Poetic Terms Flashcards
(35 cards)
Assonance
The repetition of vowel sounds without the repetition of consonants. Example: ‘My words like silent raindrops fell.”
Ballad
A poem in verse that tells a story
Blank Verse
An unrhymed form of poetry that normally consists of ten syllables in which every other syllable, beginning with the second, is stressed. Since blank verse is often used in very long poems, it may depart from the strict pattern from time to time.
Caesura
A pause or sudden break in a line of poetry.
Canto
A main division of a long poem.
Consonance
The repetition of consonant sounds. Although it is similar to alliteration, consonance is not limited to the first letters of words. Example: “… and high school girls with clear skin smiles.”
Couplet
Two lines of verse the same length that usually rhyme
End rhyme
The rhyming of words that appear at the ends of two or more lines of poetry.
Enjambment
The running over of a sentence or thought from one line of poetry to another.
Foot
The smallest repeated pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a poetic line.
Iambic
An unstressed followed by a stressed syllable. Example: repeat Trochaic: A stressed followed by and unstressed syllable. Example: older Spondaic: Two stressed syllables. Example: heartbreak
Free Verse
Poetry that does not have a regular meter or rhyme scheme.
Haiku
A form of Japanese poetry that has three lines; the first line has five syllables, the second has seven syllables, and the third has five syllables. The subject of the Haiku has traditionally been nature. Example: Behind me the moon
Brushes shadows of pine trees Lightly on the floor.
Heroic Couplet (Closed Couplet):
Two successive rhyming lines that contain a complete thought. Internal Rhyme: When the rhyming words occur in the same line of poetry. Example: “You break my eyes with a look that buys sweet cake.”
Lyric:
A short verse that is intended to express the emotions of the author; quite often these lyrics are set to music.
Meter
The pattern of repetition of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry.
Onomatopoeia:
The use of a word whose sound suggests its meaning. Examples: clang, buzz, twang.
Refrain:
The repetition of a line or phrase of a poem at regular intervals, especially at the end of each stanza. A song’s refrain may be called the chorus.
Repetition:
the repeating of a word or phrase within a poem or a prose piece to create a sense of rhythm. Example: “His laugh, his dare, his shrug/ sag ghostlike…”
Symbol:
A person, a place, a thing, or an event used to represent something else. Example: A dove is a symbol of peace
Imagery
The words or phrases a writer selects to create a certain picture in the reader’s mind. Imagery is usually based on sensory details. Example: “The sky was dark and gloomy, the air was damp and raw, the streets were wet and sloppy.”
Hyperbole
An exaggeration or overstatement. Example: “I have seen this river so wide it only had one bank.
Antithesis:
An opposition, or contrast, of ideas. Example: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”
Metaphor:
A comparison of two unlike things in which no word of comparison (like or as) is used. Example: “ A green plant is a machine that runs on solar energy.”
