Poetry Terminology
Grade 8
1. Alliteration
• The repetition of consonant sounds
– Ie. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
– Ie. Babies in buggies bounced down the
boulevard.
Susan Simpson
Suddenly swallows swiftly skimming,
sunset’s slowly spreading shade,
silvery songsters sweetly singing
summer’s soothing serenade.
Summer’s season slowly stretches,
Susan Simpson Slocum she—
So she signed some simple sketches—
Soul sought soul successfully.
Susan Simpson strolled sedately,
stifling sobs, suppressing sighs.
Seeing Stephen Slocum, stately
she stopped , showing some surprise.
Six Septembers Susan swelters;
Six sharp seasons snow supplies;
Susan’s satin sofa shelters
Six small Slocums side by side.
‘ Say, ‘ said Stephen, ‘ sweetest sigher;
Say, shall Stephen spouseless stay? ‘
Susan, seeming somewhat shyer,
showed submissiveness straightaway.
Fall
Windy, winding walking ways
Streets snaking, singing, sways
Descending deeper, darker days
Migrating, meandering, misty maze.
Assonance
• The repetition of vowel sounds
– Ie. Like a diamond in the sky.
Personification
• Giving human qualities to inanimate objects,
plants, or animals
– Ie. The trees danced in the wind.
– Ie. The sun smiled down on us.
Here is a sample of a short paragraph that uses
personification to describe a house.
Our house is an old friend of ours. Although he creeks
and groans with every gust of wind, he
never fails to protect us from the elements. He wraps
his arms of bricks and mortar around us
and keeps us safe. He’s always been a good friend to
us and we would never leave him.
What are the words and phrases above that show
personification.
Finish the sentences below with
examples of personification.
Remember to choose a word that would normally be a characteristic or
an action of a human. The first one has been done for you.
1. The snow whispered as it fell to the ground.
2. The baseball bat__________________as Casey hit the ball.
3. The printer__________________out the copies that I printed.
4. The cup_____________________an entire jar of tea.
5. The floor______________________as the elephant walked across.6.
The car__________________as the key was turned.
7. The alarm clock_____________________that it was time to get up.
8. The stars______________________at us from the night sky.
9. The chocolate cake was__________________my name.
10. The old refrigerator_____________________a sad tune as it ran.
Hyperbole
• A large exaggeration (not intended to deceive)
– Ie. I have a ton of homework.
– Ie. I cried a million tears.
Hyperboles
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
My teacher is so mean, she eats first graders for lunch.
My brother is so bad that he has to call the police to see if he is in jail.
My cat is so mean, we have to put on gloves to feed her.
My house is so large, I need a map to find the bathroom.
My car is so old, it is pulled by a horse.
Our house is so old, when you walk it shakes like an earthquake.
My friend is so fat, her blood type is Chocolate Chip.
My dog is so smart, he graduated college when he was two years old.
My brother is so ugly, he has to wait until after dark to go outside to play.
My teacher is so old, we looked up the definition for ancient and the full
definition included her name and picture.
11. My grandfather is so slow, I miss two shows when he walks in front of the
television.
12. My sister wears so much makeup, she could pass as a clown at the circus.
Oxymoron
• Putting two opposites side by side
– Ie. Loving hate
– Ie. Icy hot
– Ie. Sound of silence
Onomatopoeia
• Sound words
– Ie. Biff, boom, bang
– Ie. Ahchoo, burp
– Ie. Moo, baa, oink
Metaphor
• A comparison that does NOT use a
comparison word
• A direct comparison
– Ie. Love is a rose.
– Ie. My house is a battleground.
Simile
• A comparison using “like”, “as” or “than”
– Ie. She swims like a fish.
– Ie. He’s faster than a speeding bullet
– Ie. She’s as sly as a fox.
As Sad As…
I’m as sad as an odd sock
With no one to wear it
As sad as a birthday
With no one to share it
As sad as a teddy
With no one to care for it
As sad as a firework
With no one to light it
As sad as a strawberry with no one to bite it
As sad as a grey day
With no sun to lighten it.
Image
• Creating a picture in the reader’s mind using
the senses (sight, touch, smell, sound, and
taste)
– Ie. The bright sunlight glinted off the softly
gurgling water as the baby ducks quacked along
after their mother.
rhyme
• Two or more words that have the same
sounding ending, but different beginnings
– Ie. Time, dime
– Ie. Song, along
– Ie. Red, bed, Fred, said, led
– Ie. sky, pie, rye, die
rhythm
• The beat of a line of poetry (what you can clap
to)
– Ie. Whose woods these are I think I know / His
house is in the village though
Meter
• A way to measure the rhythm (count the
syllable patterns in a line)
– Ie. Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day.
– Five iambic feet = iambic pentameter
Couplet
• Two lines of poetry that rhyme and have the
same meter
– Ie. Twinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you are