2. Dactyl BTW: ptero- means “wing,” so pterodactyl means “wing-finger” How the name came about: Dactylos is Greek for “finger”

3. Dactyl Dactyls are usually arranged in dactylic pentameter or hexameter. However, these meters are more flexible because dactyls are hard to incorporate all the time. Each foot in a dactylic hexameter verse has the potential to be a dactyl or a spondee (foot with two long syllables—but we’ll look at those later)

4. Dactyl “ Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow “ This is the for est pri me val. The mur muring pines and the hem locks, Bearded with moss, and in garments green, indistinct in the twilight, Stand like Druids of eld, with voices sad and prophetic, Stand like harpers hoar, with beards that rest on their bosoms.” You should notice inconsistencies within the meter. Dactyls are spotted sporadically.

9. Deus ex machina Problem solved!

10. Deus ex machina A modern example: Lord of the Rings (click image for YouTube video)