Poetry Terms A
a form of writing vital to culture, art, and life
what is poetry?
the pattern of rhymes falling at the ends of a poem’s lines
what is rhyme scheme?
the author of a poem
what is poet?
poetry not dictated by an established form or meter and often influenced by the rhythms of speech
what is free verse?
a three-line stanza, or unit of three lines of verse, rhymed or unrhymed
what is tercet?
the endowment of inanimate objects or abstract concepts with animate or living qualities
what is personification?
a grouping of lines that forms the main unit in a poem
what is stanza
a unit of pronunciation in speech
what is syllable?
a form that originated in Japan, is traditionally composed of three lines with seventeen syllables, written in a 5/7/5 syllable count, and often focuses on images from nature
what is haiku?
a four-line stanza, or unit of four lines of verse, rhymed or unrhymed
what is quatrain?
language in a poem representing a sensory experience, including visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile, and gustatory
what is imagery?
a comparison between two essentially unlike things using words “such as,” “like,” and “as”
what is simile?
exaggeration for emphasis
what is hyperbole?
a lyric address to an event, a person, or a thing not present
what is ode?
a seven-line stanza, or unit of seven lines of verse, rhymed or unrhymed, also known as a rhyme royal
what is septet?
the use of language that sounds like the thing or action it describes
what is onomatopeia?
the repetition of consonant sounds, particularly at the beginnings of words
what is alliteration?
the correspondence of sounds in words or lines of verse
what is rhyme?
an often comical or nonsensical form composed of five lines and popular in children’s literature
what is limerick?
a two-line stanza, or two lines of verse, typically rhymed
what is couplet?
a comparison between essentially unlike things, or the application of a name or description to something to which it is not literally applicable
what is metaphor?
the speaker’s or author’s attitude toward the reader, addressee, or subject matter
what is tone?
the structure of a poem, including its line lengths, line breaks, meter, stanza lengths, and rhyme scheme
what is form?
a fourteen-line poem traditionally written in iambic pentameter, employing one of several rhyme schemes, and adhering to a tightly structured thematic organization
what is sonnet?
a five-line stanza, or unit of five lines of verse, rhymed or unrhymed, also known as a quintet
what is quintain?