Honors English 10: Final Exam Vocab Review

Alliteration

The repetition of the same initial consonant sounds in a series of words.

Allusion

A reference to a well-known person, place, event, or work of art or literature.

Antithesis

A contrast or opposition between two things, often placed in parallel structure.

Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words.

Blank verse

Unrhymed poetry written in iambic pentameter.

Consonance

The repetition of consonant sounds, typically within or at the end of words.

Couplet

Two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme and often share the same meter.

Diction

The choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing.

Dramatic poem

A poem that tells a story or portrays characters, often intended to be performed.

End rhyme

Rhyme that occurs at the end of two or more lines of poetry.

End stop

A line of poetry that ends with a punctuation mark, indicating a pause.

Eye rhyme

Words that look like they should rhyme but are pronounced differently (e.g., “love” and “move”).

Free verse

Poetry that does not follow a consistent meter or rhyme scheme.

Heroic couplet

Two rhyming lines written in iambic pentameter, often used in epic poetry.

Hyperbole

Exaggeration used for emphasis or effect.

Imagery

Vivid and descriptive language that appeals to the senses.

Internal rhyme

Rhyme that occurs within a single line of poetry.

Irony

A contrast between expectation and reality, often with a humorous or poignant effect.

Lyric poem

A short poem that expresses personal emotions or thoughts, often with musical qualities.

Metaphor

A figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things without using “like” or “as.”

Narrative poem

A poem that tells a story, often with characters and a plot.

Onomatopoeia

A word that imitates the natural sound associated with it (e.g., “buzz” or “crash”).

Oxymoron

A combination of contradictory or opposing words (e.g., “jumbo shrimp”).

Parallelism

The repetition of similar grammatical structures in phrases or sentences.

Personification

Giving human characteristics to non-human things or ideas.

Quatrain

A stanza or poem consisting of four lines.

Refrain

A repeated line or group of lines in a poem or song.

Rhyme

The repetition of similar sounds, usually at the end of lines.

Simile

A comparison between two unlike things using “like” or “as.”

Slant rhyme

A partial or imperfect rhyme, where the sounds are similar but not identical.

Stanza

A grouped set of lines in a poem, often separated by a space.

Symbol

An object or action that represents something beyond its literal meaning.

Syntax

The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences.

Theme

The central idea or message in a poem.

Tone

The attitude or mood conveyed by the poem’s language and style.

True rhyme

A perfect rhyme where the sounds are identical from the last stressed vowel onward.

Understatement

A figure of speech that deliberately downplays something to create emphasis.