Poetry Terms

Question 1

alliteration

Answer 1

repetition of similar consonant sounds in the beginning of words

Question 2

allusion

Answer 2

a reference in a work of literature to an outside work

Question 3

antithesis

Answer 3

figure of speech characterized by strongly contrasting words/ideas (hope for the best, prepare for the worst) balancing one term against another

Question 4

apostrophe

Answer 4

figure of speech in which someone addresses another (hello, darkness, my old friend)

Question 5

assonance

Answer 5

the repetition of similar vowel sounds (a land laid waste..)

Question 6

cacophony

Answer 6

a harsh, unpleasant combination of sounds/tones (Frets doubt the maw-crammed beast)

Question 7

caesura

Answer 7

a pause in a line of verse (To be or not to be – that is the question)

Question 8

conceit

Answer 8

A fanciful comparison between two things that seem dissimilar but could be related in a way (a broken heart is like a damaged clock) far-fetched comparison

Question 9

consonance

Answer 9

the repetition of similar consonant sounds (add, read)

Question 10

diction

Answer 10

the use of words in a literary work

Question 11

end rhyme

Answer 11

rhyme scheme at the end of lines

Question 12

end-stopped

Answer 12

a line suddenly ends (because I…)

Question 13

enjambment

Answer 13

a line that continues onto a new line

Question 14

euphony

Answer 14

a combination of words pleasant to the ear

Question 15

explication

Answer 15

analysis of a poem to determine the meaning behind it

Question 16

eye rhyme

Answer 16

words that look like they would rhyme but don’t (match, watch)

Question 17

figurative language

Answer 17

writing that uses figures of speech to mean something other than their literal meaning

Question 18

imagery

Answer 18

images and sensory details created in a work

Question 19

internal rhyme

Answer 19

words that rhyme in the middle of lines

Question 20

irony

Answer 20

the contrast between actual meaning and the suggestion of another meaning

Question 21

metonymy

Answer 21

figure of speech characterized by the substitution of a term naming an object closely related with the word in mind for the word itself (crown for king)

Question 22

near rhyme

Answer 22

words that almost sound like they would rhyme but don’t quite exactly (sauce, cost)

Question 23

onomatopoeia

Answer 23

the use of words suggesting a sound (buzz, hiss)

Question 24

paradox

Answer 24

a situation/action/feeling that appears to be contradictory but turns out to be true (less is more)

Question 25

personification

Answer 25

figure of speech in which items are given human-like characteristics

Question 26

perfect rhyme

Answer 26

rhymes (chase, face)

Question 27

scansion

Answer 27

scanning a line/verse to determine its rhythm

Question 28

simile

Answer 28

the comparison of two things using like or as

Question 29

synecdoche

Answer 29

a form of metaphor which in a part of something is mentioned as a whole (wheels for car)

Question 30

syntax

Answer 30

the ordering for words into patterns or sentences

Question 31

tone

Answer 31

the manner in which an author expresses his/her attitude

Question 32

volta

Answer 32

a shift in a poem of thought/argument

Question 33

understatement

Answer 33

the opposite of hyperbole; stating something as much less than it really is