Poetry 12

ballad

ballad

A long poem that tells a story, usually a folk tale or legend, in rhyme. Often set to music.

concrete poem

experiments with the very materials of the poem itself

elegy

this is a particular type of lyric that is written to mourn the passing of something or someone

Epic

This is a very, very long poem that tells a story. These poems are narrative poems that are long enough to be in a book of their own, rather than an anthology.

epitaph

about the dead that are written to be on a tombstone; this means they are usually very short.

epigram

very short, witty poems

free verse

no regular pattern of rhythm, rhyme, or line length

lyric

a short poem of intense feeling and emotion

narrative

a poem that tells a story

ode

serious form of the lyric

sonnet

a 14-line lyric poem, usually written in rhymed iambic pentameter

Alliteration

repeated consonant sounds at the beginning of a series of words

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds in the middle of words

cacophony

sounds unpleasant/harsh to the ear

consonance

Repeating consonant sounds in the middle of words

euphony

pleasant, harmonious sound

Onomatopoeia

the use of words that imitate sounds "buzz" "hiss"

Metaphor

A comparison without using like or as

Metonymy

substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it

Personification

the giving of human qualities to an animal, object, or idea

Simile

A comparison using "like" or "as"

Synecdoche

A figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole (as hand for sailor), the whole for a part (as the law for police officer), the specific for the general (as cutthroat for assassin), the general for the specific (as thief for pickpocket), or the material for the thing made from it (as steel for sword)

Allusion

A reference to another work of literature, person, or event

Apostrophe

address to an absent/dead or imaginary person

Cliché

a worn-out idea or overused expression

Connotation

an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning (dog might mean loyal or happy)

Denotation

the literal meaning of a word

figurative language

Language that cannot be taken literally since it was written to create a special effect or feeling

Hyperbole

A deliberate exaggeration to make a point.

Imagery

Description that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste)

literal language

language that means exactly what it says

Mood

Feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader

Oxymoron

A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase. "hot ice"

Paradox

Large oxymoron. An apparently contradictory statement that, despite the contradiction, has an element of truth in it.

Repetition

Repeated use of sounds, words, or ideas for effect and emphasis

Symbol

anything that stands for or represents something else

Syntax

Sentence structure

Tone

Attitude a writer takes toward the audience, a subject, or a character

Understatement

Opposite of hyperbole. Achieves its effect through stating less than what is necessary.

Couplet

Two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme

Octave

8 line stanza

Quatrain

4 line stanza

Sestet

6 line stanza

Stanza

another word for “verse”

verse

A paragraph of writing in a poem. Writing arranged with a metrical rhythm, typically having a rhyme

blank verse

unrhymed iambic pentameter

iambic pentameter

An iamb is two syllables. The first one is not stressed when spoken; the second one is stressed. The words “giraffe” or “destroy” are examples of iambs. Five iambs in a row is a ________.

Rhyme

Repetition of sounds at the end of words

Rhythm

A strong, regular, repeated pattern of movement or sound

rhyme scheme

A regular pattern of rhyming words in a poem

internal rhyme

A word inside a line rhymes with another word on the same line

Idiom

A common, often used expression that doesn't make sense if you take it literally

Euphemism

An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant "she passed"

dissonance

similar to cacophony

Allegory

a narrative or description having a second meaning beneath the surface one.

antithesis

is a balancing or contrasting of one term against another.  “Man proposes, God disposes.”  —Pope