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figurative language writing or speech that is not meant to be taken literally conceits strange or fanciful ideas hyperbole extravagant exaggeration motif A recurring theme, subject or idea symbol something visible that by association or convention represents something else that is invisible metaphor a figure of speech in which an expression is used to refer to something that it does not literally denote in order to suggest a similarity simile a figure of speech that expresses a resemblance between things of different kinds (usually formed with 'like' or 'as') metonymy substituting the name of an attribute or feature for the name of the thing itself (as in 'they counted heads') synecdoche substituting a more inclusive term for a less inclusive one or vice versa oxymoron conjoining contradictory terms (as in 'deafening silence') personification representing an abstract quality or idea as a person or creature apostrophe address to an absent or imaginary person alliteration use of the same consonant at the beginning of each stressed syllable in a line of verse assonance the repetition of similar vowels in the stressed syllables of successive words consance Repition of consonants onomatopoeia using words that imitate the sound they denote meter (prosody) the accent in a metrical foot of verse foot a group of 2 or 3 syllables forming the basic unit of poetic rhythm rhythm recurring at regular intervals rhyme scheme the pattern of rhyme in a poem syntax the grammatical arrangement of words in sentences couplet a stanza consisting of two successive lines of verse tercet three line stanza quatrain a stanza of four lines sestet a rhythmic group of six lines of verse septet 7 line stanza octave a rhythmic group of eight lines of verse enjambment the continuation of a syntactic unit from one line of verse into the next line without a pause caesura a break or pause (usually for sense) in the middle of a verse line fixed form referring to the structure of a poem's lines and groupings sonnet a verse form consisting of 14 lines with a fixed rhyme scheme lyric a short poem of songlike quality blank verse unrhymed verse (usually in iambic pentameter) free verse unrhymed verse without a consistent metrical pattern diction the manner in which something is expressed in words connotation an idea that is implied or suggested denotation the most direct or specific meaning of a word or expression pun a humorous play on words litote for of understatement in which the negative of the contrary is used to achieve emphasis and intensity. for example, "She is not a bad cook." tone The attitude of the author toward the audience and characters (e.g., serious or humorous). theme a unifying idea that is a recurrent element in a literary or artistic work allusion passing reference or indirect mention analogy drawing a comparison in order to show a similarity in some respect irony incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs juxtapostion Two unlike ideas placed side by side. Ex: The sad clown danced happily through the butchery paradox (logic) a self-contradiction antithesis the juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas to give a feeling of balance