| Term | Definition |
|---|
| alliteration | the repetition of similar consonant sounds, normally at the beginnings of words. |
| alliteration | Some bold soul slips by me and I sigh |
| assonance | the repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds. |
| assonance | A land laid waste with all its young men slain... |
| meter | the rhythmical pattern of a poem. |
| onomatopoeia | the use of words whose sound suggests their meaning. |
| onomatopoeia | buzz, hiss, honk |
| rhyme | the repetition of sounds at the end of words. |
| rhyme scheme | a regular pattern of rhyming words in a poem. |
| rhythm | the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables, or beats, in spoken and written language (see also meter) |
| structure | the arrangement of materials within a poem; the relationship of the parts of a poem to the whole; the logical divisions of a poem. |
| couplet | a two-line stanza, usually with the same end rhymes. |
| end-stopped | a line with a pause at the end. Lines that end with a punctuation mark of some kind. |
| enjambment | the continuation of the sense of grammatical construction from one line of poetry to the next. |
| stanza | a group of lines in a poem, considered as a unit; like paragraphs in prose |
| figurative language | using words to mean something other than their literal (or factual) meaning. |
| hyperbole | an exaggeration that creates humor, emphasizes particular points, and/or creates dramatic effects. |
| hyperbole | "I've got a million things to do!" |
| imagery | words that appeal to one or more of the five senses; sensory language |
| metaphor | a figure of speech in which something is described as though it were something else. It works by pointing out a similarity between two things. |
| metaphor | a black bat night |
| personification | a type of language in which an inanimate subject is given human characteristics. |
| personification | the sun grinned, the rain danced |
| simile | makes a direct comparison between two unlike subjects using like or as. |
| simile | quiet as a mouse, good as gold |
| symbol | anything that stands for or represents something else; concrete objects that represent abstract ideas. |
| symbol | Winter or cold represents death |
| ballad | a songlike poem that tells a story, often one dealing with adventure and romance. |
| concrete poem | a poem with a shape that suggests its subject. |
| free verse | poetry that is not written in a regular rhythmical pattern or set rhyme scheme |
| lyric | a highly musical poem that expresses the observations and feelings of a single speaker. |
| narrative | a story told in verse (poetic form). It often possesses the elements of fiction, such as characters, conflict, and plot. |
| sonnet | a fourteen-line poem, often written in iambic pentameter. |
| mood | the feeling or atmosphere created by the poem |
| speaker | the imaginary voice assumed by the writer of a poem. |
| tone | the attitude toward the subject and audience conveyed by the language and rhythm of the speaker |
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