Poetic Terms and Figures of Speech

Question 1

Alliteration

Answer 1

The repetition of constant sounds at the beginning of words (e.g. ‘some sweet sounds’).

Question 2

Allusion

Answer 2

A reference to a familiar literary or historical person or event ,used to make an idea more easily understood.

Question 3

Apostrophe

Answer 3

A statement or question addressed to an inanimate object, a concept or a non-existent /absent person.

Question 4

Assonance

Answer 4

The refitting of similar vowel sounds in a line of poetry (e.g. ‘fleet feet sweep by sleeping geese’).

Question 5

Ballad

Answer 5

A short poem with a repeated refrain, that tells a simple story, and which was originally intended to be sung .

Question 6

Blank verse

Answer 6

A line of poetry or prose in unrhymed iambic pentameter.

Question 7

Caesura

Answer 7

An extended or dramatic pause within a line of verse.

Question 8

Connotations

Answer 8

The range of associations that a word or phrase suggests ,in addition to the straightforward dictionary meaning;for example, the word ‘discipline ‘ means order and control ,but also has connotations of suffering and pain.

Question 9

Convention

Answer 9

A customary or typical feature of a specific type of literary work (e.g. all sonnets contain 14 lines).

Question 10

Couplet

Answer 10

A pair of rhymed lines ,often appearing at the end of a poem or stanza.

Question 11

Diction

Answer 11

The selection and arrangement of words in a poem.

Question 12

Elegy

Answer 12

A lyric poem written to grieve yet celebrate the life of a person who has died.

Question 13

Epigraph

Answer 13

A short phrase or quotation at the beginning of a literary work that serves to introduce the theme or subject of that work .

Question 14

Foot

Answer 14

A unit used to measure the meter of a poem, one foot is made up of 2 -3 syllables.

Question 15

Free verse

Answer 15

Poetry without a regular pattern of meter of rhyme.

Question 16

Hyperbola

Answer 16

A figure of speech in which something is deliberately exaggerated.

Question 17

Iamb

Answer 17

A foot containing an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.

Question 18

Image /imagery

Answer 18

The verbal representation of a sense impression,a feeling , or idea.

Question 19

Internal rhyme

Answer 19

2 or more words rhyme within a single line of verse.

Question 20

Irony

Answer 20

When the intended meaning of a statement or comparison is the exact opposite of what is said.

Question 21

Juxtaposition

Answer 21

The placement of 2 things (often abstract concepts) near each other in order to create a contrast.

Question 22

Lyric

Answer 22

A poem expressing the subjective feelings or emotions of the poet.

Question 23

Metaphor

Answer 23

A comparison between essentially unlike objects or ideas without an explicitly comparative word such as ‘like’ or ‘as’.

Question 24

Meter

Answer 24

The repetition of sound patterns to create a rhythm.

Question 25

Metonymy

Answer 25

The name of one thing is replaced by the name of something closely associated with it, (e.g. the place ‘Holywood’ is regularly used to refer to the American film industry.

Question 26

Octave

Answer 26

A stanza or section of a poem that is 8 lines in length and is often used in the sonnet form.

Question 27

Ode

Answer 27

An extended lyric poem that is characterised by exalted emotion and a dignified style and that is usually concerned with a single , serious theme, praising or glorifying an event or individual.

Question 28

Onomatopoeia

Answer 28

A word that imitates the sound it describes (e.g. ‘buzz’,’meow’ ).

Question 29

Oxymoron

Answer 29

A descriptive phrase that combines 2 contradictory terms (e.g. ‘Oh loving hate!’) from Romeo and Juliet.

Question 30

Paradox

Answer 30

A statement that appears illogical or contradictory at first, but which may actually point to an underlying truth.

Question 31

Parody

Answer 31

A humorous , mocking imitation of another literary work, often intended to be playful and respectful of the original work , but can sometimes be sarcastic or critical.

Question 32

Pastoral

Answer 32

Derived from the word ‘ pastor’ , which means shepherd; a pastoral poem is concerned with a rural or nature-based theme.

Question 33

Personification

Answer 33

Giving an inanimate object or concept the qualities of a living thing.

Question 34

Pun

Answer 34

A play on words that have similar sounds , but different meanings.

Question 35

Quatrain

Answer 35

A 4-lined stanza

Question 36

Rhythm (meter)

Answer 36

The recurrent pattern of accents or natural stresses in lines of verse.

Question 37

Satire

Answer 37

A work that criticises or ridicules human vices, misconduct or follies.

Question 38

Satire

Answer 38

A work that criticises or ridicules human vices, misconduct or follies.

Question 39

Setstet

Answer 39

A stanza or section of a poem that is 6 lines in length , often used in the sonnet form.

Question 40

Simile

Answer 40

A comparison between 2 unlike things using comparitive words , such as ‘ like’ ,’as’ or ‘as though’.

Question 41

Sonnet

Answer 41

A 14- line poem , usually written in iambic pentameter.

Question 42

Subject

Answer 42

What the poem is about ; the person, event or theme that forms the focus of the poem.

Question 43

Symbol

Answer 43

An object that means or represents something beyond itself.

Question 44

Synecdoche

Answer 44

The use of a part to symbolise its corresponding whole (e.g. the word ‘wheels’ may be used to refer to a car).

Question 45

Theme

Answer 45

The main idea or message of a literary work.