AP Lit Poetic Terms 1-25

Alliteration

The repetition of initial consonant sounds in a phrase or sentence, often used for emphasis or to create a musical effect.

Allusion

A reference to a well-known literary work, historical event, or person, used to enhance the meaning or create a connection in a poem or story.

Anadiplosis

A poetic device where the last word of a line is repeated as the first word of the following line, creating a sense of continuity and emphasis.

Anaphora

The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines or clauses, often used to create rhythm, emphasis, or a powerful effect.

Anastrophe

A figure of speech where the natural word order is inverted for emphasis or to create a unique and memorable expression.

Antimetabole

A rhetorical device where words or phrases are repeated in successive lines, but in reverse grammatical order, creating a balanced and impactful effect.

Apostrophe

A figure of speech where a speaker addresses someone absent, dead, or non-human as if they were present and able to respond.

Assonance

The repetition of similar vowel sounds within words or phrases, often used to create a musical or rhythmic effect in poetry.

Asyndeton

The deliberate omission of conjunctions between related clauses or phrases, creating a sense of urgency, speed, or a fragmented rhythm.

Ballad

A narrative poem that tells a story, often with repeated stanzas or refrains, and is often set to music.

Blank verse

Unrhymed poetry written in iambic pentameter, a metrical pattern consisting of five pairs of unstressed and stressed syllables per line.

Cacophony

The use of harsh or discordant sounds in poetry to create a jarring or unsettling effect, often used to convey intense emotions or chaotic scenes.

Caesura

A pause or break within a line of poetry, often marked by punctuation, creating a rhythmic or dramatic effect.

Carpe Diem

A Latin phrase meaning 'seize the day,' often used as a theme in lyric poetry to encourage the enjoyment of the present moment and the pursuit of pleasure.

Chiasmus

A rhetorical device where the grammatical structure of successive lines or clauses is reversed, creating a balanced and symmetrical effect.

Connotation

The emotional or cultural associations surrounding a word, beyond its literal meaning, often influencing the reader's interpretation and response.

Consonance

The repetition of consonant sounds, especially at the end of words or within a phrase, creating a harmonious or musical effect in poetry.

Couplet

Two successive lines in a poem that are linked by rhyme, often used to create a sense of closure or to emphasize a particular idea or image.

Denotation

The dictionary or literal meaning of a word, without any emotional or cultural associations, often used to convey a precise and objective message.

Diction

The poet's choice and use of words or phrases, including their vocabulary, syntax, and style, to create a specific tone, atmosphere, or meaning in a poem.

Dirge

A poem or song of lamentation or mourning, often performed at a funeral or to commemorate the dead.

Elegy

A poem of serious reflection and mourning, often written to commemorate someone who has died or to express a sense of loss or sorrow.

End-stopped line

A line of poetry that ends with a natural pause or punctuation, creating a sense of completion or closure within the line.

Enjambment

The continuation of a sentence or thought from one line of poetry to the next without a pause or punctuation, creating a sense of flow or movement.

Epanalepsis

A rhetorical device where a word that starts a line is repeated at the end of the same line, creating emphasis and reinforcing the central idea.