Poetry terms

Alliteration

When consonants repeat at the start of a phrase or sentence.

Anaphora

When a phrase or word is repeated in multiple sentences to create rhythm or emotion

Allusion

An international reference to something outside the text, such as a person, historical event, or other literary work.

Assonance

the repetition of similar vowel sounds in nearby words

Ballad

a type of poem or song that tells a narrative story, often featuring rhythmic, musical quality, and simple repeating structures

Blank verse

a literary term referring to poetry that is written unrhymed, but with metered, rhythmic lines

Cadence

A rhythmic flow with the voice

Caesura

a pause or break in poetry where one phrase ends and another one begins. It is frequently marked by punctuation such as commas, semicolons, and more.

Consonance

the repetition of consonant sounds anywhere within a nearby word

couplet

a poem that always consists of two adjacent lines of poetry that rhyme, share the same rhythm, and usually forms a complete idea/though/feeling

Elegy

a poem that laments the mortality or grief of its subject. More traditional elegies may resolve in comfort or acceptance, while modern ones may refuse consolation

End Rhyme

when the last syllables of a poem or song end with the same ending or rhyme with each other

End-stopped lines

a natural pause at the end of a line, often marked with puncuation.

Enjambment

a poetic device where a sentence or clause continues from one line to the next without a pause or end punctuation

Line break

when an author purposefully ends the line of poetry and starts a new one — usually provides rhythm and suspension

Homonym

Words that share the same spelling and pronunciation but have completely different meaning

Meter

The rhythmical pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in verse.

Paradox

A situation which seems contradictory or impossible at first glance but eventually reveals a deeper meaning

Sibilance

the deliberate repetition of the soft hissing sound produced by s, sh, z

volta

a dramatic shift in thoughts, mood, tone, or argument in a poem

villanelle

a strict 19-line poetic form based on repetition and a two-sound rhyme scheme