AP English Poetry Terms

a concrete idea representing an abstract one

• The repetition of the same or similar sounds at the beginning of words.
• Ex. Betty Botta bought some butter and Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

a reference to something

• A metrical foot of three syllables, two unstressed followed by one stressed.
• Ex. 'twas the night and to the moon.
• (opp. of dactyl)

• A figure of speech in which words and phrases with opposite meanings are balanced against each other.
• Ex. To err is human, to forgive, divine

Words that are spoken to a person who is absent or imaginary, or to an object or abstract idea.

• The repetition or a pattern of similar sounds, especially vowel sounds
• Ex. Moses supposes his toeses are roses

• A poem that tells a story similar to a folk tale or legend and often has a repeated refrain.
• Has 3 stanzas of 7/8/10 lines and a shorter stanza/envoy of 4/5 lines

Poetry that is written in unrhymed iambic pentameter.

A natural pause or break in a line of poetry, usually near the middle of the line.

• The repetition of similar consonant sounds, especially at the ends of words
• Ex. lost and last, confess and dismiss

• A metrical fool of 3 syllables, one stressed and 2 unstressed
• Ex. happily
• (opp. of anapest)

A pair of lines that are the same length and usually rhyme and form a complete thought.

A poem that laments the death of a person, or one that is simply sad and thoughtful.

• The continuation of a complete idea from one line to the next w/o pause.
• Ex. I think that I shall never see/A poem as lovely as a tree

The shorter final stanza of a poem

• A multi-syllable rhyme that ends with one or more unstressed syllables
• Ex. paper/vapor, vacation/proclamation

2+ syllables that together make up the smallest unit of rhythm in a poem

Poetry composed of either rhymed or unrhymed lines that have no set meter.

A line of poetry that has 7 metrical feet

A stanza composed of 2 rhymed lines in iambic pentameter

A line of poetry that has six metrical feet

• A metrical foot of two syllables, one unstressed and one stressed
• Ex. come live/with me/and be/my love
• (opp. of trochee)

• A rhyme that occurs in a final stressed syllable
• Ex. cat/hat, endow/vow, observe/deserve

A figure of speech in which 2 things are compared

The arrangement of a line of poetry by the number of syllables and the rhythm of stressed syllables.

• One word is substituted for another w/ which it's closely associated
• Ex. The pen is mightier than the sword

A lyric poem that is serious and thoughtful in tone and has a very precise, formal structure

• A figure of speech in which words are used to imitate sounds
• Ex. buzz, hiss, zing

A type of poetry consisting of 10/11 syllable lines arranged in 8-line "octaves" w/ the rhyme scheme abababcc

A poem that depicts rural life in a peaceful, idealized way

A line of poetry that has 5 metrical feet

A figure of speech in which nonhuman things or abstract ideas are given human attributes

A stanza or poem of 4 lines

A figure of speech in which 2 things are compared using the word "like" or "as"

A lyric poem that is 14 lines long. Petrarchan and English

2 or more lines of poetry that together form one of the divisions of a poem

• A figure of speech in which a part is used to designate the whole or the whole is used to designate a part.
• Ex. all hands on deck

A type of poetry consisting of 10/11 syllable lines arranged in 3-line "tercets" w/ the rhyme scheme aba bcb cdc, etc.

• A metrical foot of 2 syllables, one stressed and one unstressed
• Ex. trochee
• (opp. of iamb)