Poetry Terms Knowt

Alliteration

The repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of nearby words.

Allusion

A reference to a well-known person, event, place, or work of art/literature within a literary work.

Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words.

Ballad

A narrative poem, often set to music, that tells a story in short stanzas.

Consonance

 The repetition of consonant sounds within or at the end of words.

Diction

The author’s choice of words and style of expression in a literary work.

Enjambment

 The continuation of a sentence or clause over a line break in poetry.

Free Verse

Poetry without a regular meter or rhyme scheme.

Metaphor

 A direct comparison between two unlike things without using “like” or “as.”

Meter

The structured rhythm of a poem, measured in feet (units of stressed and unstressed syllables).

Onomatopoeia

A word that imitates the sound it represents.

Rhythm

The pattern of sounds and beats in poetry created by stressed and unstressed syllables.

Simile

A comparison using “like” or “as.”

Stanza

A grouped set of lines in a poem, like a paragraph in prose.

Symbol

An object, character, or event that represents a deeper meaning.

Theme

The central message, idea, or insight into life that a literary work conveys.

Tone

The author’s attitude toward the subject or audience, conveyed through word choice and style.

Verse

A single line of poetry OR a composition written in meter.

Internal Rhyme

Rhyme within a single line of poetry.

Slant Rhyme

A rhyme in which the sounds are similar but not identical (also called half rhyme).

Sonnet

A 14-line poem written in iambic pentameter, often about love, with a specific rhyme scheme.

Iambic Pentameter

A line of verse with five iambs (unstressed-stressed syllables), totaling 10 syllables.