Poetry Terms Flashcards
Alliteration
repetition of consonant sounds at the beginnings of words
Which circle slowly with a silken swish —from “Pretty Words
Hyperbole
an exaggeration for emphasis or humorous effect
the hunger of this poem is legendary —from “Beware: Do Not Read This Poem”
Idiom
meaning is different from the literal meaning of its word
the phrase “raining cats and dogs” does not literally mean that cats and dogs are falling from the sky; the expression means “raining heavily.”
Metaphor
a comparison between two unlike things without the word like or as
Poets make pets of pretty, docile words —from “Pretty Words”
Personification
a description of an object, an animal, a place, or an idea in human terms
it [this poem] has taken in many victims —from “Beware: Do Not Read This Poem”
Internal Rhyme
similar sounds within the lines
Slant (approximate) Rhyme
rhymes are similar but not exact
End Rhyme
similar sounds at the ends of lines
Exact Rhyme
Words rhyme exactly
Rhythm
the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry
Rhyme Scheme
regular pattern of rhyme
Repetition
A sound, word, phrase, or line that is repeated for emphasis and unity
back off from this poem it has drawn in yr feet back off from this poem
—from “Beware: Do Not Read This Poem”
Iambic pentameter
metrical pattern of five feet, or units, each of which is made up of two syllables, the first unstressed and the second stressed.
My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand
Pun
a joke that comes from a play on words. It can make use of a word’s multiple meanings or of a word’s sound.
In Romeo and Juliet, when Mercutio is fatally wounded, he says, “Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man,” with a pun on the word grave, meaning both “solemn” and “a tomb.”
Blank verse
Rhythm but no rhyme
verse is unrhymed poetry written in iambic pentameter. That is, each line of blank verse has five pairs of syllables. In most pairs, an unstressed syllable is followed by a stressed syllable.
But sof ́t! What lig ́ht through yo ́nder win ́dow bre ́aks?
It is ́ the Ea ́st, and J ́uliet i ́s the su ́n!
