English Poetry Terms

Poetry Terms 

Peyton Kenee 
 

 
 
 

Personification: a figure of speech where an 
object or animal is given human characteristics 

I chose this picture because trees don't have 
faces but we humans do. 

Alliteration: Repetition of constant sounds at 
the beginning of words

 
 
I chose this image because a lot of people know 
“Shelly sells seashells by the seashore” and 
this king of reflects that. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Rhyme: the repetition of the same or similar 
sounds usually in stressed syllables at the end 
of lines 

 
I chose this because the words at the end of the 
lines rhyme 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
Rhythm: Musical quality created by a pattern of 
beats or stresses in a line of poetry

 

I chose this because it demonstrates the 
rhythm in a poem 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Onomatopoeia: The use of words whose sound 
suggests their meaning. 
III

 
I chose this because it has a lot of examples of 
onomatopoeia. 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
End Rhyme: Rhyme that occurs at the end of a 
line

 
I chose this because, in this example, we rhyme 
with thee and it occurs at the end so it is an end 
rhyme. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Internal Rhyme: Rhyme that occurs in a single 
line in poetry 

I chose this picture because the rhymes 
happen in the middle of the sentence. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Stanzas: a group of line in a poem set off by 
blank lines 

 

I chose this because all the “paragraphs” you 
see are actually stanzas 
 

Symbol: a person, place, object, or action that 
stands for something beyond itself

 
 
I chose this because this is a symbol of writing 
in the old times. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
Simile: a comparison using like or as 

 
I chose this because it is comparing the dog and 
the socks using “as”. 
 
 
 
 

 
Metaphor: a direct comparison between two 
unlike things. It does not use like or as 

 

I chose this because all of them are 
comparisons not using like or as. 
 
 
 
 

 
Hyperbole: a figure of speech in which the 
truth is exaggerated for emphasis or 
humorous effect 

I chose this image because people’s feet don't 
kill someone (unless it’s a horror film) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Free Verse: Poetry written without a regular 
rhyme scheme, meter, or form

 

I chose this because it doesn't rhyme and it 
doesn’t have a meter 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Imagery: Language that appeals to the five 
senses---touch, taste, smell, hearing, and 
sight. 
 

 

I chose this picture because the person in the 
poem sees daisys and sight is a sense 
 
 
 
 
 

Lyric Poem: Short poem that directly 
expresses the poet’s thoughts and emotions in 
a musical way.

 

I chose this poem because I can sing it and it 
has a lot of emotions in it 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Narrative Poem: Poem that tells a story

 

I chose this poem because it tells a story of a 
kid who wished himself into an old man 
 
 
 

Rhyme Scheme: The sequence in which the 
rhyme occurs. The first end sound is 
represented as the letter a, the second b, etc. 

 

I chose this because it shows the rhyme 
scheme being “ABAB” 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Poetry: A form of writing that uses not only 
words, but also form, patterns of sound, 
imagery, and figurative language to convey its 
message. 

I chose this because it is an example of poetry 
 
 
 
 

Sound Devices: Techniques used to create a 
sense of rhythm or to emphasize particular 
sounds in writing.

 

I chose this because these create rhythm in a 
poem 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Meter: Regular pattern of stressed and 
unstressed syllables that gives a line of poetry 
a predictable rhythm. 

I chose this because it has syllables that make 
a good rhythm 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Figurative Language: The use of words to 
create an image in the readers mind. 

 
I chose this because they are all examples of 
figurative language 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Mood: The feeling or atmosphere created by 
the writer 

 

I chose this because it shows the mood as sad 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Idiom: A phrase or expression whose meaning  
is different from what the words say literally.

 

I chose this because people aren’t actually 
wriggling 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Symbolism: A literary device where a physical 
object represents something else 

 
I chose this because it gives lots of examples of 
symbolism 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Repetition: A technique in which the same word 
or line is repeated for emphasis or unity. It 
helps to reinforce meaning and create an 
appealing rhythm.  

 
I chose this because it keeps repeating “I’m 
Car Sick”  
 
 
 

Refrain: Stanza or line that is repeated 
throughout the poem.

 
I chose this because it keeps using the stanza 
“Purring, Purring Quiet and still Purring, 
Purring content from it’s fill” 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Couplet: Rhymed pair of lines in a poem.

 
I chose this because it has stanzas with 2 lines 
that rhyme