Poetry Academic Vocab List Flashcards
Poetry
A genre of literature where a special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas through specific rhyme or repetition
Ex: Haiku, Sonnet, Limerick
Line
One row or verse in a poem
Ex:
Did you hear about the rose that grew
Stanza
A group of lines in a poem like a paragraph
Ex: The termite doesn’t eat the way it should.
It’s not his fault, his food all tastes like wood.
Rhyme
The repetition of syllables, typically at the end of a line
Ex: Mike, Bike
Rhyme Scheme
The pattern of end rhymes in a stanza, with each rhyme labeled a letter of the alphabet, from “A” onward (ABBA BCCB) as an example
Meter
The beat or pattern of a poem due to the amount of syllables present
Ex. Ten syllables
Repetition
The act of returning again and again to key words, phrases, or lines in a poem to create meaning
Ex: Fair from Fair
Literal
When an author’s words are meant to be interpreted exactly as they are in the text in the most basic sense
Ex: A person who is deaf can say “I am literally deaf”
Figurative
Language that is not meant to be interpreted literally and conveys a deeper meaning
Examples: metaphor, simile, hyperbole, symbol, personification
Simile
A direct comparison of two unlike things using “like” or “as”
Example: She is fast as a tiger.
Metaphor
A direct comparison between two unlike things without using “like” or “as”
Example: He is a computer in class.
Hyperbole
An outrageous exaggeration used for effect.
Ex: He weighs a ton.
Personification
Giving human characteristics to an inanimate object, animal, or idea
Example: The wind whispered as it blew.
Alliteration
Repeated consonant or vowel sounds at the beginning of words
Example: My mom mashed my m and ms on a Monday morning.
Onomatopoeia
Words that sound like their meanings
Example: boom, buzz, crackle, gurgle, hiss
Sensory Details
Writing with language that captures sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and sensations of touch.
Idiom
An expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its separate words but must be learned as a whole
Example: This is the last straw!
Pun
A play on words, sometimes on different senses of the same word and sometimes on the similar sense or sound of different words.
Example: The baker had to go to the bank because he really kneaded a loan.
Allusion
An expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect reference to another well-known concept, topic, or idea
Examples: Chocolate is my kryptonite OR Stop acting like a Scrooge!
Irony
A statement or situation where the meaning is contradicted by the appearance or presentation of the idea.
Example: A fire truck catches on fire OR a swim coach doesn’t know how to swim.
Oxymoron
A figure of speech in which incongruous or contradictory terms appear side by side.
Examples: same difference, bittersweet, original copy, jumbo shrimp
Speaker
The person speaking in a piece of writing.
Author
The person who wrote the piece of writing. NOT NECESSARILY THE SPEAKER.
Tone
A writer’s attitude toward the subject or topic they are writing about.
