Poetic Techniques

Question 1

Alliteration

Answer 1

The repetition at close intervals of consonant sounds for a purpose.
For example: wailing in the winter wind.

Question 2

Anthropomorphism

Answer 2

The attribution of human characteristics, emotions, and behaviours to animals or other non-human things.

Question 3

Assonance

Answer 3

The repetition at close intervals of vowel sounds for a purpose.
For example: mad as a hatter.

Question 4

Ballad

Answer 4

A narrative poem that was originally meant to be sung. Ballads are generally about ordinary people who have unusual adventures, with a single tragic incident as the central focus. They contain dialogue and repetition, and imply more than they actually tell.

Question 5

Consonance

Answer 5

The close repetition of identical consonant sounds before and after differing vowel sounds.

Question 6

Emotive language

Answer 6

The use of descriptive words, often adjectives, that can show the reader how an author or character feels about something, evoke an emotional response from the reader, and persuade the reader of something.

Question 7

Enjambment

Answer 7

The carrying of sense and grammatical structure in a poem beyond the end of one line, COUPLET, or STANZA and into the next.

Question 8

Hyperbole

Answer 8

An exaggeration for emphasis or humorous effect.

Question 9

Metaphor

Answer 9

A figure of speech in which a comparison or analogy is made between two seemingly unlike things, as in the phrase “evening of life.”

Question 10

Monologue

Answer 10

An extended speech by one person in literature and drama.

Question 11

Mood

Answer 11

The feeling, or atmosphere, that a writer creates for the reader. Connotative words, sensory images, and figurative language contribute to the mood of a selection, as do the sound and rhythm of the language.

Question 12

Onomatopoeia

Answer 12

The formation or use of words. Such as: buzz, or cuckoo, whose meaning is suggested by the sound of the word itself. (boom, click, plop)

Question 13

Oxymoron

Answer 13

A figure of speech in which two contradictory words or phrases are combined in a single expression; “wise fool,” “cruel kindness.”

Question 14

Pathetic Fallacy

Answer 14

A type of personification where emotions are given to a setting, an object or the weather.

Question 15

Personification

Answer 15

A figure of speech in which human qualities or characteristics are given to an animal, object, or concept.

Question 16

Rhythm

Answer 16

The arrangement of words to form a regular beat through a pattern of stresses.

Question 17

Rhyme

Answer 17

The pattern of end rhyme in a poem.

Question 18

Sibilance

Answer 18

When a hissing sound is created within a group of words through the repetition of “s” sound.

Question 19

Similie

Answer 19

A figure of speech in which two seemingly unlike things are compared. The comparison is made explicit by the use of a word or phrase such as: like, as, than, similar to, resembles, or seems.
For example: He was strong as a bull.

Question 20

Sonnet

Answer 20

A one-stanza, 14-line poem usually on the topic of love.

Question 21

Soliloquy

Answer 21

A dramatic convention in which a character in a play, alone on stage, speaks his or her thoughts aloud. The audience is provided with information about the characters’ motives, plans, and state of mind.

Question 22

Stanza

Answer 22

A group of lines forming a unit in a poem (a clearly demarcated part of a poem).

Question 23

Symbolism

Answer 23

A person, object, idea or action that stands for something else. It is usually something literal that stands for something figurative.
For example: Roads can stand for choices.

Question 24

Tone

Answer 24

The writer’s or speaker’s attitude toward a subject.

Question 25

Zoomorphism

Answer 25

When animal characteristics are assigned to humans.