Poetry Metalanguage

Question 1

Onomatopoeia

Answer 1

A word that imitates the sound it represents.

Question 2

Alliteration

Answer 2

Repetition of initial consonant sounds

Question 3

Rhyme

Answer 3

adds mood, a repetition in sound

Question 4

Assonance

Answer 4

same vowel sounds, different consonants. e.g. the crumbling thunder of the sea

Question 5

Consonance

Answer 5

repetition of consonant sounds e.g. toss the glass, boss

Question 6

Euphony

Answer 6

pleasant, harmonious sound

Question 7

Cacophony

Answer 7

A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds

Question 8

Rhythm

Answer 8

Pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables

Question 9

Allusion

Answer 9

to call something without mentioning it clearly

Question 10

Irony

Answer 10

A contrast between expectation and reality

Question 11

Allegory

Answer 11

a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.

Question 12

Euphemism

Answer 12

An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant

Question 13

Ambiguity

Answer 13

The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage.

Question 14

Personification

Answer 14

A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes

Question 15

Analogy

Answer 15

A comparison of two different things that are similar in some way

Question 16

Denotation

Answer 16

The dictionary definition of a word

Question 17

cliche

Answer 17

a worn-out idea or overused expression

Question 18

Connotation

Answer 18

an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning.

Question 19

Metaphor

Answer 19

A comparison without using like or as

Question 20

Pun

Answer 20

A play on words

Question 21

Hyperbole

Answer 21

exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

Question 22

Simile

Answer 22

A comparison using “like” or “as”

Question 23

Metonymy

Answer 23

used to describe something indirectly by making references to objects around

Question 24

Oxymoron

Answer 24

A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase.

Question 25

Paradox

Answer 25

a statement that seems contradictory but is actually true

Question 26

Synecdoche

Answer 26

A figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole e.g. nice wheels

Question 27

Symbolism

Answer 27

A device in literature where an object represents an idea. Literal meaning is deepened by symbols

Question 28

rhyme scheme

Answer 28

A regular pattern of rhyming words in a poem

Question 29

Stanza

Answer 29

A group of lines in a poem

Question 30

verse line

Answer 30

writing technique: single line poetry

Question 31

Blank Verse/Free Verse

Answer 31

written in strict iambic parameter (no rhyme scheme)/ no meter and no rhyme

Question 32

Ballad

Answer 32

A poem or song narrating a story in short stanzas

Question 33

Ode

Answer 33

A lyric poem usually marked by serious, respectful, and exalted feelings toward the subject.

Question 34

Synthesia

Answer 34

terminology from one sense is used to describe another e.g. the silence was thick as a forest

Question 35

Imagery

Answer 35

Description that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste)

Question 36

tone or mood

Answer 36

The tone and feeling that the writer creates for the reader (funny, serious, dramatic, suspenseful). Authors will often establish the mood based upon the actions and feelings of the characters in the story.

Question 37

Anaphora

Answer 37

the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses

Question 38

Mesodiplosis

Answer 38

Repetition of the same word or words in the middle of successive sentences.

Question 39

Epistrophe

Answer 39

the repetition of a word at the end of successive clauses or sentences

Question 40

Symploce

Answer 40

Repeating words at both the beginning and the ending of a phrase

Question 41

Antanaclasis

Answer 41

repetition of a word in two different senses e.g. marriage is a wonderful institution, but who wants to live in an institution

Question 42

Antistasis

Answer 42

extreme than antanaclasis, repetition of words in opposite senses. e.g. we must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall hang separately.

Question 43

negative-positive restatement

Answer 43

Repetition of an idea first in negative terms and then in positive terms. e.g. ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country

Question 44

Epizeuxis

Answer 44

repetition of one word for emphasis. Example: The best way to describe this portion of South America is lush, lush, lush.

Question 45

Diacope

Answer 45

Repetition of a word or phrase after an intervening word or phrase

Question 46

Conduplicatio

Answer 46

repetition of a key word over successive phrases or clauses

Question 47

Gradatio

Answer 47

sentence construction in which the last word of one clause becomes the first of the next, through three or more clauses

Question 48

Epanalepsis

Answer 48

repeats the beginning word of a clause or sentence at the end

Question 49

Diaphora

Answer 49

the repetition of a name, first to signify the person or persons it describes, then to signify its meaning e.g. boys will be boys

Question 50

Epimone

Answer 50

frequent repetition of a phrase or question; dwelling on a point

Question 51

Polyptoton

Answer 51

repetition of words derived from the same root

Question 52

Polysyndeton

Answer 52

The deliberate use of a series of conjunctions.

Question 53

Morphemes

Answer 53

e.g., child/children, heal/healthy