lmadison-illustrated poetry terms - Google Docs

Poetry Terms

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

Alliteration
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 sound of the
word boom, for example, suggests an explosion.

End rhyme
Rhyme that occurs at the end of lines.

Internal rhyme
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 that stands for something beyond itself.

Simile
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 exaggerated for emphasis or humorous effect.

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

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

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

Narrative poem
Poem that tells a story.

Rhyme scheme

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

Poetry

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

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

Meter

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

Figurative language

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

Mood

The feeling or atmosphere created by the

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

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

Repetition

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

Refrain

Stanza or line that is repeated throughout the poem.

Couplet

Rhymed pair of lines in a poem.