How are dactyls structured in English poetry?

In English poetry, a dactyl is a metrical foot structured as one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables. An example of this pattern is the word "merrily" (stressed-unstressed-unstressed).12

While dactylic metre is common in classical verse, it is relatively rare in English. Prolonged use of the dactyl can distort natural word accent, often resulting in a "jerky" movement. When used effectively, however, it creates a lilting rhythm. Poets such as Robert Browning and Algernon Charles Swinburne helped popularize the form in the 19th century. A common variation in English dactylic verse involves omitting an unstressed syllable at the end of a line.1