Lang./Lit. Poetry Terms

literature written in lines and stanzas

literature written in sentences and paragraphs

the voice or "persona" that talks to the reader (can be the poet or a fictional characters, speaking usually in either first person or third person point of view)

a group of lines that form a unit

2-line stanza

3-line stanza

4-line stanza

5-line stanza

6-line stanza

7-line stanza

8-line stanza

the underlying subject or message of a poem

a feeling created by the poem

something unexpected or twisted

unexpected turn of events

when the reader knows, but the character doesn't

words which suggest the opposite of the literal meaning

the writer's choice of words - usually refers to specific word choices

words with emotional feeling

a type of poetry (determined by number or length of lines, presence or absence of rhyme, number of syllables per line, shape on the page, sbject, etc.)

poetry in which one or more characters speak

one character speaking aloud

two+ characters speaking

un-rhymed verse with no rhythm pattern

poetry in which the speaker expresses inner thoughts about a subject

14-line poem with a specific rhyme scheme - lyric poetry

poem expressing admiration or praise for someone or something - lyric poetry

poetry which tells a story with a clear plotline

song-like story poem, often passed on from generation to generation by word of mouth and telling a tragic story - narrative poetry

a humorous poem which changes words but copies many elements from another poem

any technique which affects how a poem sounds

a repeating consonant sound (not necessarily the same letter) at the beginning of nearby syllables

repetition of a vowel sound (not necessarily the same letter)

a word which imitates a sound from the natural world

repetition of consonant sounds (with different vowels) at the end of words or at both ends (sound counts, not spelling)

non-standard spelling or grammar used to suggest a speaker from a specific place or group

the technique of beginning different phrases or lines, or sentences with the same word(s) but ending them differently

humorous use of words based on the way they sound

one or more lines repeated at the end of different stanzas or between stanzas

a refrain is sometimes called this in songs

using the same word or group of words more than once for emphasis or rhythm

repetition of the final sounds of words or syllables

rhyme at the end of lines of poetry

final stressed syllables rhyme, such as "home and dome"

ends in unstressed syllables that rhyme, like "wearing" and "caring"

rhyme within a single line of poetry

similar sound without exact rhyme (also called slant or near rhyme)

the pattern of a poem's rhyme as charted with alphabet letters

using language to express ideas outside of reality

indirect reference to previous literary work

when the speaker addresses someone or something that cannot hear or speak

the creation of pictures, smells, sounds, feels, etc., in the reader's mind

a comparison that suggests one thing is another

continues a comparison that suggests one thing is another

a combination of opposite ideas to create a paradoxical truth

a technique which adds life to inanimate objects by suggesting human characteristics

a comparison using like or as

a concrete (physical) object which represents some abstract idea

the rhythmic pattern of syllables

one stress per line

two stresses per line

three stress per line

four stresses per line

five stresses per line

six stresses per line

seven stresses per line

a grouping of syllables that contains only one stressed syllable

one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable

one stressed syllable followed by one unstressed syllable

two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable

one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables

non-rhyming iambic pentameter (widely used in the Elizabethan Era)