AP English Lit Poetry Terms

Rhyme Scheme

The pattern of rhymes at the end of each line in a poem, contributing to its structure and form.

Anapest (Anapestic)

A metrical foot consisting of three syllables, with the first two unstressed and the third stressed.

Dactyl (Dactylic)

A metrical foot consisting of three syllables, with the first stressed and the next two unstressed.

Iambic Pentameter

Poetic meter that has 5 metrical feet, each feet's first syllable is unstressed and then second stressed.

Alexandrine

A 12-syllable verse with 6 iambs and a caesura after the third iamb

Anadiplosis

Word at the end of one line is repeated at the beginning of the next line

Apostrophe

Directly addressing an absent person or quality

Assonance

Repetition of similar vowel sounds with different consonants

Conceit

Elaborate analogy showing parallel between dissimilar things

Consonance

Repetition of similar consonant sounds in stressed syllables

Ekphrasis

A poem that provides a vivid description of a scene or work of art

Elegy

(1) Formal lament on death, focusing on grief and reflection
(2) any lyric in a sorrowful mood that talks about death

Epistrophe

Repetition of a word or phrase at the end of clauses

Narrative Poem

Poem telling a story or narrative

Ode

Serious lyric poem without a prescribed pattern

Onomatopoeia

Word capturing the sound of what it describes

Refrain

Repeated phrase or sentence at intervals in a poem

Masculine rhyme

Rhyme falling on the stressed syllable

Rhyme Royal

Seven-line stanza of iambic pentameter rhymed ababbcc

Terza Rima

Three-line stanza rhymed aba, bcb, cdc, etc.

Sestina

Elaborate verse structure written in blank verse, six stanzas of six lines each followed by a three line stanza.
Final words in the first stanza is repeated in the middle and end of the three lines in the final stanza

Villanelle

Verse form that has 19 lines divided into 5 tercets and 1 quatrain. Some lines are repeated.

Ballad

Verse narrative meant to be sung, often with refrains and repetition

Limerick

Humorous verse form with anapestic lines and specific rhyme scheme

Tercet

Three-line stanza with lines ending in the same rhyme

Quintain

Five-line stanza of verse

Feminine Rhyme

Rhyme of two syllables, one stressed and one unstressed. Sometimes called double rhyme.

Meter

The repetition of a regular rhythmic unit in a line of poetry.

Lyric Poem

Any short poem that presents a single speaker who expresses thoughts and feelings.

Extended Metaphor

An implied analogy, or comparison, that is carried throughout a stanza or an entire poem.

End-Stopped

A line with a pause at the end, ends with a punctuation

Allusion

A brief, often implicit and indirect reference within a literary text to something outside the text

Monometer

One foot per line

Rhythm

Modulation of stressed and unstressed elements in the flow of speech, often expressed in meter.

Sonnet

Usually a 14 line iambic pentameter poem

Anaphora

A word or group of words is repeated at the beginning of clauses

Blank meter/verse

An un-rhyming verse written in iambic pentameter.

Poetry

A form of literary art which uses aesthetic and rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meanings.

Scansion

The analysis of a poem's meter, determining the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables.

Fixed Form (Closed Form)

Poems with prescribed structure, including specific rhyme schemes, meter, and line lengths.

Free Verse

Poetry without a regular meter, rhyme scheme and with varying line length

Open Form

Poetry that does not follow a regular pattern of rhyme, meter, and line length

Caesura

A short pause within a line of poetry, often signaled by punctuation

Enjambment

Running over from one line to the next without stoping

End Rhyme

Rhyme occurring at the end of lines, providing structure and musicality to the poem.

Internal Rhyme

Rhyme occurring within a single line of poetry, enhancing its musical and rhythmic quality.

Slant/Near Rhyme

A near rhyme or half rhyme, where the sounds are similar but not identical, adding complexity to the poem.

Eye Rhyme

Words that look like they should rhyme due to their spelling, but are pronounced differently.

Iamb (Iambic)

A metrical foot consisting of two syllables, with the first unstressed and the second stressed.

Trochee (Trochaic)

A metrical foot consisting of two syllables, with the first stressed and the second unstressed.

Spondee (Spondaic)

A metrical foot consisting of two stressed syllables

Pyrrhic (Pyrrhic)

A metrical foot consisting of two unstressed syllables

Dimeter

A line of verse consisting of two metrical feet

Trimeter

A line of verse consisting of three metrical feet

Tetrameter

A line of verse consisting of four metrical feet

Pentameter

A line of verse consisting of five metrical feet

Hexameter

A line of verse consisting of six metrical feet

Heptameter

A line of verse consisting of seven metrical feet

Octameter

A line of verse consisting of eight metrical feet

(Italian) Petrarchan Sonnet

A sonnet form consisting of an octave with the rhyme scheme abba abba, followed by a sestet.

Spenserian Sonnet

A sonnet form consisting of three quatrains with the rhyme scheme abab bcbc cdcd ee.

Shakespearian Sonnet

A sonnet form consisting of three quatrains and a final couplet, with the rhyme scheme abab cdcd efef gg.

Auditor

The person that the speaker is speaking to

Speaker

The person who is saying the poem

Quatrain

4 line stanza

Octave

8 line stanza

Sestet

6 line stanza

Couplet

2 line stanza

Alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant sounds

Stanza

A group of lines in a poem

Poetic Foot

Basic unit of poetic meter