Tercet
A three-line stanza or grouping in poetry. Tercets can have various rhyme schemes (ABA, AAA, etc.) and appear in forms like terza rima and villanelles. The odd number of lines creates asymmetry that resists simple closure.
Real World
Seamus Heaney's 'District and Circle' uses tercets whose three-line groupings mirror the lurching rhythm of an Underground train, with the odd-numbered structure refusing neat resolution just as the poem's unease refuses comfort.
Exam Focus
Note how tercets create asymmetry — contrast them with couplets or quatrains to show understanding of how stanza length shapes meaning.
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