poetic devices Flashcards
simile
a comparison using like or as
metaphor
a figurative comparison that’s not literal
alliteration
repetition of two or more consonant sounds at the start of words in quick succession
onomatopoeia
a word here the sound is also the meaning etc crash
personification
applying human aspects to an inanimate object
connotation
an idea or feeling which a word invokes for a person in addition. to its literal or primary meaning
symbol
something that represents or stands for something else etc a dove symbolises peace
assonance
resemblance of sound between syllables of nearby words, arising particularly from the rhyming of two or more stressed vowels etc swEEping gEEse
fricative alliteration
sounds that create friction of breath (the letters f&v)
plosive alliteration
alliteration where the initial consonant sound is plosive (the letters p,t,k,b,d,g)
sibilance
a pattern of repeated soft sounds for affect (etc soft sea shells on the sea shore)
motif
a recurring idea or image
semantic field
a set of words grouped together that refer to a specific subject
repetition
the use of a repeating word, phrase, line or idea throughout a poem
enjambment
continuation of a sentence without a pause at the end of a line/stanza
juxtaposition
two things being seen or placed close together with a contrasting effect
caesura
a break between words usually in the middle of a line
anaphora
the whole, or part of, the opening line of the stanza and is repeated
refrain
a phrase, line, or group of lines repeated at intervals throughout a poem, generally at the end of the stanza
end-stopped line
a line that ends with a punctuation mark and whose meaning is complete
tone
the voice/attitude of the writer conveyed through the words/viewpoint
rhyme
the correspondence sounds of words
stanza
a section of a poem, also known as a verse
couplet
a paid of lines of a similar length that rhyme
rhythm
a strong repeated pattern of sound
pace
the speed of the poem
poetic speaker
the ‘i’ of a poem, equivalent to the ‘narrator’ of a prose text
dramatic monologue
a poem in the form of a speech or narrative by an imagined person, in which the speaker inadvertently reveals aspects of their character while describing a particular situation or series of events
lambic pentameter
a line of verse with five metrical feet, each consisting of one short (or unstressed) syllable followed by one long (or stressed syllable) etc two households, both alike in dignity
dactylic dimeter
a dactylic foot (known as a dactyl) has a king syllable followed by two short syllables etc half a league, half a league
free verse
poetry in which the rhythm and rhyme does not repeat regularly
sonnet
a poem of fourteen lines using any of a number of formal rhyme schemes, typically having ten syllables per line
