Poetry Terms and Definitions

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Alliteration

Two or more words that appear close together and have the same initial stressed consonant syllable

Example: Good grief!

Anaphora

the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.

Example: We cannot falter, We cannot stop, We cannot lose our way

Allusion

an implied or indirect reference to a person, event, or thing or to a part of another text

Example: I'm Juliet to your Romeo. (Alludes to Romeo and Juliet)

Antanaclasis

Repeating a word but using a different meaning.

Example: Don't worry, the judge wont judge you!

Antithesis

Completely opposite words placed in parallel position to each other in a sentence

Example: It’s never too soon, it’s never too late.

Anadiplosis

Repeating the last word of a clause at the beginning of the next clause

Example: The tree reminisces one last time as it finally falls, falls and does not get back up.

Antimetabole

Parts of the line or sentence that are balanced but reversed

Example: Flowers are lovely; love is flowerlike.

Apostrophe

Speaking to an imagined listener or an inanimate object

Example: “O Captain! My Captain!”, the speaker calls to a captain. whom is clearly not present.

Assonance

the repetition of vowel sounds in words that are close together in a sentence or verse.

Example: The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain"

Asyndeton

the omission or absence of a conjunction between parts of a sentence, usually to speed up pace of speaking

Example: Reduce, reuse, recycle"

Balanced Sentences

a sentence made up of two parts that are roughly equal in length, importance, and grammatical structure

Example: I cannot love her, but I cannot hate her either.

Consonance

words share the same consonant sounds, but they come after different vowel sounds.

Example: She sells seashells by the seashore.

Epistrophe

Repetition of word or phrase at last part of sentence / clause, to create rhythm or emphasis.

Example: I'm tired of this job. I'm over this job. I'm done with this job!

Enjambment

the continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line of poetry to the next.

Example:
I enjoy the quiet,
It’s very calming.

End Stopped Lines

the ending of a sentence in one line.

Example: He shined as bright as the sun

Epizeuxis

repetition of a word or phrase in immediate succession, typically within the same sentence, for vehemence or emphasis.

Example: Time, time, time, again and again.

Euphemism

a word or phrase that softens an uncomfortable topic

Example: She is at rest. (MEANING SHES DEAD!!)

Hyperbole

extreme exaggeration used to emphasize a point

Example: I’m so hungry I could eat a horse! (me too)

Imagery

language that suggests how someone or something looks, sounds, feels, smells, or tastes. (Appeals to 5 senses)

Example: The heat of the sun burning like a fire.

Irony

the use of words that are the opposite of what you mean, as a way of being funny

Example: Thank you, officer; now that you have my license, I can't drive!

Juxtaposition

calls attention to two distinctly different things by placing them right beside one another

Example: You’re making a mountain out of a molehill

Lines

a unit of poetry, a single row of text

Example: I sleep, for I am tired!

Stanza

a unit of poetry, more than one row of text

Example:
I sleep, for I am tired,
I wake, after a long rest
I go, continue my life after rest.

Verse

Poetic lines composed in a measured, rhythmical pattern that are oftentimes rhymed

Example:

Might be deaf, or maybe blind
Frankly, I can’t tell
All I know is when I shout,
I can’t get you to yell.

Long Sentences

19 - 30 words in length

Metaphor

a figure of speech that implicitly compares two unrelated things, typically by stating that one thing is another

Example: that chef is a magician

Meter

describes the rhythm (or pattern of beats) in a line of poetry, if a rhythmical pattern exists, it is called a meter.

Mood

the feeling created by the writer for the reader, the vibe you get from a poem.

Example: You feel sad after reading a poem that talks about being alone.

Tone

the feeling that the narrator / author is addressing in the poem, identified by certain words.

Tone allows the reader to feel something (Mood)

Example: A passionate writer is speaking of his poem in a very firm and ecstatic tone.

Prose

The ordinary language used in speaking and writing

Prose is read without pausing at the ends of lines

Example: “Hi, I’m Ethan! Yap yap yap!” ← spoken in a normal tone.

Personification

Giving an inanimate object human-like properties or describing it like it is a person.

Example: The clouds wept

Theme

the underlying message that the writer or artist wants to convey.

Thematic Statements

a simple yet powerful message an author is trying to convey in their work

Is NOT a cliche, is NOT one word, and is always universal.

Paradox

An absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated, it may be found to be true.

Example: The further I go, the less distance I travel.

Telegraphic Sentences

Sentences that are very short, under 5 words, usually used to speed up the pace of a poem.

Example: Thunder strikes.

Perfect Rhymes

both the ending consonants and stressed vowel sounds of two words match exactly.

Example: bright and flight

Imperfect Rhyme

when the words at the end of a poetic line do not have similar ending sounds.

Example:
I will throw the ball.
You will catch it.

Polysyndeton

when a conjunction appears over and over again, usually used to slow down pace of a sentence

Example: You have ethereal eyes, and a perfect smile, and long beautiful hair, and everything about you is flawless.

Pun

a manipulation of words using words that sound similar or that have multiple meanings

Example: You have dancing shoes with nimble soles; I have a soul of lead.

Synecdoche

A figure of speech in which a part of something stands for the whole

Example: I’ve got wheels bud. (meaning they have a car)

Extended Metaphor

A metaphor that extends across several lines, stanzas, or the entire poem. The entire topic, theme, or main idea of the poem may be a metaphor.

Metonymy

figure of speech that replaces the name of a thing or of a quality attributed to or closely associated with the thing itself

Example: A king being referred to as “The crown”

Oxymoron

A figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear together to form a truth.

Example: A jumbo shrimp!

Internal Rhyme

Rhymes within a line or multiple lines, usually gives a feel of rhythm without flat out rhyming at the end of every sentence.

Example:
Jack and Jill went up the hill
Jack fell down and broke his crown.