I. Poetic Terminology
A. verse – a verse is simply a _line_ of poetry; however, note that “line” does not refer to
any physical line or space on the paper. Instead it refers to the words that the writer
wants to be _grouped_ together, even if they take up more than one line on the actual
paper.
B. stanza – a stanza is a __group_ of lines in a poem. A poem may contain one stanza or
several stanzas. If there are several stanzas there will be _spaces_ between them. You
can think of stanzas as the “paragraphs” in poetry.
C. meter – a regular pattern of stressed and unstressed _syllables__ in a poem; stressed
syllables are usually shown with an accent mark above them, and unstressed syllables are
usually shown with a “stretched out ‘u’”
II. Sound Techniques – The use of sound is very important in poetry. Ideally, poets are
able to match sound to meaning; that is, the sound of the poem should convey the same
feeling as the words. There are many different techniques that poets can use to create
sound effects.
A. alliteration – the repetition of the initial (first) _consonant__ sound in a series of several
words
B. assonance – the repetition of _vowel__ sounds in a series of words.
C. onomatopoeia – words that _sound_ like what they mean
D. rhythm – the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a work, also known simply as
the ___”beat”__
E. rhyme – the repetition of the same __end__ sounds in two or more words.
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
perfect rhyme – when the end sounds of the words match __exactly__
approximate rhyme (also called “half-rhyme,” “near-rhyme,” “slant rhyme” or
“imperfect rhyme”) –when the end sounds _almost_ rhyme, but not quite
end rhyme – rhymes that appear at the _ends__ of lines of _poetry___
internal rhyme – rhymes that appear __inside/within_ a line of poetry
rhyme scheme – the _pattern__ of end rhymes in a poem; the rhyme scheme is
usually shown using ___letters__.
F. repetition – the use more than _once__ of anything (a sound, word, phrase, etc.) in a
poem
G. refrain – a regularly repeated __line or phrase__ in a poem, similar to the chorus in a
song
Figures of Speech (Figurative Language) – The literal meaning of a word is its exact, true,
III.
“dictionary” meaning. Figurative language is language that uses words in an imaginative or
non-literal way in order to create specific effects or to make writing more vivid and interesting.
There are many different figures of speech. Here are a few of the most common ones:
A.
simile – a comparison using ___like_____ or ____as______
B.
metaphor – a ____direct______ comparison (without the use of “like” or
“as”)
C.
personification – attributing _____human_______ characteristics to nonhumans
D.
alliteration – the _____repetition___ of the initial (first) consonant sound in
a ___series___ of words.
E.
assonance – the repetition of __vowel__ sounds in a series of words. (The
vowel does not need to be the first letter or sound of the word.)
F.
hyperbole – the use of ___exaggeration__ for humor or effect
G.
onomatopoeia – words that create the __sound_ of their own meaning;
words that create __sound__ effects.
H.
irony – the use of words to convey the __opposite__ of their literal meaning;
incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs
I.
oxymoron – the combination of seemingly _contradictory__ terms to create
a particular feeling or effect
J.
symbol/symbolism – something which stands for or _represents__
something else
K.
allusion – a ___reference___ in one work of art to something else (outside of
the work itself) considered to be well known.
L.
imagery – language that appeals to one or more of the senses; language that creates
vivid mental __pictures__ .
M. ambiguity – something that can be interpreted to mean __several___ different
things at the same __time__.
N.
economy – the ability to put the greatest amount of __meaning__ into the
__fewest__ words possible.