Poetic Devices
Poetic Devices: What are they?
Why are they so special?
Poetic devices fit into the category of
figurative language.
They can DEFINITELY be used in
more than JUST poetry.
Click on the penguin to take a peek
at a video clip on your first two
poetic devices. Once you finishing
watching the clip, close the media
player to continue the PowerPoint.
Simile
A comparison of two things; uses the
words “like” or “as”.
Examples:
My mind is like an open book.
He sprinted as fast as a cheetah to the
finish line.
Buster barks like broken alarm clock.
Click on the book to
practice similes.
Metaphor
Compares one thing to another by
stating that something IS something
else.
Example:
White gleaming stars are diamonds in
the midnight sky.
The snow is a white, fluffy blanket
covering the field.
Sam is King Kong when he’s mad.
Click on the gorilla
and complete the
attached worksheet to
practice metaphors.
Personification
Giving a nonhuman thing human
characteristics.
Examples:
The bare branches grabbed me as I ran
through the woods.
The collie seemed to smile as his owner
rubbed his ears.
The popcorn jumped right out of the
popping machine.
Practice
personification
by clicking the
collie.
Onomatopoeia
Words that sound like noises
Examples:
Boom! Crash! Quack!
Moo! Shhh! Crackle!
Click on the radio to read poems
using onomatopoeia.
Repetition
When words, phrases, or entire lines of a
poem are repeated.
Usually words are repeated to help make a
point or create a mood.
Examples:
Repeating one word (sometimes at the end of a
line)
Repeating a line (usually the last line of a
stanza)
Click on the moon to see
more about repetition.
Hyperbole
Using exaggeration to make a point.
Examples:
I’m so hungry I could eat a whole
chicken!
It rained buckets during the game this
morning.
Megan was so mad fume rose from her
head.
Click on the
football for a
short clip on
hyperboles and
similes.
Oxymoron
a phrase consisting of contradictory
terms for dramatic effect
Examples:
• Wise fool; living death; deafening
silence
• “Parting is such sweet sorrow”
Paradox
a statement that at first appears
contradictory, but which, on closer
examination, proves to claim truth
Examples:
• To save this city we have to destroy it
• “I must be cruel only to be kind”
Apostraphe
A figure of speech consisting of words
addressing an inanimate object,
abstract idea, or deceased individuals
as though that object, idea, or person
were alive.
Example
“O Death, where is thy sting?”
Allusion
The reference to a famous literary,
mythical, biblical or historical figure or
event.
Example:
“Chocolate was his Achilles heel.”
Consonance
the repetition of the same consonant
sound within words close together.
Example:
Such weight and thick pink bulk…”
Assonance
The repetition of the same or similar
vowel sound within nearby words.
Example:
“The trodden town rang its cobbles
for luck.”
Synechdoche
A kind of metaphor in which a part of
something represents the whole.
“Three sails just entered the harbor.”
When Queen Elizabeth dies, Prince
Charles will take over the throne.
Metonymy
A type of metaphor in which
something closely associated with a
subject is substituted for it.
Example:
“The pen is mightier than the sword.”
Rhyme
Words or phrases that end or sound like
they end the same. There can be an end
rhyme (rhymes at the end of a line) or
internal rhyme (words rhyme within a line)
Examples:
Mop up that slop!!
There goes the rabbit, Grab it!!
Twinkle, twinkle little star, How I wonder what
you are.
Do not Hop on Pop!
Click on the plate of spaghetti,
read the nursery rhyme, and write
down all the rhyming word pairs
on your paper.
Imagery
Using descriptive language (five senses) to help
paint a picture in the reader’s mind.
Using Imagery is very similar to using “Show,
Don’t tell” in writing. Instead of saying, “It was
Halloween” or “The sunset was pretty”, we can
describe the scene using imagery.
Examples:
Giggling and yelling, straw-filled scarecrows, pretty
princesses, mean monsters, and other creatures paraded
down the street with extended candy bags to welcoming
porch lights in search of the best sweets.
The girls gazed at the beautiful hues of fiery orange,
lemon yellow, prom dress pink, and a splash of grape
purple in the sunset over the horizon.
Click on the candy to learn
more about imagery and
examples from songs.
Theme
The central idea, usually implied
rather than directly stated
Story/poem’s observation about life or
human nature, the controlling insight.
Should not be confused with a moral
(crime doesn’t pay)
Ask: What does this story reveal?
Avoid stating the theme with a single
word
Let’s see them in action!
Next, Let’s read some famous poems
or nursery rhymes.
What examples of similes, metaphors,
alliteration, hyperboles,
onomatopoeia, repetition, rhyme, and
imagery do you find?
Work in your groups to identify these
poetic devices.
Click on the picture,
print your worksheet,
and complete in your
groups.
References
Buzzin: Learning Made Fun. (2004). Retrieved October 9,
2006, from Buzzin: http://www.buzzin.net/english/allit.htm
Defining Imagery: Prediction. Maryland Technology
Academy. (2000). Retrieved October 14,2006 from
http://cte.jhu.edu/techacademy/web/2000/baczkowski/image
def.htm
Discovering Language Arts: Style, Structure, and Tone
(Grades 3-5). Discovery Channel School
(2005). Retrieved October 11, 2006, from
unitedstreaming: http://www.unitedstreaming.com/
Discovering Language Arts: Fiction (Grades 3-5). Discovery
Channel School. (2006). Retrieved October 11, 2006, from
unitedstreaming: http://www.unitedstreaming.com/
Metaphors. RHL School—Free Learning Resources. (19962006). Retrieved October 3, 2006 from
http://www.rhlschool.com/eng3n26.htm
References Continued
Onomatopoeia Poetry. Langley Schools, BC, Canada
Homepage. (2006). Retrieved October 14, 2006 from
http://www.sd35.bc.ca/lm/archive/div8sampleonomatop.htm
On Top of Spaghetti. Just Playing: Nursery Rhymes and Silly
Stuff. Retrieved October 14, 2006 from http://smartcentral.com/spaghetti.htm
PoemHunter.com Retrieved October 10, 2006 from
http://www.poemhunter.com
Repetition Classics. Thinkquest.org. (2006). Retrieved
October 14, 2006 from
http://library.thinkquest.org/J0112392/repetitionclassics.html
Shared Poetry Reading: Teaching Print Concepts, Rhyme,
and Vocabulary. Read, Write, Think.org. (2006) Retrieved
October 14, 2006 from
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=8
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