Poetry Terms 2024

Question 1

A comparison using “like” or “as”

(Example: She remembered how one teacher, Mrs. Horn, had “a nose like a hook…” (Viramontes, “Under the Feet of Jesus”).)

Answer 1

Simile (Mr. Karsten)

Question 2

Repeating similar words or parts of a sentence throughout a poem.

ex) It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.
(Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities)

Answer 2

Parallelism (Emma B)

Question 3

a
A “Double” Rhyme, or a rhyme between stressed syllables and then another rhyme between the unstressed syllable(s)
ex) I come from haunts of coot and hern,
I make a sudden sally
And sparkle out among the fern,
To bicker down a valley.
By thirty hills I hurry down,
Or slip between the ridges,
By twenty thorpes, a little town,
And half a hundred bridges.
(Alfred Lord Tennyson, ‘The Brook,’ 1886)

Answer 3

Feminine Rhyme (Emma B)

Question 4

Stating that one thing is another to compare two unrelated things
ex)It is the east, and Juliet is the sun! (William Shakespeare – Romeo & Juliet)

Answer 4

Metaphor (Emma B)

Question 5

This foot is two beats of word, the first weak and the second strong, for example “duh-DUH” or “belong”
ex)”Whan that aprill with his shoures soote / The droghte of march hath perced to the roote, / And bathed every veyne in swich licour / Of which vertu engendred is the flour” (The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer)

Answer 5

Iambic Feet (Emma B)

Question 6

The process of using visual cues to show which syllables in a line of poetry are stressed or weak.

Example:
/ u l u / I u / l u
Hope is the thing with feathers

Answer 6

Scansion (Brooke L.)

Question 7

A figure of speech in which a related term is substituted for the word itself.

Example: The British monarchy is often referred to as the Crown.

Answer 7

Metonymy (Brooke L.)

Question 8

The arrangement of words and punctuation; sentence structure and grammar.

Example: “The boy ran hurriedly.” Versus “Hurriedly, the boy ran.” (The syntax changes how the sentence is read.)

Answer 8

Syntax (Charlie R.)

Question 9

Substituting the name of an attribute or a companion for that of a thing meant.

(Example: “the pen is mightier than the sword.” – Here, “the pen” is used to refer to writing, while “the sword” is used to refer to warfare and violence.)

Answer 9

Metonymy (Henry S.)

Question 10

Descriptions so the reader can visualize the subject/object/location in the text.

Example: “The deep yellow hues of the sunset drowned in and mixed with the blues of the sea.” (Medium.com)

Answer 10

Visual Imagery (Charlie R.)

Question 11

A rhythm of short and long syllables with rhyming lines; often used in poetry.

Example: “‘Intrench’d before the town both armies lie, While Night with sable wings involves the sky.” (Virgil’s The Aeneid)

Answer 11

Heroic Couplet (Charlie R.)

Question 12

The description of one kind of sense by using words that normally describe another

(Example: The dazzling, deafening debauch of bugles)

Answer 12

Synesthesia (Sophie S.)

Question 13

A rhyme involving a word in the middle of a line and another word either at the end of the line or the middle of the line.

(Example: “I went to town to buy a gown. / I took the car, and it wasn’t far.”)

Answer 13

Internal Rhyme (Henry S.)

Question 14

The use of a word to suggest a different association than the literal meaning.

Example: “this feels like home”

Answer 14

Connotation (Hannah C.)

Question 15

Imagery that evokes the sense of taste

(Example: The grape burst in my mouth, the sweet juices running across my hands)

Answer 15

Gustatory Imagery (Sophia S.)

Question 16

a figure of speech in which a part is used to signify the whole. Example: Cleveland won by a field goal, meaning the Cleveland Browns

Answer 16

Synecdoche (Jordyn J.)

Question 17

Imagery that evokes the sense of touch

(Example: The “cold sweat melted from their limbs,”
Nor rot nor reek did they…)

Answer 17

Tactile Imagery (Sophia S.)

Question 18

a metrical foot consisting of syllables. a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable. Example: life is but an EMPTY DREAM

Answer 18

Trochaic Feet (Jordyn J.)

Question 19

An intentional arrangement or selection of words in order to create humor.

Example: broken pencils are pointless

Answer 19

Pun (Hannah C.)

Question 20

A written work that both tells a story and connects the reader to an audience through emotions or behavior.

Example: Romeo and Juliet

Answer 20

Dramatic Poem (Jacob Voetberg)

Question 21

A figure of speech that involves exaggerating certain aspects of something to create a more noticeable effect or to emphasize a point.

Example: “They stretched in never-ending line…”

Answer 21

Overstatement (Jacob Voetberg)

Question 22

The attitude that a character, narrator, or author takes towards a given subject.

(Example ) “ Excited, Depressed, Hopeful”

Answer 22

Tone (Tomiya D.)

Question 23

A form of poetry that tells a story, often using the voices of both the narrator and characters.

Ex. “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe

Answer 23

Narrative Poem (Morgan C.)

Question 24

The repetition of words or phrases in a group of sentences, clauses, or poetic lines.
( Example ) “ So many Places So Little Time”

Answer 24

Anaphora (Tomiya D.)

Question 25

A verse form consisting of eight lines of iambic pentameter. Ex. "Annabel Lee" by Edgar Allen Poe

Answer 25

Octave/Octet (Morgan C.)

Question 26

A complete thought or phrase appears on a single-line followed by punctuation. (Example ) " I drew thee to my Valentine" (Victor Hugo)

Answer 26

End-stopped (Tomiya D.)

Question 27

A version of a metaphor that extends over multiple lines, paragraphs, or stanzas. ( Example: “No man is an Island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.” from Meditation XVII, John Donne)

Answer 27

Extended Metaphor (Maeve)

Question 28

Implied meanings and emotions that a word carries beyond its literal definition. Ex. "He performed poorly at his job and informed us he had been 'let go'". It's implied the man was fired.

Answer 28

Connotation (Morgan C.)

Question 29

a break between words within a metrical foot. (example: “but how of Cawdor? / The Thane of Cawdor lives.” from Macbeth)

Answer 29

Caesura (Maeve)

Question 30

A set of two lines that rhyme and that is written in iambic pentameter ( Example ) "Goodnight Goodnight, parting is such sweet sorrow/ That I shall say goodnight Until it be Morrow". (Romeo and Juliet)

Answer 30

Heroic couplet (Tomiya D.)

Question 31

Descriptive language that describes smells and can often stimulate the readers nose and sense of smell. Example- The sickly sweet smell of honeysuckle blossom hung heavy in the air

Answer 31

Olfactory Imagery (Gracie)

Question 32

A six-line stanza (Usually at the end of a sonnet) Example: That murmur, soon replies: "God doth not need Either man's work or his own gifts; who best Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state Is kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed And post o'er land and ocean without rest: They also serve who only stand and wait."

Answer 32

Sestet (Jacob Voetberg)

Question 33

A phonetic change for pleasant sound or ease of pronunciation (Example: "mists and mellow" vs "mis's and mellow")

Answer 33

Euphony (Grace B.)

Question 34

Recurrence of similar sounds, (especially consonants), near each other (Example: "I will crawl away with the ball" repeats "L")

Answer 34

Consonance (Grace B.)

Question 35

A rhyme where two words are spelled similarly but pronounced differently. Example- Laughter and Daughter

Answer 35

Eye/sight Rhyme (Gracie)

Question 36

Imagery related to the sense of taste Example: The juicy apple tasted tangy and sweet.

Answer 36

Gustatory Imagery (Brooke L.)

Question 37

Words within the line rhyme with another word within the same line. Example: Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing.

Answer 37

Internal Rhyme (Brooke L.)

Question 38

the repetition of words or phrases in a group of sentences, or lines (Example: "GO BACK to Mississippi, GO BACK to Alabama, GO BACK to South Carolina, GO BACK to Georgia, GO BACK to Louisiana, GO BACK to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities,")

Answer 38

Anaphora (Grace B.)

Question 39

Compares things without using like or as, refers to one thing by mentioning another Example- He's a couch potato

Answer 39

Metaphor (Gracie)

Question 40

Two words that sound similar but do not rhyme Example- Close and clothes

Answer 40

Inexact/slant Rhyme (Gracie)

Question 41

A type of language that consists of words and phrases that are very informal (Example: In the UK, “chuffed” can mean delight)

Answer 41

Slang (Grace B.)

Question 42

An address to a dead or absent person, or personification as if he or she were present. Example: "Death be not proud"

Answer 42

Apostrophe (Jacob Voetberg)

Question 43

The use of informal, local expressions or slang. | Example: "yall" or phrases like "theres more than one way to skin a cat"

Answer 43

Colloquial Diction (Gabe Ebels)

Question 44

When Two or more words ryhme perfectly | Example verse/hearse/worse

Answer 44

Exact Rhyme(Gabe Ebels)

Question 45

Drawing attention to a situation/emotion/characteristic/character by downplaying the magnitude of what is being described. The opposite of a hyperbole. Example: “I think so,” said Professor McGonagall dryly, “we teachers are rather good at magic, you know.”

Answer 45

Understatement (Hannah C.)

Question 46

Attributing a human characteristic to something nonhuman. Example: The fire burned with fury.

Answer 46

Personification (Hannah C.)

Question 47

Words or phrases that are pleasing to the ear Example: mists, mellow, close, sun

Answer 47

Euphony (Gabe Ebels)

Question 48

the literal or primary meaning of a work,in contrast to the feeling or ideas that the word suggests. ( examples: Trevor is a bull. There is a bull named Trevor not that the person Trevor pushes people around)

Answer 48

Denotation ( Maeve)

Question 49

the use of language to exaggerate your intended meaning ( example: they stretched in a never ending line from I wandered lonely as a cloud.)

Answer 49

Overstatement ( Maeve)

Question 50

A metrical foot consisting of an accented syllable followed by two unaccented syllables (Example: "poetry" and "basketball" are both dactylic)

Answer 50

Dactylic foot (Kate V.)

Question 51

a group of lines forming the basic recurring metrical unit in a poem; a verse (a chunk of rhyming or non-rhyming lines that form a verse together)

Answer 51

Stanza (Kate V.)

Question 52

a stanza of four lines, especially one having alternate rhymes (Example: "Baseball Game"- I was so small // But I got a treat // I caught a ball // In my seat)

Answer 52

Quatrain (Kate V.)

Question 53

a stanza (verse) form consisting of eight lines of iambic pentameter (the rhythm the words create in a line)

Answer 53

Octave (Kate V.)

Question 54

A contrast or opposition between two things ex: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”

Answer 54

Antithesis (Ana H)

Question 55

Involves two or more words that appear close together and have the same initial stressed consonant syllable ex: The wild winds whisk to the west.

Answer 55

Alliteration (Ana H)

Question 56

The presentation of something as being smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is. ex: a person who is bleeding heavily might say, “It's just a scratch”

Answer 56

Understatement (Ana H)

Question 57

Words or expressions used by a specific group of people that may be hard for others to understand. (Ex: "Listen to the motor. Don't gun it when you're driving. Sometimes she won't idle down, but don't race her." ("The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck))

Answer 57

Jargon (Hardy M.)

Question 58

A harsh or discordant or jarring mixture of sounds. (Ex: "The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!/ He left it dead, and with its head/ He went galumphing back" (from "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll))

Answer 58

Cacophony (Hardy M.)

Question 59

The ordered pattern of rhymes at the ends of the lines of a poem or verse. (Ex: "Let me not to the marriage of true minds/ Admit impediments. Love is not love/ Which alters when it alteration finds/ Or bends with the remover to remove..." (Sonnet 116, William Shakespeare))

Answer 59

Rhyme Scheme (Hardy M.)

Question 60

The same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words. (Ex: "Torn turned and tattered/ Bowed burned and battered" ("The Labrynth" by Robert Baird"))

Answer 60

Alliteration (Hardy M.)

Question 61

the literal or primary meaning of a word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests. (Ex: fungus in the dictionary means 'any of various types of organisms that get their food from decaying material or other living things')

Answer 61

Denotation (Boris L.)

Question 62

the use of informal, local expressions or slang. (Ex: “soccer” is a colloquial term in the United States for “football,” a colloquial term in the UK.)

Answer 62

Colloquial Diction (Boris L.)

Question 63

a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true. (Ex: The beginning of the end.)

Answer 63

Paradox (Boris L.)

Question 64

The continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line of poetry to the next without punctuation. (Example: "So much depends/ upon/ a red wheel/ barrow/ glazed with rain/ water" (William Carlos Williams "The Red Wheelbarrow"))

Answer 64

Enjambment (Cali M.)

Question 65

Repetition of similar consonant sounds of words near each other Ex. “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers”

Answer 65

Consonance (Kaylee Y.)

Question 66

Repetition of similar vowel sounds of words near each other Ex. John Agard’s poem “Hopaloo Kangaroo” “If you can boogaloo boogaloo I can do the boogaloo too for I’m the boogiest hopaloo kangaroo”

Answer 66

Assonance (Kaylee Y.)

Question 67

A foot consisting of three syllables with the first two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed one. Ex. The Destruction of Sennacherib By Lord Byron (George Gordon) "The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold"

Answer 67

Anapestic feet (Kaylee Y.)

Question 68

The order of words used to convey the meaning or the grammatical structure of the sentence. Ex-- The boy kicked the ball.

Answer 68

Syntax -- Ava J --

Question 69

Describing inanimate objects by blending human senses. Ex-- The stars sounded like piles of diamonds.

Answer 69

Synesthesia -- Ava J --

Question 70

Formal or sophisticated diction. Ex-- It would be a privilege to contribute to the betterment of this institution.

Answer 70

High Diction -- Ava J --

Question 71

Two consecutive line of a poem that rhyme and have the same length and meter. Ex-- To His Coy Highness by Andrew Marvell Had we but world enough, and time, This coyness, lady, were no crime.

Answer 71

Couplet -- Ava J --

Question 72

A line that ends with a natural pause, usually marked by punctuation. The pause signals end of complete thought or sentence. Ex: Whose woods these are I think to know. His house is in the village though;

Answer 72

End-Stopped (Alayna M)

Question 73

A type of metric used in poetry. Has the pattern of 3 syllables: first one is stressed, the second and third are unstressed. Ex: Half a league: HALF a league, the word beautiful: BEAU-ti-ful

Answer 73

Dactylic Feet (Alayna M)

Question 74

Language that refers to the sense of touch. Ex: coldness of icecream, scratchiness of hay

Answer 74

Tactile Imagery (Alayna M)

Question 75

Figure of speech using two contradictory or opposing terms in the same phrase or sentence. Ex: Deafening silence, jumbo shrimp

Answer 75

Oxymoron (Alayna M)

Question 76

The rhythm or pattern of beats in a line of poetry, a combination of number of beats and stressed/non-stressed syllables in each line. Types: Iamb (unstressed, stressed), Trochee (stressed, unstressed), Dactyl (stressed, unstressed, unstressed), Anapest (unstressed, unstressed, stressed). (Example: (Iamb) "But soft! What light through yonder window breaks!" (Romeo & Juliet 2:2))

Answer 76

Meter (Cali M.)

Question 77

The sounds in the words are similar but not identical, imperfect rhyme, because words have different vowels or consonants. (Example: "Hope is a thing with feathers/ That perches in the soul/ And sings the tune without/ The words/ And never stops at all..." (Emily Dickinson, "Hope is a thing with feathers"))

Answer 77

Inexact/slant rhyme (Cali M.)

Question 78

Giving inanimate/nonhuman objects human characteristics. (Ex. "I've not been in this house—it's more than a year...it never seemed a very cheerful place.")

Answer 78

Personification (Jerry B)

Question 79

The pattern or arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables in a poem. Consists of several basic types: iambs (U S), trochees (S U), spondees (S S), anapests (U U S), and dactyls (S U U). (Ex. "Though wise men at their end know dark is right..." - iambic pentameter)

Answer 79

Meter (Jerry B)

Question 80

Repeated vowel (and related) sounds close together in a line. (Ex. "I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would suffice.")

Answer 80

Assonance (Jerry B)

Question 81

Use of speech where referring to a "part" is really referring to a whole. (Ex. Hired hands referring to workers)

Answer 81

Synecdoche (Jerry B)

Question 82

A rhyme involving a stressed syllable followed by one or more unstressed syllables (Ex. Keeping/weeping, smarter/barter)

Answer 82

Feminine Rhyme (Kiera B)

Question 83

A self-contradicting word or phrase. (Ex: "Why, then, O brawling love! O loving hate!") (Ex: jumbo shrimp, humblebrag)

Answer 83

Oxymoron (Ms. Zwart)

Question 84

A rhyme in which the stressed syllables of the rhyming words match, and any following syllables also match exactly (Ex: The bold knight fought with all his might.)

Answer 84

Masculine Rhyme (David L)

Question 85

A grouped set of lines in a poem, separated from other groups by a space (Ex: Roses are red, Violets are blue, Sugar is sweet, And so are you.)

Answer 85

Stanza (David L)

Question 86

A group or stanza of three lines, often rhyming together or with other tercets (Ex: The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep.)

Answer 86

Tercet (David L)

Question 87

A poem or song composed in honor of someone who has died, often expressing sorrow or reflection (Ex: O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done.)

Answer 87

Elegy (David L)

Question 88

An unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable the entire poem. Like duh-DUH, It can be the same word or two different words. (Ex. Your BEATing HEART reMINDS me OF a DRUM)

Answer 88

Iambic Feet (Kiera B)

Question 89

Two lines of verse joined by a rhyme (Ex. I do not like green eggs and ham I do not like them Sam I am)

Answer 89

Couplet (Kiera B)

Question 90

The formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named (Ex. Slam, splash, babble)

Answer 90

Onomatopoeia (Zoe M)

Question 91

A stanza of four lines, especially one having alternate rhymes. (Ex. The curfew tolls the knell of parting day, The lowing herd wind slowly o'er the lea, The plowman homeward plods his weary way, And leaves the world to darkness and to me.)

Answer 91

Quatrain (Zoe M)

Question 92

The repetition of the same stressed vowel sound as well as any consonant sounds that follow the vowel (Ex. happy/snappy, kit/bit, ect)

Answer 92

Exact Rhyme (Zoe M)

Question 93

A type of metrical foot consisting of two syllables—the first is stressed and the second is an unstressed syllable (Ex. Garden, highway, poet)

Answer 93

Trochaic Feet (Zoe M)

Question 93

A stanza consisting of only three lines, which may or may not rhyme. Ex. “In a solitude of the sea Deep from human vanity, And the Pride of Life that planned her, stilly couches she. Steel chambers, late the pyres Of her salamandrine fires, Cold currents thrid, and turn to rhythmic tidal lyres.” Thomas Hardy’s “The Convergence Of The Twain”

Answer 93

Tercet (Cora)

Question 94

Harsh and discordant sounds or words in a stanza, used to create a noisy and jarring effect. Ex. “’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe.” –Lewis Carroll’s “Jabberwocky”

Answer 94

Cacophony (Cora)

Question 94

When there is an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable (like the word “indeed”). The symbol for an iamb looks like this: ◡ – These make up iambic meters. Ex. “Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?” –Shakespeare, sonnet 18 (This is a pentameter, with five iambic feet inside)

Answer 94

Iambic Feet (Cora)

Question 95

A poem of mourning, meant to express lament for some kind of loss– usually that of a person, but it could be written on the passing of anything (such as a breakup.) Ex. “ ...I might not have the chance I missed in life Through some delay, and call you to your face First soldier, and then poet, and then both, Who died a soldier-poet of your race.” –Robert Frost’s “To E. T.”

Answer 95

Elegy (Cora)

Question 96

A word that imitates the sound it makes. Ex. "Anything like the sound of a rat / makes my heart go pit-a-pat!" (The Pied Piper of Hamelin) or "crash, bang boom!"

Answer 96

Onomatopoeia (Malia)

Question 97

The repetition of grammatical elements. Ex. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness..." (A Tale of Two Cities)

Answer 97

Parallelism (Malia)

Question 98

A rhyme where the stressed syllables that rhyme are the final syllables of the word. Ex. mend, bend, end, defend

Answer 98

Masculine Rhyme (Malia)

Question 99

Words/phrases used in a specific group or setting. Ex. "Corroborating evidence" used in the trial in To Kill a Mockingbird (legal language, not everyday speak)

Answer 99

Jargon (Malia)