Tones and Terms I

Metaphysical Conceit

An extended, highly imaginative comparison between two unlike things, often complex and intellectual, commonly found in metaphysical poetry

Euphemism

A mild or indirect word or expression used to replace one that may be harsh, blunt, or offensive

Pun

A play on words that exploits multiple meanings of a term or similar-sounding words for humorous or rhetorical effect

Tetrameter

A line of verse consisting of four metrical feet

Pentameter

A line of verse consisting of five metrical feet, often seen in iambic pentameter

Enjambment

The continuation of a sentence or clause across a line break without a pause

Litotes

A figure of speech that uses understatement by negating the opposite (e.g., “not bad” to mean “good”)

Sestet

A six-line stanza or the final six lines of a sonnet, especially in an Italian sonnet

Octave

An eight-line stanza or the first eight lines of an Italian sonnet, typically presenting a problem or situation

Couplet

A pair of consecutive lines of poetry that usually rhyme and have the same meter

Quatrain

A four-line stanza in a poem, often with a specific rhyme scheme

Italian Sonnet

A 14-line sonnet (also called Petrarchan) divided into an octave and a sestet, usually with a volta or shift between them

English Sonnet

A 14-line sonnet (also called Shakespearean) composed of three quatrains and a final rhyming couplet

Spenserian Sonnet

A 14-line sonnet that links quatrains through an interlocking rhyme scheme and ends with a couplet

Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words to create internal rhyming effects

Cacophony

The use of harsh, jarring, or discordant sounds in language for effect

Euphony

The use of smooth, pleasing, and harmonious sounds in language

Rhetorical Shift

A change in tone, perspective, or subject within a literary work, often marking a turning point

Iamb

A metrical foot consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable

Trochee

A metrical foot consisting of a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable

Anapest

A metrical foot consisting of two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable

Eye Rhyme

Words that appear to rhyme visually but do not sound alike when spoken

Feminine Rhyme

A rhyme that occurs on two or more syllables, with the stress on the penultimate syllable

Masculine Rhyme

A rhyme that occurs on a single stressed syllable at the end of lines

Slant Rhyme

A near rhyme in which the sounds are similar but not identical

Sardonic

A tone characterized by bitter, scornful, or mocking humor

Exasperated

A tone expressing frustration or irritation

Anguished

A tone expressing deep pain, distress, or emotional suffering

Facetious

A tone that treats serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor

Solemn

A tone that is serious, formal, and dignified

Moralizing

A tone that conveys a lesson or attempts to instruct the reader on proper behavior or values