Poetry & Poetic Devices Terms

alliteration - when words that have the same first consonant sound occur close together in a series

allusion - a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or

political significance

assonance - when two or more words that are close to one another repeat the same vowel sound but start with different consonant sounds

consonance - when the same consonant sound appears repeatedly in a line or sentence, creating a

rhythmic effect.

Alliteration is a type of consonance.

diction — the style of speaking or writing determined by the choice of words by a speaker or a writer

dissonance - a combination of sounds or musical notes that are not pleasant when heard together

ekphrastic poetry - a vivid description of a scene or, more commonly, a work of art

enjambment - continuing a line after the line breaks

figurative language - language that uses words or expressions with a meaning that is different from the literal Interpretation

form — attention to the way the poem appears on the page (capitalization, font, position, punctuation

marks)

hyperbole - a figure of speech that Involves an exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis

imagery - the use of figurative language to evoke a sensory experience or create a picture with words

for a reader

line break - occurs when a poet decides to stop a line and begin another

metaphor - a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two things that are unrelated but which

share some common characteristics

motif - repeated symbolic image or idea

onomatopoeia - a word that imitates the natural sound of a thing

personification - a figure of speech in which a thing — an idea or an animal — is given human attributes

rhyme - words whose endings match

simile - a figure of speech that makes a comparison that shows similarities between two different things

sound devices — literary devices that emphasize sound (alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeia)

syllable — a single unit of speech

symbolism - is the use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities, by giving them symbolic meanings that

are different from their literal sense