| A | B |
|---|
| alliteration | the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words |
| assonance | the repetition of vowel sounds within non-rhyming words |
| ballad | a type of narrative poem that tells a story and was originally meant to be sung or recited |
| blank verse | unrhymed poetry written in iambic pentameter |
| connotation | an attitude or a feeling associated with a word |
| consonance | the repetition of consonant sounds within and at the end of the words |
| couplet | a rhymed pair of lines |
| diction | a writer's or speaker's choice of words and way of arranging the words in sentences |
| elegy | an extended meditative poem in which the speaker reflects on death or an equally serious subject |
| extended metaphor | a metaphor that compares tow unlike things in some length and several ways |
| figurative language | language that communicates meanings beyond the literal meanings |
| hyperbole | a figure of speech in which the truth is exaggerated for emphasis or humorous effect |
| metaphor | a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two thins that are basically unlike but have something in common |
| personification | a figure of speech in which human qualities are given to an object |
| simile | a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike thing using the words "like, rather, as, than" |
| understatement (meiosis, litotes) | a techniques of creating emphasis by saying less than is actually or literally true |
| form | the principles of arrangement in a poem--the ways in which lines are organized |
| free verse | poetry that does not contain regular patterns of rhythm or rhyme |
| haiku | a form of Japanese poetry in which 17 syllables are arranged in three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables |
| iambic pentameter | a metrical pattern of five feet, or units, each of which is made up of two syllable, the first unstressed and the second stressed |
| idiom | a common figure of speech whose meaning is different from the literal meaning of its words |
| imagery | descriptive words and phrases that re-create sensory experiences for the reader |
| lyric poetry | a short poem in which a single speaker expresses personal thoughts and feelings |
| narrative poetry | poetry that tells a story or recounts events |
| mood | the feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader |
| meter | a regular patter of stressed and unstressed syllables in a poem |
| ode | a complex lyric poem that develops a serious and dignified theme |
| onomatopoeia | the use of words whose sound echo their meanings |
| paradox | a seemingly contradictory or absurd statement that may nonetheless suggest an important truth |
| parallelism | the use of similar grammatical constructions to express ideas that are related or equal in importance |
| pastoral | a poem presenting shepherds in rural settings, usually in an idealized manner. |
| quatrain | four lines of poetry |
| repetition | a technique in which a sound, word, phrase, or line is repeated for emphasis or unity. |
| rhyme | the occurrence of similar or identical sounds at the end of two or more words |
| rhyme scheme | a pattern of end rhymes in a poem |
| rhythm | a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry |
| scansion | the notation of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry |
| sonnet | a lyric poem of 14 lines |
| sound devices | use of words for their auditory effect |
| style | the particular way in which a work of literature is written |
| stanza | a group of two or more lines in a poem |
| symbol | a person, place, object, or an activity that stands for something beyond itself |
| theme | an underlying message about life or human nature that a writer wants the reader to understand |
| tone | the attitude a writer takes toward a subject |
| voice | a writer's unique use of language that allows a reader to 'hear' a human personality in a work |
| speaker | the voice that 'talks' to the reader in a poem |
