Form & Structure
The general term for a formal division of lines in a poem, and the specific names for two- and three-line units.
What are Stanza, Couplet, and Tercet?
The repetition of similar or identical sounds in two or more words, specifically when those sounds occur at the end of the lines.
What are Rhyme and End Rhyme?
The two figures of speech that compare dissimilar things: one using "like" or "as" and the other asserting that one thing is another.
What are Simile and Metaphor?
The writer's word choice, and the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences.
What are Diction and Syntax?
A metrical foot consisting of an unstressed followed by a stressed syllable, contrasted with a metrical foot of a stressed followed by an unstressed syllable.
What are Iamb and Trochee?
The formal names for a four-line, six-line, and eight-line stanza.
What are Quatrain, Sestet, and Octave?
The repetition of initial consonant sounds, the repetition of vowel sounds within non-rhyming words, and the repetition of consonant sounds within or at the end of words.
What are Alliteration, Assonance, and Consonance?
Attributing human characteristics to inanimate objects, contrasted with attributing human form or behavior to non-human entities like animals or gods.
What are Personification and Anthropomorphism?
The literal, dictionary definition of a word, versus the emotional or implied associations attached to a word.
What are Denotation and Connotation?
The most common meter in English poetry, characterized by lines that have ten syllables arranged in five pairs of unstressed/stressed syllables.
What is Iambic Pentameter?
The contrast between a line that concludes a phrase with punctuation and a line where the grammatical sentence runs on to the next line without punctuation.
What are End-Stopped Line and Enjambment?
A perfect match of rhyming sounds ("cat" and "hat"), contrasted with words that share similar, but not identical, sounds ("grope" and "cup").
What are Exact Rhyme and Slant Rhyme (or Near Rhyme)?
Exaggeration used for emphasis or effect, often contrasted with the deliberate presentation of something as smaller or less important than it actually is.
What are Hyperbole and Understatement?
An extended, elaborate, or surprisingly complex comparison between two highly dissimilar objects, and a brief, indirect reference to a person, place, or idea of historical or literary significance.
What are Conceit and Allusion?
Language that appeals to the sense of sight, contrasted with language that appeals to the sense of hearing.
What are Visual Imagery and Auditory Imagery?
Poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter, contrasted with poetry that has no regular meter or rhyme scheme.
What are Blank Verse and Free Verse?
The use of harsh, discordant sounds for a jarring effect, often contrasted with the use of pleasant, melodious sounds.
What are Cacophony and Euphony?
A figure of speech where a part stands for the whole ("wheels" for a car), contrasted with a figure of speech where a closely related term is substituted for an object or idea ("The Crown" for the monarchy).
What are Synecdoche and Metonymy?
The attitude of the author toward the subject matter, and a figure of speech in which a speaker directly addresses an absent person, a personified object, or an abstract idea.
What are Tone and Apostrophe?
A metrical foot of one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables, contrasted with a metrical foot of two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable.
What are Dactyl and Anapest?
A three-line stanza form with an interlocking rhyme scheme (ABA BCB CDC...), and a rhyming pair of lines in iambic pentameter, often concluding a sonnet or scene.
What are Terza Rima and Heroic Couplet?
The formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named ("hiss"), and a rhyme in which the final two syllables are stressed, such as "ceiling" and "feeling."
What are Onomatopoeia and Feminine Rhyme?
The union of two contradictory terms ("jumbo shrimp"), a statement that appears self-contradictory but contains a deeper truth, and a play on words based on similar sounds.
What are Oxymoron, Paradox, and Pun?
Language written with a measure or rhythm, usually with formal structural elements, versus language written in ordinary style, without metrical structure.
What are Verse and Prose?
Imagery that relates to the sense of movement or tension, contrasted with imagery that represents internal sensation such as hunger, thirst, or emotion.
What are Kinesthetic Imagery and Organic Imagery?