Literary Devices
This device occurs when the same consonant sound is repeated at the beginning of nearby words.
What is alliteration?
The repetition of similar vowel sounds in nearby words is called this.
assonance
Giving human qualities to non-human things, like "the wind whispered through the trees."
personification
A poem that tells a story, often in song-like form.
ballad
This is the natural rise and fall of a language when spoken, different from a strict metrical pattern.
cadence
This occurs when a word imitates the sound it describes such as "boom"
onomatopoeia
This occurs when a phrase, line, or stanza is repeated multiple times in a poem.
repetition
A pair of rhyming lines in poetry is called this.
couplet
A type of poem arranged to form a visual shape related to its meaning.
The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry, which gives it a musical quality.
rhythm
This term describes a phrase that has been overused to the point that it has lost its original impact.
cliché
A rhyming pattern where the words sound similar but not identical is called this.
slate rhyme
This type of exaggeration is used to emphasize something, such as "I’ve told you a million times!"
hyperboly
A 14-line poem, often written in iambic pentameter, following either a Petrarchan or Shakespearean structure.
sonnet
A poetic line with five pairs of alternating unstressed and stressed syllables.
iambic pentameter
This type of figurative language compares two unlike things without using "like" or "as."
metaphor
This figure of speech compares two very different things in an elaborate way.
conceit
When the same consonant sound is repeated at the end of words, it is called this.
consonance
A long, serious poem written in dignified language, often in praise of something.
ode
A pause in the middle of a line of poetry, often marked by punctuation.
caesura
This is when two words that are opposite in meaning are placed together, such as "deafening silence."
oxymoron
When a phrase refers to something by an associated term, such as calling a king "crown," it is using this device.
metonymy
The overall mood or feeling created in a piece of writing is known as this.
atmosphere
A long narrative poem that tells the story of a hero’s adventures .
Epic
A rhythmic unit of poetry consisting of one stressed syllable and one or more unstressed syllables
foot