Poetry Terms
1.
Poetry – type of rhythmic, compressed language that uses figures of speech and imagery to appeal to the reader’s emotion and
imagination
2.
Alliteration – repetition of same or similar consonant sounds that begin words that are close together (Sally sells seashells)
3.
Allusion – reference to statement, person, place, or event from history, politics, etc.
4.
Assonance – repetition of similar vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds in words that are close together
(sounds not at the beginning of the words) – (last flash)
5.
Ballad – song or song-like poem that tells a story
6.
Blank verse – poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter (see below)
7.
Connotation – all the meanings, associations, or emotions that a word suggests (as opposed to denotation – see below)
8.
Consonance – repetition of consonants or a consonant pattern, especially at the end of words, in the same line (last, mist)
9.
Couplet – two consecutive lines that form a unit, emphasized by rhythm or rhyme
10. Denotation – the most literal and direct meaning of a word (as opposed to connotation – see above)
11. Dialect – way of speaking that is characteristic of a particular region or group of people
12. Diction – writer’s choice of words
13. Epic – long, narrative poem that reflects the deeds of a larger-than-life hero who characterizes the values of that society
14. Fable – brief story in prose or verse that teaches a moral or life lesson
15. Figure of speech – word or phrase that describes one thing in terms of another and that is not meant to be understood on a
literal level
16. Free verse – poetry that doesn’t have a regular meter or rhyme scheme
17. Haiku – Japanese verse consisting of 3 lines of 5, 7 and 5 syllables
18. Hyperbole – figure of speech that uses exaggeration for effect
19. Iambic pentameter – line of poetry made up of 5 iambs (an iamb is a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable)
20. Idiom – something different from the literal meaning of the word
21. Inversion – reversal of the normal word order in a sentence
22. Limerick – 5-lines with the rhyme scheme AABBA
23. Lyric poetry – expresses speaker’s emotions and thoughts but doesn’t tell a story
24. Meter – consecutive pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables
25. Onomatopoeia – word whose sound imitates or suggests a meaning
26. Parable – brief story that teaches a lesson
27. Parallelism – repetition of phrases with similar grammatical structure or idea
28. Parody - work that makes fun of another work by imitating an aspect of the original
29. Petrarchan sonnet – a 14-line poem with the rhyme scheme of ABBA ABBA (octave) CDE CDE (or CDCDCD) - (sestet)
30. Pun – a play on words that sound alike but have different meanings or the multiple meanings of a word
31. Quatrain – rhyming 4-line stanza
32. Refrain – repeated word, phrase, line, or group of lines.
33. Rhyme scheme – pattern of rhymed lines
34. Rhythm – musical quality in language produced by repetition
35. Satire – type of writing that ridicules human weakness, folly, or vice in order to bring about social reform
36. Shakespearean sonnet – 14-line poem with the rhyme scheme of ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
37. Slant rhyme – two words that sound similar but don’t rhyme exactly
38. Sonnet – 14-line lyric poem, usually written in iambic pentameter
39. Stanza – group of consecutive lines that form a single unit in a poem
Poetry Terms
Directions: Provide an example of each of the following poetry terms. You can use an example for a poem, story, song,
show, movie, etc., or you can create you own.
1. Alliteration –
2. Allusion –
3. Assonance –
4. Ballad –
5. Connotation vs. Denotation –
6. Consonance –
7. Epic –
8. Fable –
9. Figure of speech –
10. Haiku –
11. Hyperbole –
12. Idiom –
13. Inversion –
14. Limerick –
15. Onomatopoeia –
16. Parable –
17. Parallelism –
18. Parody 19. Pun –
20. Satire –