious!" his mother exclaimed.
"That's the coolest thing I've ever seen!"
But her smile faded fast as a light wind blew past
and she realized those diapers weren't clean!

"Ignacious, my son! What on Earth have you done?
That's disgusting and nasty! It stinks!" ... (continues on next spread)

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Note the lovely clean and perfect end rhymes in these stanzas: two / glue; seen / clean, (and one more continues on the next page, which is a near rhyme) stinks / Sphinx.

But what is even more delicious is the lovely internal rhyme found in lines one and three of each stanza:
Iggy Peck / architect; tower / hour; Good gracious / Igancious; fast / past; son / done.
Notice some pairs are perfect rhymes, while others are slant (imperfect) rhymes. These internal rhyming pairs add more musicality to the lines when read aloud. Crafting lovely end rhymes and dynamic internal rhymes artfully throughout this marvelous picture book proved to be a winning combination!

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Writing pals gathered with Andrea Beaty as she holds her debut picture book at her first book signing, 2006!

Here's a little throwback photo fun—a picture of Andrea Beaty's FIRST book signing back in 2006, when members of my all-genres critique group attended her book event at Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville, Illinois and supported our friend! (At that time, Andrea was a member of the same critique group I had joined ...)

​Two fabulous things to point out about this photo: 1) Andrea's wonderful SMILE as she holds that first book baby, her debut picture book and 2) the friends gathered around her to cheer her on. The kidlit community is such an awesome place!

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Add internal rhyme to your writing toolkit!

​Have fun playing with internal rhyme as you take a closer look at your work in progress!

​- Eileen Meyer, Rhyme Doctor