What is the pattern of the trochaic foot?

What is the pattern of the trochaic foot?

• A. Unstressed, Stressed
• B. Stressed, Unstressed
• C. Stressed, Unstressed, Stressed
• D. Unstressed, Unstressed

Answer: (B)

Trochaic feet are built from two syllables with the stress on the first and the second syllable unstressed, giving a strong-weak beat. That means words or phrases that follow this pattern—like GAR-den or BAN-ner—naturally fit trochaic rhythm. This is the opposite of an iamb, which has an unstressed first syllable followed by a stressed second. So the trochaic pattern is Stressed, Unstressed. The other options don’t fit because a two-syllable unit with both syllables unstressed wouldn’t create a definite beat, and a three-syllable pattern isn’t a standard two-beat trochaic foot.

Trochaic feet are built from two syllables with the stress on the first and the second syllable unstressed, giving a strong-weak beat. That means words or phrases that follow this pattern—like GAR-den or BAN-ner—naturally fit trochaic rhythm. This is the opposite of an iamb, which has an unstressed first syllable followed by a stressed second. So the trochaic pattern is Stressed, Unstressed. The other options don’t fit because a two-syllable unit with both syllables unstressed wouldn’t create a definite beat, and a three-syllable pattern isn’t a standard two-beat trochaic foot.