Poetry Elements & Forms: Literary Devices, Structure, and Rhyme Patterns

Stanza

A 'paragraph' of a poem; a group of lines separated by extra white space from other groups of lines.

Quatrain

A four-line section of a poem.

Couplet

Two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme.

Rhyming Couplets

Pairs of rhyming lines, usually of the same meter and length.

Refrain

A line or lines repeated at regular intervals, most often at the end of a stanza (similar to a chorus in music).

Enjambment

When one line in a poem runs onto the next line without any punctuation at the end of the first line.

Caesura

A pause in a line of poetry which may or may not be punctuated.

Syntax

The actual way in which words and sentences are placed together in writing.

Lyric

A short poem with one speaker (not necessarily the poet) who expresses personal thoughts and feelings.

Free Verse

Poetry defined by its lack of structure; it has no regular meter, rhyme scheme, fixed line length, or specific stanza pattern.

Narrative

Tells a story in verse. Narrative poems have elements similar to those in short stories, such as a plot and characters.

Dramatic Monologue

A narrative poem in which a single speaker is saying something to a silent audience.

Ballads

Song-like poems that tell stories. They often deal with adventure or romance.

Concrete Poetry

Poems that are shaped to look like their subjects.

Haiku

A Japanese form of poetry usually reflecting on nature and feelings.

Limerick

Humorous, rhyming five-line poems with a specific rhythm and rhyme scheme.

Elegy

A lyric poem that expresses sadness over a death or the passing of time.

Ode

A lyric poem that praises an important person, place, or thing.

Sonnet

A fourteen-line poem written in iambic pentameter.

Rhythm

The flow of sound in poetry created by a repeating accent or stress in lines of verse.

Meter

The measured pattern of rhythmic accents in poems.

Foot

Units composed of stressed and unstressed syllables.

Rhyme

Matching of final vowel or consonant sounds in two or more words.

Rhyme Scheme

A description of the rhyme 'plan' of a poem, mapped out using letters.

Assonance

The repetition of internal vowel sounds.

Consonance

The repetition of consonant sounds, but not vowels.

Alliteration

The repetition of beginning consonant sounds.

Onomatopoeia

The use of words that imitate the sounds they describe.

Figurative Language

Language that should not be taken literally or in its exact meaning.

Simile

A figure of speech involving a comparison between unlike things using words such as like, as, or as though.

Metaphor

A direct comparison of two otherwise unlike things without the use of 'like' or 'as.'

Personification

Giving human qualities to something that is not human.

Hyperbole

An extreme exaggeration used for effect.

Allusion

A brief or implicit reference to something outside the text.

Oxymoron

A combination of contradicting or incompatible words.

Juxtaposition

Two things being seen or placed close together with a contrasting effect.

Diction

The author's choice of words in a literary work.

Denotation

The translated, literal, or 'dictionary' meaning of a word or phrase.

Connotation

The associated, implied, or suggested meaning/feeling attached to a word or phrase.

Theme

The general or universal idea explored by a writer.

Tone

The implied attitude, feeling, atmosphere, or stance of a writer toward the subject.

Mood

The feeling a poem arouses in the reader.

Imagery

Uses sense images to make the meaning more vivid and to evoke emotions in the reader.

Situational Irony

The opposite of what is meant or what is expected happens.

Verbal Irony

Occurs when a character says something which is the exact opposite of what he or she actually feels.

Dramatic Irony

Occurs when a character on stage speaks lines which have another meaning to the audience.