Poetry language and structure techniques

IGCSE poetry anthology

What is an Allegory?

A narrative with an underlying, deeper meaning or moral significance.

Define Alliteration.

The repetition of the same sound or letter at the beginning of words close to each other.

What does Allusion refer to in literature?

A reference to matters outside the text.

What is meant by Ambiguity in a text?

When an aspect of a text has two possible meanings.

What is Antithesis?

The placing of ideas side by side for contrast.

What are Antonyms?

Words that are opposite in meaning.

What is an Apostrophe in poetry?

When the speaker turns away from the subject to address an absent person or object.

What does Assonance refer to?

The repetition of similar vowel sounds in words close to one another.

What is Asyndeton?

Listing without conjunctions, such as 'and'.

Define a Ballad.

A poem which tells a story, usually written in quatrains.

What is Blank verse?

Unrhymed poetry written in iambic pentameter.

What is a Cliché?

Stereotyped phrases that are used too often and have lost their appeal.

What is Climax in literature?

The decisive moment in a text, or words or ideas placed in ascending order.

What is a Colloquialism or slang?

Words or phrases from ordinary speech.

Define a Couplet.

A pair of unrhymed lines, often with the same metre.

What is Doggerel?

Simple verse which is often cynical and humorous.

What does a Double-negative signify?

The use of two negatives in a sentence.

What is a Dramatic monologue?

A poem addressed to an invisible recipient and spoken in the first person.

Define an Elegy.

A reflective poem or lament, often dealing with death or mourning.

What is Enjambment?

A run-on line in a poem where the meaning continues into the next line without punctuation.

What is an Epic?

A long narrative poem telling the story of a historical figure or event.

What is an Epithalamium?

A marriage song.

Define Euphemism.

A figure of speech which substitutes a milder expression for an unpleasant one.

What is Free verse?

Poetry with no regular rhyme or metre.

What does Half-rhyme mean?

Rhyme which only rhymes approximately but not fully.

What is Hyperbole?

Exaggeration for emphasis.

What is Iambic pentameter?

A line of ten syllables, divided into five pairs, each with an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one.

Define Idyll.

A poem that paints a small picture of simple country life.

What does Image refer to in poetry?

A picture or sense impression built up by the poet in words.

What is Internal rhyme?

A word in the middle of a line that rhymes with the word at the end.

What is Irony in literature?

Words or phrases which mean something different from the literal meaning.

Define a Limerick.

A form of nonsense verse consisting of a five line stanza, rhyming aabba.

What is a Lyric poem?

A poem with a musical or song-like quality, focusing on a significant moment.

Define Metaphor.

A comparison of one thing with another without using 'like' or 'as'.

What does Metonymy refer to?

When attributes are substituted for the actual names of things.

What is Metre or rhythm in poetry?

The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables.

What are the main metrical feet?

Iambus, trochee, anapest, and dactyl.

Define a Narrative poem.

A poem that tells a story.

What is an Ode?

An address or a tribute, in praise of something.

Define Onomatopoeia.

The use of words which sound like their meaning.

What is an Oxymoron?

Contradictory words and phrases juxtaposed for effect.

What does Paradox mean?

A statement featuring opposite ideas.

Define Pathetic fallacy.

When nature reflects the mood of what is being described.

What is Personification?

Giving an object or idea human shape or form.

Define a Pun.

A play on words.

What is a Quatrain?

A verse with four lines.

What is Rhyme?

Patterns of sound; words can have full rhyme or half-rhyme.

What is a Rhyme scheme?

The pattern of rhyming sounds at the ends of lines in a poem.

What is a Simile?

A comparison of one thing with another, introduced by 'like' or 'as'.

Define a Sonnet.

A poem of fourteen lines with a regular rhyme scheme and iambic pentameter.

What is a Stanza?

Groups of lines in a poem.

What is Stream of consciousness?

An unstructured flow of ideas, resembling the way we dream.

What does Syllable refer to?

Units of sound in words; monosyllabic are one syllable and polysyllabic are multiple syllables.

What is a Symbol in literature?

Something used to represent something else.

What does Tone refer to?

The writer’s voice, such as serious, humorous, or sarcastic.