The most common type of Rhyme Scheme is the Rhyming Couplet. A couplet is a two line Stanza, so there is only one place for those two rhymed words to fall. Rhyming Couplets can be repeated or they can be mixed with other Rhyme Schemes for a more complex structure. The box to the right shows a series of Rhyming Couplets which are depicted like this: AA BB CC, etc. Rhymed Tercets would be depicted like so: AAA BBB CCC. The lines to the right are from Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham (Random House, 1960). Dr. Seuss wrote almost exclusively in Rhymed Couplets. With couplets, the rhyme is more immediate and predictable, which is good for kids who have short attention spans. The Meter here is iambic tetrameter.
A Rhyme Scheme is usually repeated in each Stanza of a given work, so if the first Stanza is an ABAB, generally the subsequent Stanzas are also. But it doesn’t have to be. Look at the Stanza below. It’s from John Lithgow’s Farkle McBride (Alladin 2000). The Rhyme Scheme is ABAAAB.