Abstract
A foot in English verse is that portion which is spoken as an undivided unit. It may comprise a whole line with many words or it may consist of a single vowel spoken alone. In measuring and analyzing graphic records of English verse I find that it contains many feet on the same rhythmic plan as those in Greek verse. This is what should be expected. Greek verse probably developed from an ancient form—the enoplios—which had four long vowels while the number of weak vowels before, between, and after the strong ones might vary from 0 to 2 at each spot. This is practically the same as the rhythmical structure of most lines of Beowulf except that this latter has greater liberty in the number of weak vowels. The later forms that have developed in each language are much alike. One of the commonest of these is the choriambus.
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