Essential_Poetry_Terms_-_Google_Docs

Term Essential Poetry Terms

Personification Definition

Alliteration A figure of speech in which an animal,
object, or idea is given human
characteristics.

Repetition of consonant sounds at the
beginnings of words.

Rhyme The repetition of the same or similar
sounds, usually in stressed syllables at
the ends of lines.

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

Onomatopoeia The use of words or phrases whose
sounds suggest their meanings. The
End rhyme sound of the word boom, for example,
Internal rhyme suggests an explosion.

Rhyme that occurs at the end of lines.

Rhyme that occurs within a single line of
poetry.

Stanzas A group of lines in a poem set off by blank
lines.

Symbol A person, place, an object, or an action
Simile that stands for something beyond itself.

A comparison using like or as.

Metaphor Direct comparison between two unlike
things. It does not use the words like or
as.

Hyperbole Figure of speech in which the truth is
Free Verse exaggerated for emphasis or humorous
Imagery effect.
Lyric poem
Narrative poem Poetry written without a regular rhyme
Rhyme scheme scheme, meter, or form.
Poetry
Language that appeals to the five
Sound devices senses---touch, taste, smell, hearing, and
sight.
Meter
Figurative language Short poem that directly expresses the
Mood poet’s thoughts and emotions in a musical
way.

Poem that tells a story.

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

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

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

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

The use of words to create an image in
the reader's mind.

The feeling or atmosphere created by the

Idiom writer.
Symbolism
Repetition A phrase or expression whose meaning is
different from what the words say literally.
Refrain
Couplet A literary device where a physical object
represents something else.

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

Stanza or line that is repeated throughout
the poem.

Rhymed pair of lines in a poem.