Poetic devices and figurative language

end rhyme

a rhyme that occurs in the last syllables of verses; when the ends of poetic lines rhyme with each other

internal rhyme

rhyme between a word within a line and another either at the end of the same line or within another line

half rhyme

a rhyme in which words contain similar sounds but do not rhyme perfectly. in some near rhymes syllables of ending consonants match, however the preceding vowel sounds do not match.

alliteration

the repetition of initial (beginning) consonant sounds in a series of words wtihin a phrase or verse line

cacophony

harsh or discordant sound; harshness in the sound of words or phrases. these unharmonious and dissonant sounds include the explosive consonants and hissing sounds

onomatopoeia

the naming of a thing or action by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it

end stopped line

a poetic line ending at a grammatical boundary or break, such as a dash or closing parenthesis, or with punctuation such as a cold, semicolon, comma, or a period

enjambment

the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza

refrain

a line or lines that recur throughout the poem. the refrain may vary slightly but it is generally the same

verse

poetry in general or to an individual poem; an individual line of poetry 

figurative language

language that cannot be taken literally or only taken literally

metaphor

a figure of speech which makes an implicit, implied, or hidden comparison between two things or objects that are poles apart from each other but have some characteristics common between them

simile

a figure of speech that makes a comparison, showing similarities between two different things with the help of words “like” or “as”

conceit

an extended metaphor; two vastly different objects are likened together to create a long comparison that is exceedingly unlikely but is, nonetheless, intellectually imaginative

apostrophe

figure of speech in which the speaker or character addresses an imaginary character, a dead person, an object, or concept as if he/she/it could answer back

hyperbole

a figure of speech which involves an exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis

blank verse

unrhymed iambic pentameter

heroic couplet

two rhyming lines of iambic pentameter