AP Poetry Terms
alliteration - repetition of identical or similar consonant sounds (usually at the beginnings of words)
allusion - reference to something/someone well-known outside the work
antithesis - figure of speech characterized by strongly contrasting words, ideas, clauses, etc. ex. Man proposes; God disposes
apostrophe - a figure of speech in which a speaker directly addresses an absent person, an abstract idea, or a thing
assonance - repetition of identical/similar vowel sounds ex. A land laid waste with its young men slain
ballad meter - four line stanza (abcd) with four feet in lines 1 & 3 and three feet in lines 2 & 4
blank verse - unrhymed iambic pentameter
cacophony - unpleasant combination of sounds
caesura - a pause that is greater than a normal pause (usually in the middle of a line)
conceit - fanciful expression that points to a striking parallel between two seemingly dissimilar things
consonance - repetition of similar consonant sounds in a group of words ex. “born” and “burn”
couplet - two line stanza, ends in the same rhyme
devices of sound - techniques of deploying the sound of words (rhyme, alliteration, onomatopoeia, etc.)
diction - use of words in a work
didactic poem - poem meant to teach a lesson
dramatic poem - poem that employs dramatic techniques to achieve poetic ends
elegy - formal poem about the authors thoughts of death or something solemn
end-stopped - line with a pause at the end
enjambment - continuation of the sense/structure of one line to the next
extended metaphor - comparison that carries throughout the entire stanza/poem
euphony - combination of words to sound pleasant
eye rhyme - rhyme looks correct but isn't when pronounced
feminine rhyme - two syllables - one stressed & one unstressed
figurative language - writing that uses figures of speech (metaphors, irony, etc.)
free verse - poetry not written in traditional meter but is still rhythmical
heroic couplet - two end-stopped iambic pentameter lines (aa, bb, cc) where the thought is completed within the two lines
hyperbole - a deliberate exaggeration for a serious or comic effect
imagery - the images, sensory details, or figurative language of a work
irony - contrast between actual meaning and the suggestion of another meaning
internal rhyme - rhyme that occurs within a line, rather than at the end
lyric poem - short poem with a single speaker who expresses thoughts and feelings
masculine rhyme - rhyme that falls on stressed and concluding syllables of the rhyme words
metaphor - comparison without the use of “like” or “as”
meter - repetition of a regular rhythmic unit in a line of poetry
metonymy - substitution of a term by naming an object closely associated with the word
mixed metaphors - combination of two incompatible metaphors which produces a ridiculous effect
narrative poem - non dramatic poem that tells a story
octave - eight line stanza
onomatopoeia - word whose sound is their meaning
oxymoron - pair of contrary terms into a single expression
paradox - situation/action/feeling that appears to be contradictory yet turns out to be true
parallelism - similar grammatical structure within a line or lines of poetry
paraphrase - restatement of an idea that retains the meaning while changing the diction/form
personification - give inanimate objects human characteristics
poetic foot - a group of syllables, one accented & one or two unaccented
puns - play on words that are similar in sounds but have different meanings
quatrain - four line stanza
refrain - group of words that is repeated in a poem (usually at the end of a stanza)
rhyme - close similarity of sound between accented syllables
rhyme royal - seven line stanza (ababbcc)
rhythm - recurrence of stressed and unstressed syllables
sarcasm - type of irony where it seems a person is praising something but is actually insulting it
satire - seeks to arouse disapproval of something by ridicule
scansion - system for describing the meter of a poem (the number of and types of feet per line)
sestet - six line stanza
simile - comparison using "like" or "as"
sonnet - fourteen line iambic pentameter poem
stanza - repeated grouping of three or more lines
(rhetorical) strategy - management of language for a specific effect
structure - arrangement of materials within a work
style - mode of expression in language
symbol - something that is simultaneously itself and a sign of something else
synecdoche - a form of metaphor; when it mentions a part, it signifies the whole
syntax - ordering of words into patterns or sentences
tercet - three line stanza (end in same rhyme)
terza rima - three line stanza rhymed aba
theme - main idea/thought
tone - how the author expresses their attitude
understatement - the opposite of hyperbole; deliberately represents something as being less than it really is
villanelle - nineteen line poem divided into 5 tercets & a final quatrain