poetry terms Flashcards
alliteration
two close words with the same initial letter
allusion
a reference to a historical, mythic or literary person, place, event or movement
ambiguity
a phrase or word which may have multiple meanings
ambivalence
mixed feelings or ideas about an idea or person
assonance
resemblance of vowels between close words
asyndetic
a list without conjunctions
biblical allusion
reference to the bible, or religious texts
caesura
a break in a sentence/line using punctuation
colloquial language
informal language
consonance
repetition of similar constants in close words
cyclical structure
when a text begins and ends with the same idea, place, feeling or person
dialogue
a conversation or phrase
dramatic irony
occurs when the audience knows something the characters dont
dramatic monologue
a poem in the form of speech or narrative of an individual character
dynamic verbs
a verb used to indicate a progressive action, process or sensation
end stop
a pause at the end of a line
enjambment
a line of poetry flows onto the next line with no break
foreshadowing
a warning or indication of future events
hyperbole
exaggerated statements or claims which are not meant to be taken literally
idiom
a phrase or expression which presents a figurative, non-literal meaning
irony
expressing a specific meaning by using contrasting language
juxtaposition
two words or phrases which contrast in meaning
metaphor
direct comparison
octects
a verse of poetry with eight lines
onomatopoeia
sound of a word represents the noise
oxymoron
figure of speech that brings together contrasting words
parody
an imitation of another style of work, or genre, that relies on deliberate exaggeration to achieve a satirical effect
pathetic fallacy
weather reflects the mood of a character
personification
objects are given human qualities
quatrian
verse consisting of four lines
repetition
using the same word or phrase multiple times
rhyming couplet
two lines that rhyme
semantic field
words relating to a certain word/subject/feeling
sibilance
repetition of ‘s’ sounds
simile
comparison using ‘like’ or ‘as’
symbolism
the repetition of symbols to get a point across
syndetic
a list with conjunctions
tercet
verse consisting of three lines
