Poetry Terms

“The poet doesn’t invent. He listens.” - Jean Cocteau

All definitions from wikipedia.org

Verse Vs. Prose

Verse

Formal structure with meter and rhyme, though it doesn’t always need rhyme“the best words in the best order”Seen in poetry

Prose

Resembles everyday speechSet up in paragraphs and sentencesSeen in novels, short stories, and most any other form of writing

Free Verse

A form of verse that is written without rhyme or meter. It can still be recognized as poetry because it has a complex pattern of sorts. Shakespeare wrote a lot of plays in this type.

Stanza

A group of lines in a poem set off by a space, somewhat like a paragraph in prose.

Example:Roses are Red, Violets are Blue

They both smell good, unlike my shoe

Types of Stanzas

Two lines = Couplet

Three lines = Tercet

Four lines = Quatrain

Five lines = Quintain

Eight lines = Octave

Rhyme

The repetition of similar sounds in two or more different words.

Example: Not, Hot, Shot

Internal Rhyme and Near Rhyme

Internal Rhyme

Rhyme that occurs within a line of poetry.

Example:

I carry a locket in my pocket.

Near Rhyme

Words that nearly have the same rhyming sound.

Example:

Soul and All

Rhyme Scheme

A pattern of rhyming lines in poetry. The pattern is found by looking at the last word of a line of poetry. It is labeled with letters.

For Example:A,A,B,A,B

Refrain

A line or lines in verse that is repeated throughout. It is like a chorus of a song.

Example: Yo ho yo ho a pirate’s life for me

Alliteration

The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of several words near each other.

Example:Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers

Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds in several words near each other. It is like alliteration, but vowel sounds, and can appear anywhere in a word.

Example:Make a cake for your date.

Consonance

The repetition of consonant sounds in several words near each other. This is like alliteration, but can appear anywhere within a word.

Example:Write a great paper on a great topic.

Hyperbole

A great exaggeration to make a point, but is not meant to be taken seriously.

Example:I could sleep for a year. (Meaning that the person is extremely tired)

Simile and Metaphor

Simile

A comparison of two unlike things using the words like or as.

Example:Fast as lightning

Metaphor

A direct comparison of two unlike things, saying that something is another.

ExampleShe is an angel

Personification

Giving human characteristics to non-living things.

Example: The wind whistled through the trees.

Onomatopoeia

A word that imitates the sound it describes.

Example:Boom!