Poetry Terms Flashcards
Enjambment
Noun.
the running on of the thought from one line, couplet, or stanza to the next without a syntactical break.
End Stopped Line
Noun.
An end-stopped line is a poetic device in which a pause comes at the end of a syntactic unit (sentence, clause or phrase); this pause can be expressed in writing as a punctuation mark such as a colon, semi-colon, period or full stop.
Rhyme Scheme
Noun.
the pattern of rhymes used in a poem, usually marked by letters to symbolize correspondences, as rhyme royal, ababbcc.
Free Verse
Noun.
verse that does not follow a fixed metrical pattern.
Blank Verse
Noun.
unrhymed verse, especially the unrhymed iambic pentameter most frequently used in English dramatic, epic, and reflective verse.
Foot
Noun.
A poetic foot is a basic repeated sequence of meter composed of two or more accented or unaccented syllables.
Rhyme
Noun.
identity in sound of some part, especially the end, of words or lines of verse.
End Rhyme
Noun.
rhyme of the terminal syllables of lines of poetry.
Internal Rhyme
Noun.
a rhyme created by two or more words in the same line of verse.
a rhyme created by words within two or more lines of a verse.
Slant Rhyme
Noun.
rhyme in which either the vowels or the consonants of stressed syllables are identical, as in eyes, light; years, yours.
Onomatopoeia
Noun.
the formation of a word, as cuckoo, meow, honk, or boom, by imitation of a sound made by or associated with its referent.
Alliteration
Noun.
the commencement of two or more stressed syllables of a word group either with the same consonant sound or sound group (consonantal alliteration) as in from stem to stern, or with a vowel sound that may differ from syllable to syllable
Consonance
Noun.
Consonance: Repetition of internal or ending consonant sounds of words close together in poetry.
Assonance
Noun.
Assonance: Repetition of internal vowel sounds of words close together in poetry. Example: I made my way to the lake
Auditory Imagery
Noun.
Auditory imagery is a form of mental imagery that is used to organize and analyze sounds when there is no external auditory stimulus present
Tactile Imagery
Noun.
An image of an object as perceived by the sense of touch.
Visual Imagery
Noun.
The use of vivid or figurative language to represent objects, actions, or ideas.
Olfactory Imagery
Noun.
The definition of olfactory is related to the sense of smell.
Gustatory Imagery
Noun.
In other words, gustatory imagery refers to words, descriptions or pictures in your brain that make you think of taste.
Metaphor
Noun.
a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance, as in “A mighty fortress is our God.”
Simile
Noun.
a figure of speech in which two unlike things are explicitly compared, as in “she is like a rose.”
Conceit
Noun
an excessively favorable opinion of one’s own ability, importance, wit, etc.
Personification
Noun.
the attribution of human nature or character to animals, inanimate objects, or abstract notions, especially as a rhetorical figure.
Allusion
Noun.
A passing or casual reference; an incidental mention of something, either directly or by implication
Hyperbole
Noun.
obvious and intentional exaggeration
Understatement
Noun.
the act or an instance of understating, or representing in a weak or restrained way that is not borne out by the facts
Irony
Noun.
the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning: the irony of her reply, “How nice!” when I said I had to work all weekend.
Apostrophe
Noun.
a digression in the form of an address to someone not present, or to a personified object or idea, as “O Death, where is thy sting?”
Stanza
Noun.
an arrangement of a certain number of lines, usually four or more, sometimes having a fixed length, meter, or rhyme scheme, forming a division of a poem.
