POETRY TERMS

PLEASE TAKE NOTES AS YOU FOLLOW ALONG.

ACROSTIC

VISUAL POEM THAT SHOWS A WORD GOING VERTICALLY DOWN, THE PHRASES OR SENTENCES COMING OUT OF THE LETTER ARE HORIZONTAL

ALLITERATIONREPETITION OF THE SAME SOUNDS WITHIN WORDS THAT ARE CLOSE TOGETHER

ASSONANCEREPETITION OF VOWEL SOUNDS WITHIN WORDS

BALLADA SONG LIKE POEM THAT TELLS A STORY, OFTEN ONE DEALING WITH ADVENTURE AND ROMANCE

CINQUAINPOEM WITH 5 LINES

CONCRETEA POEM WHOSE SHAPE RESEMBLES THE OBJECT IT DESCRIBES

COUPLETA POEM WITH 2 RHYMING LINES

DIAMONTEA POEM THAT TAKES A “DIAMOND” SHAPE, USES A PARTICULAR LENGTH OF WORDS

ELEGYA SOLEMN AND FORMAL LYRIC POEM ABOUT DEATH

END RHYMEWORDS THAT RHYME AT THE END OF A LINE OF POETRY

EPICA LONG NARRATIVE POEM

EPITHETA PHRASE THAT POINTS OUT A NOTABLE CHARACTERISTIC OF A PERSON OR OBJECT

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

WORDS OR PHRASES USED IN SUCH A WAY AS TO SUGGEST MORE THAN THEIR USUAL MEANING

FREE VERSEPOETRY THAT IS “FREE” OF TRADITIONAL STRUCTURE

HAIKU3 LINE JAPANESE POEM WITH 17 SYLLABLES, WRITTEN MOSTLY ABOUT NATURE

HEPTASTICH7 LINED POEM

HYPERBOLEFIGURE OF SPEECH THAT EXAGGERATES THE TRUTH TO EMPHASIZE AN IDEA OR FEELING

IMAGERYWORDS OR PHRASES THAT APPEAL TO ONE OR MORE OF THE FIVE SENSES

LIMERICKA SHORT HUMOROUS POEM FROM IRELAND WITH 5 LINES RHYMED (AABBA)

LYRICA POEM THAT HAS A SINGLE SPEAKER AND EXPRESSES A DEEP EMOTION, OFTEN HAVING A MUSICAL QUALITY

METAPHORA FIGURE OF SPEECH IN WHICH ONE THING IS SPOKEN ABOUT AS IF IT WERE ANOTHER, UNLIKE THING

MOODFEELINGS OR MEANING CONVEYED IN THE POEM

NARRATIVE POEMTELLS A STORY

OCTET8 LINED POEM

ODEA SINGLE UNIFIED VERSE THAT HAS A SINGLE PURPOSE AND A SINGLE THEME

ONOMATOPOEIATHE USE OF WORDS WHOSE SOUNDS IMITATE OR SUGGEST THEIR MEANING (CRASH, BUZZ, HISS)

PERSONIFICATIONA FIGURE OF SPEECH IN WHICH AN ANIMAL OR AN OBJECT IS GIVEN HUMAN QUALITIES

QUATRAIN4 LINED POEM

REFRAINONE OR MORE LINES THAT ARE REPEATED IN A POEM OR SONG

REPETITIONTHE USE OF A SOUND, WORD, PHRASE, LINE OR STANZA THAT IS REPEATED TWO OR MORE TIMES IN A POEM

RHYME SCHEMETHE PATTERN OF END RHYME IN A POEM

RHYTHMTHE PATTERN OF STRESSED AND UNSTRESSED SYLLABLES IN A POEM

SENSORY LANGUAGEDESCRIBES SIGHTS, SOUNDS, SMELLS, TASTES, AND TOUCH

SESTET6 LINED POEM

SIMILECOMPARES TWO UNLIKE THINGS, USING THE WORDS (LIKE, AS, APPEAR, SEEM)

SONNET14 LINE POEM WITH A FIXED PATTERN OF RHYTHM AND FOLLOWS A RHYME SCHEME

SPEAKERCHARACTER OR VOICE ASSUMED BY THE WRITER

STANZAA GROUP OF LINES IN A POEM

SYMBOLA PERSON, PLACE, OR THING THAT STANDS FOR SOMETHING ELSE

TERCET3 LINED POEM

THEMEMESSAGE THAT THE AUTHOR CONVEYS IN A POEM

TONEWRITER’S ATTITUDE TOWARD THE SUBJECT AND/OR AUDIENCE