| Rhythm | the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in written or spoken language |
| Rhyme scheme | a pattern of rhyming words at the end of the lines in a poem |
| Diction | word choice |
| Onomatopoeia | when words sound like what they are or do |
| Alliteration | the repetition of the same initial sound in neighboring words |
| Assonance | the repetition of the same vowel sound within neighboring words |
| Consonance | the repetition of the same consonant sound within neighboring words |
| Lyric poem | a relatively short poem that focuses on the thoughts or emotions of a single speaker |
| Narrative poem | a relatively long poem that tells a story |
| Free verse | a poem that has no regular meter or rhyme scheme |
| Sonnet | a fourteen-line poem written in rhymed iambic pentameter |
| Personification | Giving human qualities, feelings, or actions to something that is not human. |
| Simile | A comparison of two unlike things that uses the words "like" or "as" to make the comparison. |
| Metaphor | A comparison of two unlike things that does NOT use the words "like" or "as" to make the complarison. |
| Idiom | An expression that cannot be taken literally. |
| Hyperbole | Use of exaggeration to make a point. |
| Repetition | When a poet repeats words, phrases or lines in a poem to emphasize something or to MAKE A POINT. |
| Speaker | The imaginary voice that a poet uses when writing a poem. The speaker is the "narrator" of the poem. |
| Symbolism | The use of symbols or things that represent something else. |