Literary Terms Quiz #3 Definitions

Sonnet

A sonnet is a fourteen-line poem with a fixed rhyme scheme. Often, sonnets use iambic pentameter: five sets of unstressed syllables followed by stressed syllables for a ten-syllable line.

Stanza

A stanza is a dividing and organizing technique that groups lines in a poem together, separated from other groups of lines by line spacing or indentation.

Couplet

A couplet is a couple of lines, and a stanza is made of two lines. Often, couplets are used to mimic togetherness and are found in love poems, though they can be used for all manner of subjects.

Quatrain

A quatrain is a stanza of four lines. Quatrains are very common in poetry. Here is an example of a quatrain from Pablo Neruda’s poem “One Hundred Love Sonnets: XVII”

Enjambment

Enjambment is continuing a line after the line breaks. Many poems end lines with natural pauses at the end of phrases or with punctuation, such as end-stopped lines.

Volta

A rhetorical shift or turn in a poem, often marking a change in thought, argument, or perspective.

Free verse

“The rain falls softly on the window pane. / A gentle symphony of nature's song. / The world outside is a canvas of grey, / but inside, a warmth embraces me."