Poetic Terminology Flashcards
Alliteration
The first letter of a word is repeated in words that follow; the cold, crisp, clear ice. The alliteration of a hissing ‘s’ or ‘sh’ sound is called sibilance.
Anaphora
The repetition of the same words or phrases at the beginning of lines of poetry.
Assonance
The same vowel sound is repeated but the consonants are different; he passed her a sharp, dark glance, shot a cool, foolish look across the room.
Blank verse
Poetry written in iambic pentameter that doesn’t rhyme.
Iambic pentameter
A line that has ten syllables, with five groups of two syllables. Each pair has an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.
Caesura(e)
A pause in a line of poetry; maps too. The sun shines through.
Colloquial
Sounding like spoken speech, usually words with an informal meaning.
Consonance
The repetition of consonant sounds in nearby words; numb as a smashed arm.
Dialect
The version of language spoken by particular people in a particular area; Cantonese
Dialogue
Conversation between two people; sometimes an imagined conversation between the narrator and the reader. It can also be found in the conversational style of a poem.
Dramatic monologue
A form of poetry that uses the assumed voice of a single speaker who is not the poet to address an implied audience.
Emotive
Something that makes you feel a particular emotion.
End-stopping
Finishing a line of poetry with the end of a phrase or sentence.
Enjambment
When a sentence or phrase runs over from one line to the next WITHOUT USING A TERMINATING PUNCTUATION.
Euphemism
An indirect word or phrase used instead of something upsetting or offensive to conceal meaning.
Form
The type of poem, such as a sonnet, and its features, like number of lines, rhyme scheme etc.
Free verse
Poetry that doesn’t rhyme and has no regular rhythm or line length
Half-rhymes
Words that have a similar but not identical end sound; crisp and grasp
