Poetry Vocabulary
Stanza -- a group of lines that convey an idea, separated by a skipped line
White Space -- indicates where the writer wants the reader to pause or rest
Line Break -- the place where the poet chooses to end a line
Rhyme -- when 2 or more words have matching end sounds
Rhythm -- the beat or cadence of poetry
Meter -- the rhythmic pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables
rhyme scheme -- the pattern of rhymes over multiple lines in the poem; for example,
A A B C C B pattern over 6 lines
Alliteration -- a repetition of beginning consonant sounds (ex. Sly, silver snake)
Consonance -- a repetition of consonant sounds in the final position (ex. Tight, swift
fist)
Assonance -- a repetition of vowel sounds (ex. A person can “bruise and abuse shoes”
-Douglas Florian, 1999, “Shoes”)
Onomatopoeia - a word that imitates the sound of what it represents (ex. “bam,”
“quack”)
Metaphor - a direct comparison of two unlike things
Simile - A comparison of unlike objects using the words like or as
Personification - Language giving human characteristics to inanimate objects, animals,
or concepts