Question

complete the rhyme scheme.
the sun was shining on the sea,
shining with all his might:
he did his very best to make
the billows smooth and bright—
and this was odd, because it was
the middle of the night.
from lewis carroll, \the walrus and the carpenter\

Explanation:

Rhyme schemes use letters to mark lines that rhyme. Assign the first line "A". Lines that end with sounds matching "sea" (line 1) get the same letter. Lines matching "might" (line 2) get the next letter, and so on.

1. Line 1 ("sea") = A
2. Line 2 ("might") = B
3. Line 3 ("make") = C
4. Line 4 ("bright") rhymes with "might" = B
5. Line 5 ("was") = D
6. Line 6 ("night") rhymes with "might/bright" = B

Answer:

1. The sun was shining on the sea, → A
2. Shining with all his might: → B
3. He did his very best to make → C
4. The billows smooth and bright— → B
5. And this was odd, because it was → D
6. The middle of the night. → B