Foundation first: the tools of this poem
Learn these terms now. Each one is shown with a line from this poem, so you can quote it in the exam.
| Term | What it means | In Haunted Houses |
|---|---|---|
| Quatrain | a stanza of four lines | all ten stanzas |
| Rhyme scheme (ABAB) | line 1 rhymes with line 3, line 2 with line 4 | died / glide; doors / floors |
| Iambic pentameter | five beats per line, each a soft sound then a strong one (ten syllables) | all HOUS-es WHERE-in MEN have LIVED and DIED |
| Simile | a comparison using like or as | "As silent as the pictures on the wall"; "Floats like an atmosphere" |
| Metaphor | says one thing is another | "an unseen star, / An undiscovered planet in our sky" |
| Personification | gives human actions or feelings to something that is not alive or not human | "From graves forgotten stretch their dusty hands" |
| Alliteration | repeated starting sounds | "Impalpable impressions"; "perturbations … perpetual" is alliteration on p |
| Imagery | words that make a picture or sound in the mind | "Throws o'er the sea a floating bridge of light" |
| Enjambment | a sentence runs over the end of a line | "than the hosts / Invited" |
| Extended simile | one comparison spread over several lines | stanzas 9 and 10: "And as the moon … So from the world of spirits" |
Quick check. Is "Floats like an atmosphere" a simile or a metaphor? Answer: a simile, because of the word like.
All houses wherein men have lived and died Are haunted houses. Through the open doors The harmless phantoms on their errands glide, With feet that make no sound upon the floors.
We meet them at the door-way, on the stair, Along the passages they come and go, Impalpable impressions on the air, A sense of something moving to and fro.
There are more guests at table, than the hosts Invited; the illuminated hall Is thronged with quiet, inoffensive ghosts, As silent as the pictures on the wall.
The stranger at my fireside cannot see The forms I see, nor hear the sounds I hear; He but perceives what is; while unto me All that has been is visible and clear.
We have no title-deeds to house or lands; Owners and occupants of earlier dates From graves forgotten stretch their dusty hands, And hold in mortmain still their old estates.
The spirit-world around this world of sense Floats like an atmosphere, and everywhere Wafts through these earthly mists and vapors dense A vital breath of more ethereal air.
Our little lives are kept in equipoise By opposite attractions and desires; The struggle of the instinct that enjoys, And the more noble instinct that aspires.
These perturbations, this perpetual jar Of earthly wants and aspirations high, Come from the influence of an unseen star, An undiscovered planet in our sky.
And as the moon from some dark gate of cloud Throws o'er the sea a floating bridge of light, Across whose trembling planks our fancies crowd Into the realm of mystery and night,—
So from the world of spirits there descends A bridge of light, connecting it with this, O'er whose unsteady floor, that sways and bends, Wander our thoughts above the dark abyss.
Worked examples
Example 1 (MCQ, 1 mark). The line "The spirit-world around this world of sense / Floats like an atmosphere" uses (a) a metaphor (b) a simile (c) personification (d) hyperbole.
Solution. (b). The word like makes the comparison. ICSE 2026, Q1(xii) asked students to pick another line with the same figure, so learn to recognise a simile by its like or as.
Example 2 (MCQ, 1 mark). The device in "Impalpable impressions on the air" is (a) alliteration (b) simile (c) irony (d) enjambment.
Solution. (a). The sound im/p repeats in impalpable impressions. ICSE 2026 Improvement, Q1(xii) used another alliterative line from this poem, "These perturbations, this perpetual jar".
Example 3 (3 marks). Give the rhyme scheme of the first stanza and say what kind of metre the poem uses.
Model answer. The rhyme scheme is ABAB: died rhymes with glide and doors with floors. The poem is written in iambic pentameter, with five beats in each line, as in "All HOUS-es WHERE-in MEN have LIVED and DIED".
Why this scores: the scheme is named and proved with the rhyming words (1 mark), the metre is named (1 mark) and one scanned line shows you can recognise it (1 mark).
Example 4 (4 marks). "As silent as the pictures on the wall." Name the figure of speech. What is compared, and what effect does it have?
Model answer. This is a simile. The silence of the ghosts is compared to the silence of portraits on the wall. A picture makes no sound and does not move, so the ghosts seem calm and harmless. The portraits also hint at who the ghosts are: the family members who once sat at this table.
Why this scores: the device is named (1 mark), the two things compared are clear (1 mark), the effect is given (1 mark) and a link to the meaning of the poem is added (1 mark).
Doubts cleared
Q. How can I tell a simile from a metaphor quickly? Look for like, as or as … as. If you find one, it is a simile. If one thing is simply said to be the other, it is a metaphor.
Q. Do I have to scan every line? No. Know the words iambic pentameter and be able to mark one line, as in Example 3.
Q. Why are there old words such as "unto" and "o'er"? The poem is from 1858. Unto means "to" and o'er means "over"; poets shortened words to keep the beat of the line.
Q. Is the rhyme scheme the same in every stanza? Yes, it is ABAB in all ten. This steady pattern adds to the calm tone.
Mistakes to avoid
- Naming a device without quoting the words. Always write the figure and the phrase together.
- Calling a simile a metaphor. The 2025 examiner report says many candidates struggled to identify figures of speech accurately.
- Writing "alliteration" for any repeated word. It is repeated starting sounds in nearby words.
Check yourself
- How many lines does each stanza have, and what is such a stanza called?
- Name the figure of speech in "Throws o'er the sea a floating bridge of light".
- Which stanzas make up the extended simile?
Answers: 1. Four lines; a quatrain. 2. Metaphor (the moonlight path is called a bridge); it also creates a strong picture, so imagery is also acceptable. 3. Stanzas 9 and 10 ("And as the moon … So from the world of spirits").