Lang/Lit Poetry Unit Vocab List

Metaphor

A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things by stating one thing is another.

Simile

A figure of speech that compares two different things using the words 'like' or 'as'.

Imagery

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses and creates mental images.

Symbolism

The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities in literature.

Personification

A figure of speech where human traits are attributed to non-human things.

Hyperbole

An exaggerated statement not meant to be taken literally, used for emphasis.

Juxtaposition

The placement of two contrasting elements close together to highlight their differences.

Paradox

A statement that seems contradictory but reveals a truth.

Allusion

An indirect reference to a person, place, event, or literary work.

Allegory

A story with two levels of meaning: the surface of the story and a deeper moral or political meaning.

Onomatopoeia

A word that imitates the natural sounds of a thing.

Pun

A form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or similar-sounding words.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech in which two contradictory terms appear together.

Foreshadowing

A literary device used to give hints or clues about what will happen later in the story.

Irony

A discrepancy between expectation and reality.

Dramatic irony

A form of irony where the audience knows something that the characters do not.

Alliteration

The repetition of the same initial consonant sounds in a sequence of words.

Anaphora

The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.

Anthropomorphism

Attributing human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities.

Aphorism

A concise statement that expresses a general truth or principle.

Chiasmus

A rhetorical device in which words, grammatical constructions, or concepts are repeated in reverse order.

Frame story

A narrative technique that involves telling a story within a story.

In Medias Res

A narrative that begins in the middle of the action.

Malapropism

The unintentional misuse of a word by confusion with one that sounds similar.

Metonymy

A figure of speech in which one thing is referred to by the name of something closely associated with it.

Polysyndeton

The use of several conjunctions in close succession, often slowing down the rhythm.

Satire

A genre of literature that uses humor, irony, or exaggeration to criticize or mock.

Soliloquy

A speech in which a character speaks their thoughts aloud, usually while alone.

Synecdoche

A figure of speech in which a part is used to represent the whole or vice versa.

Cliché

An overused expression or idea that lacks originality.

Flashback

A narrative device that interrupts the chronological flow to provide backstory.

Idiom

A phrase or expression that has a figurative meaning different from its literal meaning.

Motif

A recurring theme, subject, or idea in a literary work.

Mood

The emotional atmosphere created by a literary piece.

Tone

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

Enjambment\n\n

The continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, stanza, or couplet.\n\n

Internal Rhyme\n\n

A rhyme that occurs within a single line of poetry.\n\n

Iambic Pentameter\n\n

A metrical line consisting of five iambs, each with an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.\n\n

Consonance\n\n

The repetition of consonant sounds in close proximity, often within or at the end of words.\n\n

Stanza\n\n

A grouped set of lines in a poem, typically separated by a blank line.\n\n

Slant Rhyme\n\n

A type of rhyme where the sounds are similar but not exact, often used in poetry.\n\n

Diction\n\n

The choice of words and phrases in writing, which conveys tone and style.\n\n

Assonance\n\n

The repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words in a line of poetry.\n\n

Sonnet\n\n

A 14-line poem, typically written in iambic pentameter, with various rhyme schemes.\n\n

Verse\n\n

A single line of poetry, or poetry in general, as a form of literary art.\n\n