AP Lit Poetry Terms Test

lyric

subjective, reflective poetry with regular rhyme scheme and meter which reveals the poet's thoughts and feelings to create a single, unique impression

narrative

non-dramatic, objective verse with regular rhyme scheme and meter

sonnet

a rigid 14-line verse form, with variable structure and rhyme scheme according to type

ode

elaborate lyric verse which deals seriously with a dignified theme

blank verse

unrhymed lines of iambic pentameter

free verse

unrhymed lines without regular rhythm

epic

a long, dignified narrative poem which gives the account of a hero important to his nation or race

dramatic monologue

a lyric poem in which the speaker addresses himself to persons around him; his speech deals with a dramatic moment in his life and manifests his character

elegy

a poem of lament, meditating on the death of an individual

ballad

simple, narrative verse which tells a story to be sung or recited; the folk -- is anonymously handed down, while the literary -- has a single author

idyll

lyric poetry describing the life of the shepherd in pastoral, bucolic, idealistic terms

villanelle

french verse form, strictly calculated to appear simple and spontaneous; five tercets and a final quatrain, rhyming aba aba aba aba aba abaa. Lines 1, 6, 12, 18 and 3, 9, 15, 19 are refrain.

light verse

a general category of poetry written to entertain, such as lyric poetry, epigrams, and limericks. It can also have a serious side, as in parody or satire.

haiku

japanese verse in three lines of five, seven, and five syllables, often depicting a delicate image

limerick

humorous nonsense-verse in five anapestic lines rhyming aabba, a-lines being trimeter and b-lines dimeter

meter

poetry's rhythm, or pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. measured in units of feet

iambic

unstressed, stressed (ex. balloon)

trochaic

stressed, unstressed (ex. soda)

anapestic

unstressed, unstressed, stressed (ex.. contradict)

dactyllic

stressed, unstressed, unstressed (ex. maniac)

spondaic

stressed, stressed (ex. man-made)

monometer, dimeter, trimeter, tetrameter, pentameter, hexameter, heptameter, octameter

numbering metric feet

scansion

the analysis of mechanical elements within a poem to determine meter. feet are marked off with slashes and accented appropriately.

structure of a poem

metric feet make up lines, which make up stanzas. A stanza is to a poem as a paragraph is to an essay

couplet

2 lines

tercet

3 lines

quatrain

4 lines

cinquain

5 lines

sestet

6 lines

septet

7 lines

octet (octave)

8 lines

x lined stanza

9+ lines

amphibrach

a foot with unstressed, stressed, unstressed syllables (ex. Chicago)

andcrusis

an extra unaccented syllable at the beginning of a line before the regular meter begins

amphimacer

a foot with stressed, unstressed, stressed syllable

catalexis

an extra unaccented syllable at the ending of a line after the regular meter ends

caesura

a pause in the meter or rhyme of a line (used for emphasis or drama)

enjambement

a run-on line, continuing into the next without a grammatical break

rime

the repetition of like sounds at regular intervals, employed in versification, the writing of verse

end rhyme

rhyme occurring at the ends of verse lines; most common form

internal rhyme

rhyme contained within a line of verse (at the middle and end)

rhyme scheme

pattern of rhymes within a unit of verse

masculine rhyme

rhyme in which only the last, accented syllable of the rhyming words correspond exactly in sound; most common kind of end rhyme

feminine rhyme

rhyme in which two consecutive syllables of the rhyming words correspond, the first syllable carrying the accent; double rhyme

half rhyme (slant rhyme)

imperfect, approximate rhyme

assonance

repetition of two or more vowel sounds within a line

consonance

repetition of two or more consonant sounds within a line

alliteration

repetition of two or more initial sounds in words within a line

onomatopoiea

the technique of using a word whose sound suggests its meaning (ex. the buzz saw snarled and rattled in the yard)

euphony

the use of compatible, harmonious sounds to produce a pleasing, melodious effect

cacophony

the use of inharmonious sounds in close conjunction for effect; opposite of euphony

metaphor

a figure of speech which makes a direct comparison of two unlike objects

similie

a direct comparison of two unlike things using "like" or "as."

conceit

an extended metaphor comparing two unlike objects with powerful effect

presonification

figure of speech in which non-human things are given human characteristics

metonymy

the substitution of a word which relates to the object or person to be named, in place of the name itself

synecdoche

a figure of speech in which a part represents the whole object or idea

hyperbole

gross exaggeration for effect; overstatement

litotes

a form of understatement in which the negative of an antonym is used to achieve emphasis and intensity

irony

the contrast between actual meaning and the suggestion of another meaning

symbolism

the use of one object to suggest another, hidden object or idea

imagery

the use of words to represent things, actions, or ideas by sensory description

paradox

a statement which appears self-contradictory, but underlines a basis of truth

oxymoron

contradictory terms brought together to express a paradox for strong effect

verbal irony

meaning one thing and saying another

dramatic irony

when a reader is aware of something that a character isn't

situational irony

when the reality of a situation differs from the anticipated or intended effect; when something unexpected occurs