honors english 1 poetry terms s1 final

alliteration

the repetition at close intervals of the initial sounds of words

anapestic

metrical pattern with two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable

approximate/slant rhyme

the term used for words in a rhyming pattern with some kind of sound correspondence (usually assonance or consonance) but are not perfect rhymes; also called imperfect rhyme, near rhyme, slant rhyme

assonance

the repetition at close intervals of vowel sounds

blank verse

unrhymed iambic pentameter

caesura

a natural speech pause occurring within a metered line. if the pause is indicated by punctuation, the caesura is also called a grammatical pause; if there is no punctuation, the caesura is also called a rhetorical pause

consonance

the repetition at close intervals of consonant sounds

couplet

two successive lines, usually in the same meter, linked by rhyme

dactylic

metrical pattern with one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables

dimeter

two metrical feet

enjambment

continuation from one line or stanza of a poem to the next so that closely related words fall on different lines. the effect of enjambment is usually either to call attention to specific words or to show the connected thought or flow between stanzas

free verse

unmetered poetry

iambic

metrical pattern with one unstressed syllable followed by a one stressed syllable

internal rhyme

a rhyme in which one or both of the rhyme words are within the line

metaphor

figure of speech directly comparing two unlike things by stating one is the other, without using "like" or "as"

metonymy

a figure of speech where a poet substitutes a word or phrase with another that is closely associated with it, creating a condensed, evocative image or idea

monometer

one metrical foot

onomatopoeia

the use of words that imitate the natural sounds they describe

pentameter

five metrical feet

personification

a literary device that gives human qualities, emotions, or actions to inanimate objects, animals, abstract ideas, or natural forces, making them seem alive and relatable

quatrain

(1) a four line stanza (2) a four-line division of a sonnet set off by its rhyme scheme

rhyme scheme

the deliberate pattern of rhymes at the end of each line, in a poem or stanza

sibilance

the repetition at close intervals of the “s” sound, suggestive of hissing

simile

a figure of speech that directly compares two different things, often unrelated, using connecting words like "like” or "as"

spondee

metrical unit consisting of two syllables equally or almost equally accented

stanza

(1) a poetic paragraph (2) a group of lines whose metrical pattern (and usually its rhyme scheme as well) is repeated throughout a poem

tetrameter

four metrical feet

trimeter

three metrical feet

trochaic

metrical pattern with one stressed syllable followed by one unstressed syllable

volta

the “turn” in a sonnet — a dramatic twist or shift in thought, often from question to answer or problem to solution. the volta typically occurs in the ninth line (i.e., beginning the third quatrain in an english sonnet or after the octave and beginning the sestet in an italian sonnet) but it can also occur elsewhere, such as the thirteenth line in an english sonnet, beginning the couplet