English Literature - Structure Key terminology Flashcards
Caesura
A strong pause in the middle of a line of poetry (due to a full stop, dash, etc.) to portray a pause in the poem, usually linked to emotions getting controlled through the pause
Couplet
Two successive rhyming lines
Enjambment (or enjambement)
A line having no end punctuation but running over to the next line.
Internal rhyme
Internal rhyme is a poetic device that can be defined as metrical lines in which its middle words and its end words rhyme with one another
Iambic pentameter
A kind of verse. It is the most common kind of verse in English literature. The word ‘iamb’ refers to an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable (also called a foot). ‘Pentameter’ means a line 5 of these.
Di dum/ di dum/ di dum/ di dum/ di dum
1 2 3 4 5
Metre
The way that rhythm is organised and measured in a poem. The pattern of unstressed and stressed syllables.
Prose
Written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without metrical structure
Quatrain
A stanza of four lines, especially one having alternate rhymes
Refrain
A phrase or line repeated at intervals within a poem, especially at the end of a stanza.
Rhyme
The repetition of identical concluding syllables in different words, most often at the ends of lines.
Rhyme scheme
The ordered pattern of rhymes at the ends of the lines of a poem or verse.
Rhythm
A strong pattern of sounds, words, or musical notes that is used in music, poetry, and dancing (We might also call this the ‘beat’)
Long and short syllables
In our natural way of speaking we tend to place more stress on particular parts of words. This stress makes some syllables in the word sound ‘long’ and some sound ‘short’.
Semantic field
a group of words that belong together or share a similar meaning
Stanza
A group of poetic lines corresponding to paragraphs in prose; the meters and rhymes are usually repeating or systematic; a poem paragraph
