Poetry Vocabulary
Word
Alliteration
Definition
Repetition of initial
consonant sounds
Figurative Language
Writing or speech that is not
meant to be taken literally.
Metaphor
A figure of speech in which
something is described as
though it were something
else.
Onomatopoeia
The use of words to imitate
sounds
Rhyme
The repetition of sounds at
the ends of words
Simile
A figure of speech that uses
like or as to make a direct
comparison
Hyperbole
Obvious or intentional
exaggeration
Definition in your own words
Example
Assonance
Repetition of vowel sounds
in the middle or end of
words
Meter
Consonance
Unit of measurement: beats
Repetition of consonant
sounds in the middle of
words
Personification
Giving human qualities to
inhuman objects
Imagery
The use of descriptive
language that places a
picture in the readers mind
which appeals to the five
senses
Mood
The feeling of the audience
based on the tone of the
author
Setting
The time and place of a
story
Characterization
Detail
The formation of characters
Descriptive words used to
describe something else
Diction
Author’s word choice
Theme
The unifying idea in a story
First Person
The speaker refers to
himself/herself as “I”
Second Person
The speaker refers to the
reader as “you”
Third Person
The speaker narrates the
story using pronouns such
as “he”, “she”, and “them”