AP Lit Poetry Terms

Diction

The writer’s word choice.

Connotation

The imaginative associations we make with words.

Denotation

The dictionary definition of a word.

Etymology

The origin of a word and the historical development of its meaning.

Alliteration

Repetition of similar consonant sounds at the beginning of words in a line or lines of poetry or prose.

Assonance

Repetition of similar vowel sounds in a line or lines of poetry or prose.

Consonance

Repetition of similar consonant sounds at the ends of words in a line or lines of poetry or prose.

Onomatopoeia

The use of words that supposedly mimic their meaning in their sound (e.g., boom, click, pop).

Euphony

A smooth, pleasant sounding choice and arrangement of sounds.

Cacophony

A harsh, discordant, unpleasant-sounding choice and arrangement of sounds.

Imagery

Language that expresses sense experience (sight, sound, taste, touch, smell).

Olfactory Imagery

Smell imagery.

Tactile Imagery

Touch imagery.

Visual Imagery

Sight imagery.

Auditory Imagery

Sound imagery.

Gustatory Imagery

Taste imagery.

Organic Imagery

Internal imagery (e.g., fluttering in the stomach).

Synesthesia

When one sense is blended with another (e.g., the buzzing red dress).

Simile

Comparison of two dissimilar things using like, as, as if, seems, etc.

Metaphor

Comparison of two dissimilar things without using like, as, as if, seems, etc.

Extended Metaphor

A metaphor sustained or developed through a considerable number of lines or through a whole poem.

Personification

A figure of speech in which human attributes are given to an animal, object, or concept.

Metonymy

A person or thing is represented by something closely associated with it (e.g., 'the crown' = royalty).

Synecdoche

A part of a thing or person is used to represent the whole (e.g., 'wheels' = car).

Symbol

An object, person, situation, or action that represents an abstract idea.

Allegory

A narrative or description having a second meaning beneath the surface.

Allusion

A reference to a famous person, place, thing, or idea in literature or history.

Paradox

Two ideas that appear contradictory but create a kind of truth.

Oxymoron

Two words side-by-side that contradict but tell a truth (e.g., jumbo shrimp).

Apostrophe

A figure of speech in which someone absent or dead or something nonhuman is addressed as if it were alive and present.

Understatement

A figure of speech that consists of saying less than one means.

Hyperbole/Overstatement

A figure of speech in which exaggeration is used in service of the truth.

Irony

A situation, or a use of language, involving some kind of incongruity or discrepancy.

Verbal Irony

When what is said is the opposite of what is meant.

Iambic Pentameter

A meter in which the majority of feet are iambs and the lines contain five iambic feet total.

Blank Verse

Unrhymed iambic pentameter.

Free Verse

Non-metrical verse.

Iambic Foot

A metered foot in which there is a series of two syllables that follow the pattern unstressed stressed (ta TUM).

Scansion

The system used to count feet and accented & unaccented syllables in a line of verse.

Caesura

A pause near the middle of a poetic line.

True Rhyme/Rhyme

A word that has the same sound as another.

Slant Rhyme/Near-Rhyme/Imperfect Rhyme

A rhyme in which the ending consonant sounds are similar.

Internal Rhyme

Rhyme that occurs within the lines of the poem.

Eye Rhyme

Words that look alike but do not rhyme at all.

Rhyme Scheme

Any fixed pattern of rhymes in a poem.

Form

The external pattern or shape of a poem.

Sonnet

A specific poetic form, refer to the 'FORMS' sheet for details.

Ode

A poem written in praise of someone or something.

Homage

Special honor or respect shown publicly.

Ballad

A fairly short narrative poem written in songlike stanza form.

Elegy/Elegiac/Lament

A poem written for the dead or someone who has died.

Pastoral

A romanticization of rural life involving shepherds and farmers.

Terza Rima

Tercets that are interlinked by a specific rhyme scheme (aba, bcb, cdc).

Couplet

A two-line stanza that can rhyme, indicating a relationship between two things.

Tercet

A three-line stanza that implies instability or a relationship among three things.

Quatrain

A four-line stanza that implies stability.

Quintet

A five-line stanza.

Sestet

A six-line stanza.

Septet

A seven-line stanza.

Octave

An eight-line stanza.

Narrative Poem

A poem that contains a story or elements of a story.

Lyric Poem

A poem in which the poet’s feelings and thoughts are the main focus.

Point of View

The perspective from which a poem is written, usually identified as first, second, or third person.

Repetition

Repetition of diction, imagery, figurative language, or syntactical elements that enhances emotions.

Anaphora

Repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of lines of poetry.

Selection of Detail

Specific details used in description that help to develop character or enhance theme.

Syntax

Sentence structure.

Stanza

A grouping of lines into which poems are separated.

Line Break

The place at which the poet ends a line.

End-Stopped Line

A line that ends with a natural syntactical pause, usually marked by punctuation.

Enjambment/Enjamed Lines

The running-over of a sentence or phrase from one poetic line to the next without punctuation.

Tone

The writer’s attitude toward his/her subject.

Speaker

The narrator of the poem, which is not necessarily the author.