Poetic Terms Flashcards

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1
Q

Allegory

A

Story, poem or picture that can be interpreted to have a hidden meaning, usually moral or political

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2
Q

Aesthetic

A

Descriptive, figurative language. How things look

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3
Q

Alliteration

A

Repetition of the same consonant in any part of adjacent words

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4
Q

Assonance

A

Repetition of similar vowel sounds

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5
Q

Blank verse

A

Unrhymed iambic pentameter.

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6
Q

Couplet

A

Two lines, one after the other, usually rhyming and the same length. Often used to moralise and summarise

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7
Q

Colloquial language

A

Used in informal conversation

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8
Q

Dialect

A

Way a certain group of people speak

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9
Q

Diction

A

Type of words used in a poem

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10
Q

Emotive language

A

Used to show emotional reaction to a poem’s subject. Also the emotional response in the reader

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11
Q

Enjambment

A

The continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet or stanza

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12
Q

Figurative language

A

Use of language such as metaphors, similes and allusions to give insight

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13
Q

Iambic pentameter

A

In a line, words are parcelled into a ‘foot’, which is the repetition of a basic unit. The Iamb is one of the feet

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14
Q

Image

A

Picture in the mid formed by words

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15
Q

Idiom

A

Word or phrase not taken literally e.g. ‘over the moon’

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16
Q

Irony

A

The words say one thing, but may also be read to mean the very opposite

17
Q

Lyric

A

A poem with a single speaker who shares their feelings with the reader

18
Q

Metaphor

A

A word or phrase that shows a likeness between two things not usually considered similar. It is a comparison that doesn’t use like or as. It enhances our understanding of a person, place or emotion etc

19
Q

Mood

A

Atmosphere created in the poem itself

20
Q

Onomatopoeia

A

Words that sound like their meaning. Poem appeals to our senses.

21
Q

Persona

A

Speaker or voice of the poem

22
Q

Personification

A

Giving something inhuman human qualities

23
Q

Repetition

A

Reuse of words or phrases for an effect

24
Q

Rhyme

A

Words with the same end sound

25
Q

Rhythm

A

Regular pattern of accented syllables

26
Q

Refrain

A

Like a chorus or repetition. To emphasise a mood or feeling

27
Q

Sibilance

A

Repetition of ‘s’. Calming effect. Slows

28
Q

Simile

A

Comparison using like or as

29
Q

Syllables

A

Units of sound

30
Q

Symbol

A

A type of image where the word also stands for something other than itself

31
Q

Theme

A

Central idea. Usually shows a poet’s attitude towards a subject, place or person

32
Q

Tone

A

Attitude of the speaker towards the subject of the poem