alliteration
repetition of initial consonant sounds; writers and poets use them to create pleasing musical effects; must contain two or more words
allusion
a reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art
apostrophe
figure of speech where the writer speaks directly to an idea, to a quality, to an object, or to a person who is not present
assonance
the close repetition of similar vowels in conjunction with dissimilar consonant sounds
ballad
a song-like poem that tells a story, often dealing with adventure or romance
cacophony
a succession of harsh jolting sounds
connotation
the set of associations that the word calls to mind
consonance
the repetition of consonant sounds in conjunction with dissimilar vowel sounds
couplet
a pair of consecutive rhyming lines
denotation
the literal or exact meaning of a word
elegy
lyric poem which expresses mourning usually over the death of an individual
epic poem
a long, narrative poem about the exploits of a hero or a god
euphony
smooth, harmonious sounds
figurative language
a writing or speech not meant to be interpreted literally
free verse
poetry not written in a regular rhythmical pattern
hyperbole
deliberate exaggeration or overstatement that is not meant to be taken literally
iamb or iambic
a line of poetry with 5 iambic feet, each with one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable
imagery
the descriptive language used in literature to recreate sensory experiences
internal rhyme
occurs when the rhyming words fall within a line
lyric poetry
a highly musical verse tat expresses the observations and feelings of a single speaker
metaphor
figure of speech in which one thing is spoken of as though it were something else
narrative poetry
tells a story in verse
octave
an 8-line stanza
onomatopoeia
the use of words that imitate sounds
personification
a nonhuman subject is given human qualities
prose
the ordinary form of written language
quatrain
a four line poem or stanza with 4 lines
quintain
a five line stanza
rhyme scheme
a regular pattern of rhyming words in a poem; use lower case letters on the right to describe it
rhythm
the pattern of beats or stresses in spoken or written language
simile
a figure of speech that makes a direct comparison between two subjects
sonnet
a 14-line lyric poem focused on a single theme; has rhyming lines and an iambic pentameter
stanza
a group of lines in a poem considered as a unit equivalent to a paragraph in prose
trochee or trochaic
a foot with one strong stress followed by one weak stress
tone
the writers attidude toward the subject or reader