Poetry Terminology Flashcards
(22 cards)
What is alliteration?
Where words close together begin with the same letter/sound.
What is assonance?
Where words close together have the same vowel sounds in them.
What is colloquial language?
Language the people use in everyday language
What is a couplet?
A pair of rhyming lines in a poem. Sometimes called a rhyming couplet.
What is imagery?
Poets often create ‘pictures’ which help the reader or listener imagine something clearly.
What is a metaphor?
A metaphor describes something by saying it is like something else.
What is an onomatopoeia?
A word which sounds like what it describes e.g. whisper, snip, squelch, bang etc
What is personification?
When something that is not alive is written about as though it is alive.
What is a rhyme?
Endings of lines in poetry that sound the same.
What is rhythm?
All poems have a rhythm, a pattern of beats or sounds. Some poems have a slow, steady rhythm, others a regular sing-song rhythm.
What is a simile?
Comparing two different things using ‘like’ or ‘as’.
What are stanzas?
The ‘verse’ of a poem. There is often more than one stanza in a poem, and each stanza is separated by one or more blank lines.
What is mood?
The atmosphere of a literary work or part of it. It evokes a certain emotion/ feeling from the audience.
What is the rule of three?
Combining or repeating three similar words, ideas or points. A technique to create effect and often used for persuasive writing. E.g: One ring to rule them all, One ring to find them, One ring to bring them all, And in the darkness bind them
What is a rhetorical question?
Posing a question but without expecting an answer. It is often said to make someone think.
What is an oxymoron?
A figure of speech combining two opposites.
What is the ‘theme’?
The overall notion or repeated idea throughout a literary work.
What is symbolism?
When something (object, character, colour) is used to represent an abstract idea or concept.
What is dramatic irony?
When the audience knows something that the characters do not.
What is foreshadowing?
A warning or hint of what is going to happen in the future
Example:
In Star Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi jokingly says: “Why do I get the feeling you’ll be the death of me?” to Anakin Skywalker. This foreshadows the fact that he is later killed by him (when Anakin becomes Darth Vader)
What is climax?
A turning point in the action or the highest point of interest/excitement.
What is pathetic fallacy?
A type of personification. Attributing human emotions to nature (often the weather).
