A literary work in which special intensity is given to the expression of ideas and/or feelings through a distinct style, rhythm, and verse

Poetry that does not have a regular meter or rhyme scheme; free of rulesLines with no prescribed pattern or structure — the poet determines all the variables as seems appropriate for each poem

A short poem in which a single speaker expresses personal thoughts and feelings; meant to be sung

Poetry that tells a story, containing characters, settings, events, plots and themes.

Elements such as rhyme, rhythm, alliteration, and refrain that gives poetry a musical quality

A musical quality produced by the repetition of stressed and unstressed syllables (meter) or by the repetition of words and phrases or even whole lines or sentence

unrhymed iambic pentameter (much of the plays of Shakespeare are written inthis form)

A word at the end of one line rhymes with a word at the end of another lineExample: time, slime, mimeDouble rhymes include the final two syllables. Example: revival, arrival, survivalTriple rhymes include the final three syllables. Example: greenery, machinery, scenery

two words that have some sound in common but do not rhyme exactlyTell and TollWHEN TWO SINGLE-SYLLABLE WORDS SHARE THE OPENING AND CLOSING CONSONANTS BUT NOT THE INTERVENING VOWEL

Rhyme that occurs within a line, rather than at the end

A line having no pause or end punctuation but having uninterrupted grammatical meaning continuing into the next line.* Used to build suspense and create momentum, as the reader continues right on to the next tine.

one line of poem is repeated

A comparison between two unlike things that continues throughout a series of sentences in a paragraph or lines in a poem.

Clear pronunciation; accent; articulation

1. joining, 2. speaking clearly

Repetition of initial consonant sounds

Repetition of vowel sounds

Repeated consonant sounds at the ending of words placed near each other, usually on thesame or adjacent lines. These should be in sounds that are accented, or stressed, rather than in vowel sounds that are unaccented. This produces a pleasing kind of near-rhyme.

Example: boats into the pastExample: cool soul

A discordant series of harsh, unpleasant sounds helps to convey disorder. This is often furtheredby the combined effect of the meaning and the difficulty of pronunciation.Example: My stick fingers click with a snickerAnd, chuckling, they knuckle the keys;Light-footed, my steel feelers flickerAnd pluck from these keys melodies.—”Player Piano,” John Updike

A series of musically pleasant sounds, conveying a sense of harmony and beauty to the languageExample: Than Oars divide the Ocean,Too silver for a seam—Or Butterflies, off Banks of NoonLeap, plashless as they swim.— “A Bird Came Down the Walk,” Emily Dickenson

The purposeful re-use of words and phrases for an effect.

Repetition that mirrors other lines in poetry.

Sometimes, especially with longer phrases that contain a different key word each time. It has been a central part of poetry in many cultures.

figure of speech comparing two different things without using like or as

A comparison using like or as

A word that imitates the sound it represents.

A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes

A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art.

Allusions can be historical, literary, religious, topical, or mythical. There are many more possibilities, and a work may simultaneously use multiple layers of allusion.

A writer’s attitude toward his or her subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization on the sentence and global levels.

Feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader