Poetic & Literary Devices: Definitions

Terms	Definitions
end rhyme	rhyme at the end of lines
couplet	two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme
internal rhyme	rhyme within a line
exact rhyme	perfect rhyme
approximate rhyme	words that almost rhyme
rhythm	musical quality in language produced by repetition
meter	pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry
alliteration	repetition of initial consonant sounds
assonance	repetition of vowel sounds
refrain	repeated word, phrase, line, or group of lines
simile	comparison of two unlike things using "like" or "as"
metaphor	direct comparison of two unlike things
personification	giving human qualities to animals or objects
pun	humorous play on words
hyperbole	extreme exaggeration
idiom	commonly used expression
verbal irony	when you say one thing and mean something else
situational irony	situation that turns out to be just the opposite of what you would expect
dramatic irony	when you know something that a character doesn't know
dialogue	conversations between two or more characters
dialect	way of speaking that is characteristic of a particular place or group of people
imagery	language that creates word pictures and appeals to your senses
onomatopoeia	use of words with sounds that imitate or suggest their meaning
symbol	something that has meaning in itself and also stands for something else

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