| Term | Definition |
| Foot | A measurable, patterned unit of poetic rhythm |
| Line | A single line of words in a poem |
| Sonnet | A lyric poem comprising 14 rhyming lines that has some sort of meter. Often dedicated to a lover. |
| Scan | To find the number of feet, the unstressed and stressed syllables, and the type of meter. (I.E. Iambic, Trochaic, etc) |
| Meter | Number of feet in a line. |
| Iambic | A type of foot that uses one unstressed and then one stressed syllable. |
| Trochaic | A type of foot that uses one stressed and then one unstressed syllable. |
| Hexameter | A line with six feet. |
| Pentameter | A line with 5 feet. |
| Tetrameter | A line with 4 feet. |
| Rhyme Scheme | A pattern of rhyme, labeled with letters. (ABAB, CDCD, EFEF, GG) |
| Italian Sonnet | A sonnet that consists of an octave and a sestet |
| Octave | The first part of an italian sonnet, consists of an ABBA ABBA rhyme scheme. Presents images and the building of a case. |
| Sestet | Begins with a turn, then concludes the poem. The conclusion typically reveals the true meaning. Has a CDE CDE or CDC DCD rhyme scheme. |
| English Sonnet | Consists of an ABAB CDCD EE rhyme scheme, with the EEs being the couplet, and the ABAB and CDCD as quatrains. |
| Couplet | Pair of rhyming lines with same meter |
| Quatrain | Stanza which contains 4 lines |
| Turn | Signals a change to the conclusion. |
| Conceit | A metaphor that governs the entire poem or the poem's message |
| Paradox | A true statement that defies common sense |
| Explication | The process of understanding the meaning of the words in a poem |
| "The English Line" | A line of iambic pentameter? (UNSURE) |