AP Lit Poetry Terms

Free Verse

Poetry that does not follow a regular rhyme scheme or meter.

Stanza

A grouped set of lines in a poem, often separated by a space, similar to a paragraph in prose

Rhyme

The repetition of similar sounding words, usually at the ends of lines in poems.

Enjambment

The continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line of poetry to the next without a pause.

Cadence

The rhythmic flow or beat of poetry, created by the arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables.

Speaker/Persona

The voice or character who narrates the poem; not necessarily the poet.

Alliteration

The repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of closely connected words.

Onomatopoeia

Words that imitate natural sounds (e.g., buzz, crash, hiss).

Oxymoron

A figure of speech combining two contradictory terms (e.g., “deafening silence”).

Tonal Shift

A change in the speaker’s attitude or emotion within the poem.

Personification

Giving human qualities or actions to non-human things or ideas.

Caesura

A strong pause within a line of poetry, often marked by punctuation.

Couplet

Two consecutive lines of poetry that usually rhyme and have the same meter.

Volta

A turn or shift in thought or argument, commonly found in sonnets.

Quatrain

A stanza of four lines, often with a specific rhyme scheme.