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English L&L > Poetic Devices > Flashcards

Poetic Devices Flashcards

1
Q

What is Anaphora?

A

The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.

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2
Q

What is Assonance?

A

Resemblance of sound between syllables of nearby words, particularly from the rhyming of two or more stressed vowels.

alliteration for vowels

Examples: killed, cold, culled.

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3
Q

What is Alliteration?

A

When consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words are repeated.

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4
Q

What is Allusion?

A

An intentional reference to a historical, mythic, or literary person, place, event, literary work, or movement.

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5
Q

What is Antithesis?

A

A device that presents two contrasting ideas in a sentence (but not in the same phrase).

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6
Q

What is Apostrophe?

A

refers to an address to a person or thing that is not present

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7
Q

What is Caesura?

A

A pause or break in a line of poetry, usually marked by punctuation such as a period, comma, ellipsis, or dash.

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8
Q

What is Consonance?

A

The repetition of consonant sounds anywhere within words, not just at the beginning.

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9
Q

What is a Couplet?

A

A pair of successive lines of verse, typically rhyming and of the same length.

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10
Q

What is Direct Address?

A

When the poet uses their own voice to speak directly to the reader in the first or second person.

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11
Q

What is a Dramatic Monologue?

A

A poem written in the form of a speech of an individual character.

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12
Q

What is End-stop?

A

When punctuation occurs at the end of a line/verse, allowing the reader to pause before moving on.

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13
Q

What is Enjambment?

A

When a line of poetry runs into the next line; the opposite of end-stop.

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14
Q

What is Euphemism?

A

A mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered too harsh or blunt.

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15
Q

What is Hyperbole?

A

Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

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16
Q

What is Iambic Pentameter?

A

A line of verse with five metrical feet (a group of syllables that creates a specific rhythm pattern, with each foot consisting of two or more syllables), each consisting of one short (unstressed) syllable followed by one long (stressed) syllable.

da-DUM
da-DUM
da-DUM
da-DUM

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Shall I com-PARE thee TO a SUM-mer’s DAY?

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17
Q

What is Imagery?

A

Concrete descriptive language that engages the five senses and keeps the poem from becoming too vague.

(Sensory imagery: Olfactory, Tactile, Visual, Gustatory, Auditory)

18
Q

What is Irony?

A

Occurs when events or words are the opposite of what is expected, creating surprise, humor, or deeper meaning.

19
Q

What is Litotes?

A

use of double negatives to create a positive

20
Q

What is Juxtaposition?

A

The technique of placing two contrasting or opposing ideas, images, or elements close together within a poem.

21
Q

What is Metaphor?

A

Figurative language that makes a direct comparison between one thing or person to another.

Without ‘like’ or ‘as’

22
Q

What is Meter?

A

Describes the rhythm (or pattern of beats) in a line of poetry.

23
Q

What is Metonymy?

(pronounced meh-TAH-nuh-mee)

A

A figure of speech in which one word is substituted for another word that it is closely associated with.

24
Q

What is Onomatopoeia?

A

The formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named.

Examples: cuckoo, sizzle, bang.

25
Q

What is Oxymoron?

A

two contradictory words placed together for contrast

26
Q

What is Paradox?

A

A statement or situation that seems absurd or contradictory yet may reveal an underlying truth when examined closely.

27
Q

What is Personification?

A

The attribution of human characteristics to something non-human.

28
Q

What is a Pun?

A

A humorous use of a word or phrase that has several meanings or sounds like another word.

humorous wordplay

29
Q

What is a Refrain?

A

A line, group of lines, or phrase that repeats throughout a poem.

30
Q

What is Repetition?

A

Repeating something that has already been said or written.

31
Q

What is Rhyme?

A

A repetition of similar sounds in two or more words.

32
Q

What is Rhythm?

A

The beat and pace of a poem.

33
Q

What are Sensory Details?

A

Use of description that focuses on one or more of the five senses to make writing more evocative.

34
Q

What is Sibilance?

A

The repetition of ‘s’ sounds in a series of neighboring words.

35
Q

What is Simile?

A

A figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another of a different kind.

36
Q

What is a Sonnet?

A

A type of poem that has 14 lines and follows a specific rhyme scheme and meter, usually iambic pentameter.

Sonnets often explore themes like love, nature, time, or beauty.

37
Q

What are Stanzas?

A

A grouped set of lines, typically separated by a blank space from other groups of lines.

38
Q

What are Symbols?

A

Objects, actions, or ideas that represent something deeper than their literal meaning.

39
Q

What is Synecdoche?

A

A figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent the whole, or the whole is used to represent a part.

40
Q

What is Verse?

A

Refers to a single line or any poetic writing.

41
Q

What is Repetition?

A

Repeating something that has already been said or written.

English L&L (1 decks)

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