alliteration
a repetition of the same first sound or letter in a group of words or a line of poetry
anapest
a metrical foot of three syllables, two unaccented followed by one accented, or two short followed by one long
assonance
a resemblance in the sound of words or syllables. A substitute for rhyme in which vowels are alike, but the consonants are different
consonance
a poetic musical effect which uses a correspondence of consonant sounds
dominant foot
the foot used to form the basis of the meter; the foot most frequently used in a particular poem
iamb
a common metrical foot in English poetry consisting of only two syllables; one unaccented followed by one accented
onomatopoeia
to use a word that imitates a sound associated with a specific object
trochee
a two-syllable foot that stresses the first syllable
dactyl
a metrical foot having one accented or long syllable followed by two unaccented or short syllables
pyrrhic
a measure in poetry that consists of two unaccented syllables
spondee
a metrical foot composed of two accented syllables
imperfect rhyme
(approximate or slant rhyme) involves words that sound similar, but are not exactly the same
eye rhyme
rhyme that appears correct from spelling but does not rhyme because of pronunciation
alliteration
use of the same consonant at the beginning of each stressed syllable in a line of verse
consonance
repetition of consonant sounds within words
metrical foot
a group of 2 or 3 syllables forming the basic unit of poetic rhythm
spondee
a metrical unit with stressed-stressed syllables
narrative poem
a poem that tells a story
pentameter
a verse line having five metrical feet
tetrameter
a verse line having four metrical feet
hexameter
a verse line having six metrical feet
heptameter
seven feet
feminine ending
an extra unstressed syllable at the end of a line of poetry
masculine ending
a stressed syllable ending a verse line
personification
the act of attributing human characteristics to abstract ideas etc.
cliché
a worn-out idea or overused expression
sonnet
a verse form consisting of 14 lines with a fixed rhyme scheme
anapest
a metrical unit with unstressed-unstressed-stressed syllables
simile
a figure of speech that expresses a resemblance between things of different kinds (usually formed with ‘like’ or ‘as’)
metephor
a comparision not using “like” or “as”
