knowt logo

Poetry Terminology

Terms:
Allegory – an extended metaphor with a literal meaning as well as an underlying meaning


Alliteration – a repetition of that same consonant sound in several words in the same sentence.


Allusion – a reference to a familiar place, event or person in history, literature, mythology or the bible.

Apostrophe – a figure of speech in which the author addresses:
a) an inanimate object as if being alive
b) a dead person as if being alive
c) an absent person as if being alive


Assonance – the repetition of the same vowel sound in two or more closely related words

Consonance – the repetition of final consonant sounds


Cacophony – harsh, unpleasant sounds created by diction

Euphony – an effect created that is pleasing to the ear


Connotation – an added meaning that suggests something positive or negative

Denotation – the exact, literal, dictionary definition


Cliché – an overused expression that has lost its impact.


Dialect – the language used by people who live in a particular place or area. (actual different words or expressions used to refer to the same thing.)


Figurative Language – language using figures of speech (all the terms)


Figure of Speech – saying one thing and meaning another


Hyperbole – a bold overstatement or an extreme exaggeration of fact or possibility.

Idiom – a group of words whose meaning is different from the meaning of the individual words

Imagery – descriptive language that appeals to one or more of the five senses


Irony – literal device based on contrast. When the outcome is different from what was expected


Juxtaposition – placing words side by side to create an effect (either contrasting or comparing)


Metaphor – an implied comparison between two things. The comparison may say that one thing is another thing.

Metre – the measured arrangement of words in poetry (syllables)


Metonymy – one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely related

Mood – the emotional feeling of the reader produced from the atmosphere and tome of the text

Onomatopoeia – words that imitate the sound they represent

Oxymoron – a combination of contradicting words

Paradox – a statement that seems to contradict itself but may be true


Personification – when non- human things or inanimate objects act as if it has life or human
characteristics.

Poetry – anything that is not prose


Prose – the ordinary form of spoken and written language


Pun –a play on words


Rhyme – the repetition of sound in different words


Rhyme Scheme – is determined by finding syllable that rhyme at the end of lines of poetry. (Any line that ends with the same rhyme should be labelled with the same letter.)


Rhythm – the arrangement of beats in a line of poetry


Satire – ridicule with the hope of bringing about change


Simile – a comparison between two things using “like” or “as”

Stanza – the groups of lines in poetry (the paragraphs of poetry)


Symbolism – something that stands for, or has meaning beyond, its literal meaning

Synecdoche – naming a part of something to mean the whole

Theme – the perception or idea about life or human nature that the writer shares with the reader; not the same thing as a one-word topic or cliché.

Tone – the speaker’s attitude towards their subject


Verse – the group of ideas in poetry (the sentences of poetry)


Types of Poetry:


Blank Verse - poems that have no regular rhyme scheme but have a rhythm


Didactic Poetry – poetry that offers explicit advice or moral lessons


Descriptive Poetry – poetry that offers descriptions that appeal directly to our senses. Paints a mental picture.


Free Verse – poems that have neither rhyme nor rhythm


Haiku – a Japanese poem of three lines (5 / 7 / 5) celebrating the beauty of nature


Lyric Poetry – primary purpose is to express emotion. Most poems are lyric in verse, with deeply
personal; subjective meanings, sometimes presented with music


Light Verse – intention is to be humours, clever, and sometimes rude. Often offers perceptive
observations about human foibles and follies, but always in a playful tone. Uses a lot of pun.


Narrative Poetry– any poem that tells a story concerned with contexts (time, place, and situation), and conflict. Often maintains a tight focus on the thoughts and feelings of the protagonist, while only suggesting the details of the story.


Reflective Poetry – poems that search for deep truths and pose the essential questions of existence. Poets contemplate life and what it means to be human. Reflect on matters of identity and purpose.


Satirical Poetry – humours poetry used for the serious purpose of effecting positive change in people or society.

Sonnet – two categories: the Italian (Petrarch) and the English (Shakespearean). A formal type of poetry, strict in metre, structure, and rhyme, often dealing with powerful emotions. 14 lines, 10
syllables per line and a formal rhyme scheme. Sometimes ending in a rhyming couplet.

Numbered Rhyme Schemes:
- 2 lines = Couplet
- 3 lines = Tercet
- 4 lines = Quatrain
- 5 lines = Cinquain
- 6 lines = Sestet
- 7 lines = Septet
- 8 lines = Octave

A

Poetry Terminology

Terms:
Allegory – an extended metaphor with a literal meaning as well as an underlying meaning


Alliteration – a repetition of that same consonant sound in several words in the same sentence.


Allusion – a reference to a familiar place, event or person in history, literature, mythology or the bible.

Apostrophe – a figure of speech in which the author addresses:
a) an inanimate object as if being alive
b) a dead person as if being alive
c) an absent person as if being alive


Assonance – the repetition of the same vowel sound in two or more closely related words

Consonance – the repetition of final consonant sounds


Cacophony – harsh, unpleasant sounds created by diction

Euphony – an effect created that is pleasing to the ear


Connotation – an added meaning that suggests something positive or negative

Denotation – the exact, literal, dictionary definition


Cliché – an overused expression that has lost its impact.


Dialect – the language used by people who live in a particular place or area. (actual different words or expressions used to refer to the same thing.)


Figurative Language – language using figures of speech (all the terms)


Figure of Speech – saying one thing and meaning another


Hyperbole – a bold overstatement or an extreme exaggeration of fact or possibility.

Idiom – a group of words whose meaning is different from the meaning of the individual words

Imagery – descriptive language that appeals to one or more of the five senses


Irony – literal device based on contrast. When the outcome is different from what was expected


Juxtaposition – placing words side by side to create an effect (either contrasting or comparing)


Metaphor – an implied comparison between two things. The comparison may say that one thing is another thing.

Metre – the measured arrangement of words in poetry (syllables)


Metonymy – one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely related

Mood – the emotional feeling of the reader produced from the atmosphere and tome of the text

Onomatopoeia – words that imitate the sound they represent

Oxymoron – a combination of contradicting words

Paradox – a statement that seems to contradict itself but may be true


Personification – when non- human things or inanimate objects act as if it has life or human
characteristics.

Poetry – anything that is not prose


Prose – the ordinary form of spoken and written language


Pun –a play on words


Rhyme – the repetition of sound in different words


Rhyme Scheme – is determined by finding syllable that rhyme at the end of lines of poetry. (Any line that ends with the same rhyme should be labelled with the same letter.)


Rhythm – the arrangement of beats in a line of poetry


Satire – ridicule with the hope of bringing about change


Simile – a comparison between two things using “like” or “as”

Stanza – the groups of lines in poetry (the paragraphs of poetry)


Symbolism – something that stands for, or has meaning beyond, its literal meaning

Synecdoche – naming a part of something to mean the whole

Theme – the perception or idea about life or human nature that the writer shares with the reader; not the same thing as a one-word topic or cliché.

Tone – the speaker’s attitude towards their subject


Verse – the group of ideas in poetry (the sentences of poetry)


Types of Poetry:


Blank Verse - poems that have no regular rhyme scheme but have a rhythm


Didactic Poetry – poetry that offers explicit advice or moral lessons


Descriptive Poetry – poetry that offers descriptions that appeal directly to our senses. Paints a mental picture.


Free Verse – poems that have neither rhyme nor rhythm


Haiku – a Japanese poem of three lines (5 / 7 / 5) celebrating the beauty of nature


Lyric Poetry – primary purpose is to express emotion. Most poems are lyric in verse, with deeply
personal; subjective meanings, sometimes presented with music


Light Verse – intention is to be humours, clever, and sometimes rude. Often offers perceptive
observations about human foibles and follies, but always in a playful tone. Uses a lot of pun.


Narrative Poetry– any poem that tells a story concerned with contexts (time, place, and situation), and conflict. Often maintains a tight focus on the thoughts and feelings of the protagonist, while only suggesting the details of the story.


Reflective Poetry – poems that search for deep truths and pose the essential questions of existence. Poets contemplate life and what it means to be human. Reflect on matters of identity and purpose.


Satirical Poetry – humours poetry used for the serious purpose of effecting positive change in people or society.

Sonnet – two categories: the Italian (Petrarch) and the English (Shakespearean). A formal type of poetry, strict in metre, structure, and rhyme, often dealing with powerful emotions. 14 lines, 10
syllables per line and a formal rhyme scheme. Sometimes ending in a rhyming couplet.

Numbered Rhyme Schemes:
- 2 lines = Couplet
- 3 lines = Tercet
- 4 lines = Quatrain
- 5 lines = Cinquain
- 6 lines = Sestet
- 7 lines = Septet
- 8 lines = Octave