Poetry Terms Overview

Alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant sounds.

Blank Verse

Poetry that has a regular meter but is unrhymed.

Free Verse

Poetry that does not follow a set pattern or structure.

Iambic Pentameter

A line of verse composed of ten syllables, arranged in five metrical feet (iambs), each of which consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.

Imagery

The use of words to create sensory images.

Metaphor

The comparison of two objects without using the words 'like' or 'as.'

Narrative Poetry

Poetry that describes or tells about a series of events.

Ode

A single, unified strain of verse directed to a single purpose or theme.

Personification

Giving human characteristics to non-human objects.

Refrain

Repeated lines, groups of lines, or words in poetry.

Rhyme

Repetition of the sound of a stressed vowel and any sounds that follow within a word.

Rhythm

Pattern formed by stressed and unstressed syllables in a poem.

Simile

Comparison of two things using the words 'like' or 'as.'

Stanza

Division of a poem; a number of lines of verse that form a separate unit within a poem.

Verse

A single line of poetry.