Bedford Poetry Terms

diction

a writer's choice of words, phrases, sentence structures, and figurative language, which combine to help create meaning

jargon

*Language used by a special group; technical terminology; gibberish

denotation

the dictionary meaning of a word

connotation

associations and implications that go beyond the literal meaning of a word.

personsa

a mask; a speaker created by a writer to tell a story or to speak in a poem; not a character in a story of narrative.

ambiguity

allows for two or more simultaneous interpretations of a word, phrase, or action, or situation, all of which can be supported by the context of a word.

syntax

the ordering of words into meaningful verbal patterns such as conventional word order, to place certain emphasis on particular words

tone

the author's implicit attitude toward the reader or the people, places, and events in a work as revealed by the elements of the author's style.

allusion

a brief reference to a poem, place, thing, event, or idea in history of literature.

simile

a common figure of speech that makes an explicit comparison between two things by using words such as like, as, than, appears, and seems

metaphor

a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things, without using the words like or as.

implied metaphor

a more subtle comparison between two unlike things, without using the word like or as; the terms being compared are not so specifically explained

extended metaphor

a sustained comparison in which part or all of a poem consists of a series of related metaphors

synecdoche

a kind of metaphor in which a part of something is used to signify the whole; sometimes it refers to the whole being used to signify the part

metonymy

a type of metaphor in which something closely associated with a subject is substituted for it

hyperbole

a boldly exaggerated statement that adds emphasis without intending to be literally true; may be used for serious, comic, or ironic effect; an overstatement

understatement

the opposite of a hyberbole; refers to a figure of speech that says less than is intended; usually has an ironic effect, and sometimes may be used for comic purposes; a litote

paradox

a statement that initially appears to be contradictory but then, on closer inspection, turns out to make sense.

oxymoron

a condensed form of paradox in which two contradictory words are used together

allegory

a narration or description usually restricted to a single meaning because its events, actions, characters, settings, and objects represent specific abstractions or ideas.

onomatopoeia

a term, referring to the use of a word that resembles the sound it denotes; can also consist of more than one word.

alliteration

the repetition of the same consonant sounds in a sequence of words, usually at the beginning of a word or stressed syllable; based on the sounds of letters, rather than the spelling of words.

assonance

the repetition of internal vowel sounds in nearby words that do not end the same; is a strong means of emphasizing important words in a line.

euphony

refers to language that is smooth and musically pleasant to the ear

cacophony

language that is discordant and difficult to pronounce.

rhyme

the repetition of identical or similar concluding syllables in different words, most often at the end of lines.

internal rhyme

places at least one of the rhymed words within the line

consonance

a common type of near rhyme that consists of identical consonant sounds preceded by different vowel sounds

rhythm

a term used to refer to the recurrence of stressed and unstressed sounds in poetry; depending on how sounds are arranged, it may be fast or slow, choppy or smooth.

stress

the emphasis, or accent, given a syllable in pronunciation

meter

when a rhythmic pattern of stresses recur in a poem.

foot

the metrical unit by which a line of poetry is measured; usually consists of one stressed and one ore two unstressed syllables

line

a sequence of words printed as a separate entity on the page; usually measured by the number of feet they contain

iambic

one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable ("away")

blank verse

The English verse form closest to the natural rhythms of English speech and therefore is the most common pattern found in traditional English narrative and dramatic poetry from Shakespeare to the early twentieth century.

caesura

a pause within a line of poetry that contributes to the rhythm of the line.

form

the overall structure or shape of a work, which frequently follows an established design; may refer to a literary type (narrative, short story) or to patterns of meter, lines, and rhymes (stanza, verse)

free verse

open form poetry; refers to poems characterized by their nonconformity to established patterns of meter, rhyme, and stanza.

stanza

refers to groupings of lines, set off by a space, that usually has a set pattern of meter and rhyme

couplet

two consecutive lines of poetry that usually rhyme and have the same meter

tercet

a three-line stanza

quatrain

a four-line stanza; are the most common stanzaic form in the English language; they can have various meters and rhyme schemes

sestet

a stanza consisting of exactly six lines

sonnet

a fixed form of lyric poetry that consists of fourteen lines, usually written in iambic pentameter

octave

a poetic stanza of eight lines, usually forming one part of a sonnet

elegy

a mournful, contemplative lyric poem written to commemorate someone who is dead, often ending in a consolation.

ode

a relatively lengthy lyric poem that often expresses lofty emotions in a dignified style; are characterized by a serious topic.

Petrarchan (Italian) sonnet

A 14-line poem divided into an octave (ABBAABBA) and a sestet with varying rhyme schemes.

Shakespearean (English) sonnet

A 14-line poem with three quatrains and a final couplet, rhyme scheme ABABCDCDEFEFGG.

speaker

voice used by author in the poem

verse

a generic term used to describe poetic lines composed in a measured rhythmical pattern, that are often, but not necessarily, rhymed.

lyric

A type of brief poem that expresses the personnel emotions and thoughts of a single speaker.

narrative poem

A poem that tells a story

epic poem

a long narrative poem telling of a hero's deeds

carpe diem

seize the day