How to write a duel verse

A duel verse is a quatrain: four lines, the first, second and fourth on one rhyme, the third free, and the sting often saved for the last line. It's the shape of a ballad stanza turned into a reply: you trade them turn by turn.

The syllables, shown not checked

English syllables are hard to count by spelling, so the game counts each line's groups of vowels, a silent final "e" left out, and shows the number as you type without holding you to one. Short lines of about the same length sound best; read them aloud and let your ear decide.

The rhyme, by spelling

The duel's rhyme is an ending the game draws: lines 1, 2 and 4 end on it. The game reads it by spelling, from a line's last word's last vowel on, so a rhyme that sounds right but is spelt another way doesn't count here: choose the word that is spelt the way the rhyme is.

A rhyme that dries up

A word that ended a rhyming line once can't end one again in the same duel, yours or your opponent's. Keep the short, common words for later, when the rhyme is running dry, and look for the ones nobody thinks of first: a place, a tool, a name.

Answering a verse

• Take up what your opponent said: answer a question, turn a boast around, pick up the image they left.
• Save the point for the last line: the first three set it up, the fourth lands it.
• Find your rhyme words first, then build the lines towards them: with the time running, a line is easier to write backwards from its last word.
• A duel is a game between friends: tease, never wound. The best answers make the other player laugh too.

The form is easier with a little practice. Practise alone