Couplet
A pair of consecutive lines in a poem that rhyme with each other. Couplets can be closed (complete thought within two lines) or open (thought continues beyond). They form the basic unit of many forms, from rhyming couplets in iambic pentameter to heroic couplets in dramatic verse.
Real World
Shakespeare ends each of his 154 sonnets with a closing couplet that delivers a twist or resolution—Sonnet 18's final couplet, 'So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, / So long lives this, and this gives life to thee,' turns the entire poem into an argument for poetry's immortalising power.
Exam Focus
Distinguish between closed and open couplets—state whether the thought resolves within the two lines or spills beyond them.
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