Poetry Terms

Allusion

Brief reference to a person, event, or place, real or fictitious, or to a work of art. An allusion may be drawn from history, geography, literature, or religion.

Connotation

associated/added meanings; not part of the dictionary definition

Denotation

Dictionary meaning of a word

Hyperbole

Extreme exaggeration or overstatement for effect

Imagery

Concrete words that appeal to the senses: seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, touching

Connotation

Implied meaning of a word

Irony

Using language that normally signifies the opposite of what the writer intends to achieve a humorous effect or to add emphasis

Metaphor

An implied comparison between two UNLIKE things

Onomatopoeia

Word that imitates the sound things make

Personification

Giving inanimate objects human qualities

Simile

Comparison of two unlike things using like or as

Symbol

Person, place object that has meaning in itself but also stands for something else

Alliteration

Words grouped together that have the same beginning sound

Assonance

Repetition of internal vowel sounds, usually in stressed syllables

Consonance

Repetition of identical consonant soundsbefore and after different vowels

rhyme scheme

the pattern of end rhymes in a poem

internal rhyme

when two words rhyme in the same line of poetry

inversion

the reversal of the usual order of words in a sentence to create a special effect

repetition

repeating a word or phrase for special effect/emphasis

stanza

a division in poetry

inference

a reasonable conclusion drawn by the reader from hints provided by the author

rhythm

the beat that comes from the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry

mood

Feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader

tone

Attitude a writer takes toward the audience, a subject, or a character