Poetry Terms
By Joel Perkins
Personification
Personification is when an animal, abject, or idea
is given human characteristics
I chose this picture because the banana has human
characteristics.
Alliteration
Alliteration is constant sounds of the beginning of words
I chose this because the beginning of Krispy and Kreme have the same
sound.
Rhyme
Rhyme is the same or similar sounds in words
I picked this because the words that are circled in the same color rhyme.
Rhythm
Rhythm is when a poem has a pattern of beats.
I chose this picture because this helps people keep rhythm.
Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia is a word that is a sound that suggest its
meaning.
I chose this picture because the word bang can be used for a loud noise.
End Rhyme
End Rhyme is when in a poem the author rhymes words at
the end of most lines
I picked this picture because at the end of most of the sentences the
words rhyme.
Internal Rhyme
Internal rhyme is a rhyme within a line in a poem
I chose this picture because the second line has two words that rhyme.
Stanzas
A group of lines in a poem set off blank lines.
I chose this picture because it shows what stanza is.
Symbol
A person, place, an object, or an action
that stand for beyond itself.
I chose this picture because it’s telling what a swan represents.
Simile
Comparing something using like or as.
I chose this picture because it uses the word as.
Metaphor
A direct comparison between two unlike things.
It does not use the words like or as.
Hyperbole
Figure of speech in which the truth is exaggeration for
emphasis or humorous effect
I chose this picture because it’s exaggerating the truth.
Free verse
Poetry written without
a regular rhyme scheme,
Meter, or form.
I used this image because it doesn’t rhyme
and it doesn’t have a regular pattern
Imagery
Language that appeals to the five senses
I chose this picture because it gives examples of the five senses.
Lyric poem
A short poem that directly expresses the poet’s thoughts
and emotions in a musical way.
Narrative Poem
Poem that tells a story.
I chose this picture because it tells a story about a naughty kangaroo
Rhyme scheme
The sequence in which the rhyme occurs
I chose this picture because the rhyme occurs on the same color line.
Poetry
A form of writing that uses not only words but also form,
patterns of sound, imagery, and figurative language to
convey its passage
I chose this picture because it’s a poem.
Sound Devices
Techniques used to create a sense of rhythm or to
emphasize particular sounds in writing
I chose this picture because the author points out how he used the same
sounds in the poem.
Meter
Regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables that
gives a line of poetry a predictable rhythm
I chose this picture because some lines have a rhythm like others.
Figurative Language
The use of words that create an image in the reader's mind
I chose this picture because whenever someone says it’s raining cats
and dogs this is what people think of in their heads.
Mood
The feeling or atmosphere created by the writer
I chose this picture because it’s telling me how the author or somebody
feels.
Idiom
A phrase or expression whose meaning is different from
what the words say literally
I chose this picture because it says speak of the devil but it doesn’t have
to with the devil at all.
Symbolism
A literary device where a physical object represents
something else
I chose this picture because fire is representing anger, punishment and
destruction.
Repetition
A technique in which the same word or line is repeated for
emphasis or unity
I chose this picture because most of the lines start with I do not.
Refrain
Stanza or line that is repeated throughout the poem.
I chose this picture because the last two lines repeat.
Couplet
Rhymed pair of lines in a poem
I chose this picture because three pairs of lines rhyme.