This essay is about the ballad, comparing how the ballad went from an oral tradition to the ballad form known today. Ballad can be any narrative song, but technically ballad is a specific literary form. The word ballata comes from the Latin and Italian word “ballare,” which means “to dance.” Collins, (1985). The second translation of "ballade" comes from the French language and means "dancing song". Oxford, (1995). Therefore a ballad is a song that tells a story, and was originally a musical accompaniment to a dance. Ballads are very old and were passed down orally from generation to generation before they began to be written down. For this reason, most of the surviving ballads were significantly adapted as they were broadcast. However, traditional ballads share some characteristics. The ballad is a narrative poem of popular origin, usually very long, in an epic style. The language is simple and not sentimental. The poem can be about a relationship or experience, good, bad, triumphant, or tragic, set to music. Hubbell (1923). Ch 235. Furthermore the structure and tone consist of four-line verses, with a rhyme scheme, the breakdown is often found in the ballad, entire stanzas may be repeated, like a refrain, or repeated with some words changed. The verse form, sometimes called "ballad meter". A question and answer may be integrated into the verse and there is a lot of dialogue, with the action often described in the first person. Two characters can speak to each other in alternating lines or stanzas. Hubbell, (1923).ch,235. The central structure of a ballad is a quatrain, written with the rhyme scheme abcb or abab, "a" standing for one line ending, "b" for another, and ". c" for another s.... .. half of the sheet ....... 3rd edition. The Norton Anthology of Poetry. W. W. Norton & Company Ltd. London.Bell, R. Ed. (1996). Ancient Poems, Ballads and Songs of the Peasantry of England 1550-1867 http://WWW.Gutenberg.org/ebooks/649 Accessed 12/26/10Eddy, S. Ed ​​(2009). Press London.Hubbell, J.B. (1923). An Introduction to Poetry. Mcleod, T. P. Hanks Eds (1985). Concise English dictionary. Guild Publishing, London. Palmer, R. (1979). A ballad history of England from 1588 to the present day. The Anchor Press Ltd, Tiptree.Phythian, B.A. (1978). Consider poetry an approach to criticism. Hodder & Stoughton Educational. Sevenoaks. Randall, D. Ed. (1971). The black poets. Bantam Books. New York.