Study

POETRY TERMINOLOGY

  •   0%
  •  0     0     0

      Back   Restart
  • The repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of a series of words.
    Alliteration
  • A poetic comparison where two things are said to be the same.
    Metaphor
  • Eight lines of poetry unified by rhythm, rhyme, and topic.
    Octet
  • A closed form consisting of fourteen lines of rhyming iambic pentameter.
    Sonnet
  • A line having no end punctuation but running over to the next line.
    Enjambement
  • Repeated word or a series of words in response or counterpoint to the main verse, as in a ballad.
    Refrain
  • Language which is informal or every day in nature.
    Colloquial
  • Describing an object/idea as though it were alive. Giving it human qualities.
    Personification
  • The repetition of identical concluding syllables in different words, most often at the ends of lines.
    Rhyme
  • The repetition of vowel sounds within adjoining words, or words near to each other.
    Assonance
  • A pair of lines which rhyme and come after one another in a poem.
    Rhyming couplets
  • A turning point in a sonnet.
    Volta
  • A group of words which belong in the same category e.g. Bullet, knife, bomb are all weapons.
    Semantic field
  • A type of poem, derived from the theatre, in which a speaker addresses an internal listener / the reader.
    Dramatic Monologue
  • Repeating a word or phrase to emphasise its importance / create a regular rhythm.
    Repetition
  • Three lines of poetry
    Triplet
  • The way in which a text is organised.
    Structure
  • The number of feet within a line of traditional verse.
    Meter
  • A line with five metric feet
    Pentameter
  • A story about something that happened to a person.
    Anecdote
  • “Speaking” directly to the reader / audience
    Direct Address
  • The placement of things next to or close to each other for effect.
    Juxtaposition
  • Words whose sound imitates their meaning. e.g. "buzz, tinkle, rattle, stutter, whisper, bang"
    Onomatopoeia
  • An image which helps us taste something as the poet desired.
    Gustatory image
  • An image which helps us see something as the poet desired.
    Visual image
  • Four lines of poetry
    Quatrain
  • An image which helps us hear something as the poet desired.
    Aural image
  • An image which helps feel (as in touch) something as the poet desired.
    Tactile image
  • A word that becomes a sign of something other than simply itself.
    Symbol
  • Where words/sentences have more than one meaning/ are open to numerous interpretations
    Ambiguity
  • Where the writer refers to 'well-known' figures or events from literature, history, or culture
    Allusion
  • The partial or total identity of consonants in words whose main vowels differ.
    Consonance
  • A short but definite pause used for effect within a line of poetry, usually indicated by punctuation.
    Caesura
  • Where the writer compares two things using the words 'like' or 'as'.
    Simile
  • Five lines of poetry
    Quintain
  • Words which almost rhyme, also called near-rhyme.
    Half-rhyme
  • An image which helps us smell something as the poet desired.
    Olfactory image
  • Repetition using the “s” and soft “c” sounds.
    Sibilance
  • The ‘beat’ or a poem
    Rhythm
  • A group of poetic lines corresponding to paragraphs in prose; the meters and rhymes are usually repeated or systematic.
    Stanza
    • Your experience on this site will be improved by allowing cookies.