KEY VOCABULARY Flashcards
What does alliteration mean?
Repetition of words beginning with the same letter
What does assonance mean?
Repetition of similar vowel sounds
What does blank verse mean?
Unrhymed verse written in iambic pentameter
What does iambic pentameter mean?
A line of verse, each consisting of one short (or unstressed) syllable followed by one long (or stressed) syllable E.G. Da dum Da dum
What does caesura mean?
A natural break, usually in the middle of a line
What does chiasmus mean?
Repetition of a phrase in the opposite order
What does couplet mean?
A pair of successive lines of verse, usually rhyming
What does enjambment mean?
Continuation of a line onto the next, without a pause
What does form mean?
This refers to the poem’s physical structure
What does free verse mean?
A poem which avoids any patterns of rhyme or rhythm
What does juxtaposition mean?
Two things placed together with contrasting effect
What does metaphor mean?
Describing an object in a way that isn’t literal
What does onomatopoeia mean?
The formation of a word from the associated sound
What does oxymoron mean?
Terms which are contradictory, appearing together
What does paradox mean?
A seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement
What does refrain mean?
Repetition of phrases or lines at regular intervals within and across stanzas
What does rhythm mean?
Strong, regular, repeated pattern of sound
What does sibilance mean?
Repetition of the letter ‘s’ to create a hissing sound
What does simile mean?
Comparing one thing with another using ‘like’ or ‘as’
What does sonnet mean?
A 14 line poem, typically with 10 syllables per line
What does stanza mean?
An alternative word for a verse in a poem
What does tone mean?
The viewpoint or attitude within a piece of writing
What does volta mean?
The turn of thought or argument in a poem
