Poetry Unit terms

Narrative Poetry

Poetry that tells a story.

Folk Ballad

A song sung by the common people of a region, part of their culture, which has no known author.

Literary Ballad

A narrative poem written in imitation of the old anonymous folk ballad.

Epic

A long narrative poem, often involving an epic hero.

Refrain

A group of repeating lines in a poem.

Lyric Poetry

Poetry that expresses a poet’s innermost thoughts and feelings.

Lullaby

A soothing song typically sung to lull a child to sleep.

Sonnet

A 14-line lyric poem.

Ode

A lyric poem typically of elaborate or irregular metrical form, expressive of exalted or enthusiastic emotions.

Elegy

A mournful, melancholy poem; a funeral song or lament for the dead.

Haiku

A Japanese poem consisting of 17 syllables, structured in three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables.

Dramatic Poetry

Poetry that tells stories, with characters acting them out.

Verse Play

Plays written in blank verse or iambic pentameter, characteristic of Shakespeare.

Dramatic Monologue

A poem written in the form of a speech by a single character.

Connotation

The idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal meaning.

Denotation

The literal or dictionary definition of a word.

Figurative Language

A form of expression that uses abstract meanings and ideas.

Simile

A figure of speech that makes a comparison using 'like' or 'as'.

Metaphor

A figure of speech that makes a comparison without using 'like' or 'as'.

Personification

Attributing human qualities to inanimate objects or abstract concepts.

Assonance

The repetition of internal vowels within nearby words.

Consonance

The repetition of consonant sounds at the end of words.

Stanza

A group of lines in a poem.

Blank Verse

Poetry that has no rhyme.

Couplet

A pair of successive lines of verse, typically that rhyme and are of equal length.

End Rhyme

The rhyme occurring at the end of lines of poetry.

Epigram

A short, satirical poem that deals with a single subject and usually ends with a witty turn.

Epitaph

A brief poem or writing honoring a deceased person.

Free Verse

Poetry that does not adhere to a specific rhythm or rhyme scheme.

Imagery

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses.

Internal Rhyme

Rhyme that occurs within a single line of poetry.

Light Verse

Verse written to entertain, amuse, or please.

Metonymy

Using the name of one object to refer to another that is related.

Onomatopoeia

Words that imitate the sound they describe.

Quatrain

A stanza or poem of four lines, often with alternating rhyme.

Rhythm

The flow of a poem, characterized by its up and down beats.

Alliteration

The repetition of initial consonant sounds in closely placed words.