Basic Poetry Terms

the narrator of a poem

a group of words on one line of a poem

a group of lines arranged together

can be created by meter, rhyme, alliteration and refrain. The “music” of the poem.

a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables

no repeating patterns of syllables, no rhyme, conversational, modern

a word at the end of one line rhymes with a word at the end of another line

a word inside a line rhymes with another word on the same line

imperfect rhyme, close rhyme, near rhyme

words that imitate the sound they name

consonant sounds repeated at the beginnings of words

a type of alliteration in which the repeated consonant sounds are anywhere in the words

a type of alliteration in which repeated vowel sounds are in a line or lines of poetry

a sound, word, phrase or line repeated regularly in a poem

a comparison of two things using like, as, than, or resembles

a direct comparison of two unlike things

exageration often used for emphasis

understatement for effect

an expression in which the literal meaning of the words is not the meaning of the expression

when human qualities or characteristics are given to non-humans such as objects or animals.

a person, place, thing, or event that has meaning in itself but also represents something else

a reference in a literary work to something famous

language that appeals to the senses and “paints a word picture,”

a short poem in first person point of view that expresses an emotion, idea, or describes a scene

a song or songlike poem that rhymes

a fourteen line poem with a specific rhyme scheme

a poem that tells a story

a poem in which the words are arranged to create a picture that relates to the content of the poem

the feeling or mood the poem gives

the main idea of a poem, story, or piece of art