Poetry Terms

Closed Form (Traditional)

Poetry with regular patterns of rhyme and rhythm

Open Form (Free Verse)

Poetry without consistent rhyme or meter; form is unique to each poem.

Imagery

Language that appeals to the senses—sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, or movement—to create vivid mental pictures.Speaker

Speaker

The voice or persona delivering the poem’s message.

Situation

The context or circumstances in which the speaker finds themselves.

Diction

The poet’s choice of words—can be abstract/concrete, general/specific, formal/informal.

Connotation

The emotional or cultural meaning of a word.

Denotation

Its dictionary definition.

Simile

A comparison using “like” or “as”

Metaphor

An implied comparison without using “like” or “as”

Personification

Giving human traits to non-human things

Hyperbole

Exaggeration for effect

Litotes

Understatement that implies more than it says

Paradox

A statement that seems contradictory but reveals a deeper truth

Synecdoche

A part represents the whole

Metonymy

One thing stands for something closely associated

Tone

The speaker’s implied attitude, shaped by diction, imagery, and form.

Irony

A contrast between expectation and reality—verbal, situational, or dramatic.

Syntax

Word order in a sentence; poets often manipulate syntax for rhythm, emphasis, or meaning.