metaphor
a figure of speech that makes a comparison equating two or more unlike things without using “like” or “as.”
simile
figures of speech that use the words like or as to make comparisons
alliteration
the repetition of the same sound at the beginning of words
assonance
repetition of a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u)
consonance
repetition of a consonant sound
caesura
a pause within a line
enjambment
when the reader should continue to the next line of poetry without pausing
internal rhyme
rhyme that happens within a line, instead of only at the end
rhythm
the recurring pattern of strong and weak syllabic stresses
onomatopoeia
the use of a word whose sound suggests its meaning
rhyme scheme
the pattern of end rhyme in a poem
ballad
a story-telling, song-like form of poetry
free verse
a poem with no regular meter, no rhyme scheme
personification
giving inanimate objects living qualities
sonnet
a form of poetry with 14 lines of iambic pentameter
symbol
an object that stands for an abstract idea
synecdoche
using a part of a thing to refer to the whole
iamb
a poetic foot with 2 syllables: da-DUM
anapest
a poetic foot with 3 syllables: da-da-DUM
trochee
a poetic foot with 2 syllables: DA-dum
dactyl
a poetic foot with 3 syllables: DA-da-dum
spondee
a poetic foot with 2 stressed syllables: DA-DUM
oxymoron
an expression that seems to contradict itself, but actually does not
quatrain
a four-line stanza
couplet
a two-line stanza
haiku
a 17-syllable, delicate, unrhymed Japanese verse, usually about nature
limerick
a 5-line, rhymed, rhythmic verse, usually humorous
hyperbole
intentionally exaggerated figures of speech
mood
the overall feeling or atmosphere created by the author’s use of language
tone
the author’s attitude toward the subject of the poem or a character in the poem
