Poetic Devices for English II Spring Exam '25

Connotation

The emotional or cultural meaning of a word (e.g., 'home' suggests warmth and family).

Denotation

The literal dictionary definition of a word.

Imagery

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses.

Visual Imagery

Sight (e.g., 'a golden sunset').

Auditory Imagery

Sound (e.g., 'the shriek of the wind').

Olfactory Imagery

Smell.

Gustatory Imagery

Taste.

Tactile Imagery

Touch.

Theme

The central message or insight about life the poem explores.

Tone

The speaker's attitude toward the subject (e.g., serious, playful, angry).

End-stopped line

A line of poetry that ends with a punctuation mark (like a period or comma).

Enjambment

When a line of poetry continues without pause onto the next line.

Stanzaic (Structured) Form

Poetry divided into stanzas with a consistent pattern (rhyme, meter, etc.).

Continuous (Free) Form

Poetry with no stanza breaks or consistent structure.

Prose

Ordinary language without structured meter or rhyme (like everyday speech or writing).

Verse

Writing arranged with metrical rhythm, often with rhyme; the opposite of prose.

Allusion

A brief reference to a person, event, or work of literature or art.

Metaphor

A direct comparison without 'like' or 'as' (e.g., 'Time is a thief').

Extended Metaphor

A metaphor that continues throughout a poem or stanza.

Overstatement/Hyperbole

Exaggeration for effect (e.g., 'I'm so hungry I could eat a horse').

Understatement

Deliberately downplaying something (e.g., saying 'It's a bit chilly' during a blizzard).

Oxymoron

Two contradictory words together (e.g., 'deafening silence').

Irony

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

Paradox

A seemingly contradictory statement that reveals a deeper truth (e.g., 'Less is more').

Personification

Giving human qualities to non-human things (e.g., 'The wind whispered').

Symbol

Something that stands for something else (e.g., a dove symbolizes peace).

Juxtaposition

Placing two contrasting elements side by side for effect.

Alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant sounds (e.g., 'She sells sea shells...').

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds within words (e.g., 'rise high in the bright sky').

Consonance

Repetition of consonant sounds within or at the end of words (e.g., 'blank and think').

Cacophony

Harsh, discordant sounds (e.g., 'grating, crunching, screeching').

Euphony

Pleasant, harmonious sounds (e.g., 'lilting lullabies').

End Rhyme

Rhyming words at the ends of lines.

Internal Rhyme

Rhyme within a line (e.g., 'I went to town to buy a gown').

Onomatopoeia

Words that imitate sounds (e.g., 'buzz,' 'crack,' 'sizzle').

Repetition

Repeating words or phrases for emphasis or rhythm.

Slant Rhyme

A near or approximate rhyme (e.g., 'shape' and 'keep').

Rhyme Scheme

The pattern of end rhymes in a poem (e.g., ABAB CDCD).

Rhythm

The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry.