Poetry glossary

The pattern of rhyme, usually indicated by assigning a letter of the alphabet to each rhyme at the end of a line

Same beginning sound

She sells seashells by the seashore

A worm named Maurice took the garden by storm.

The central message that the poet is trying to deliver

Writing or speech that is not meant to be taken literally.

A figure of speech in which something is described as though it were something else

The use, more than once, of any element of language-- a sound, word, phrase, clause, or sentence.

He was pale as a ghost!

A figure of speech that uses “like” or “as” to make a direct comparison between two unlike ideas

Don't judge a book by it's cover

The repetition of a vowel sound at the beginning, middle, or end of nearby words

The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in spoken or written language

The sun dips low, a fiery kiss, painting the sky in hues of bliss, a quiet peace, a gentle breeze

The repetition of sounds at the ends of words

formal/informal, plain/fancy, ordinary/technical, old-fashioned/modern

The sky, a canvas of fading oranges,bleeds into a bruised purple,as the sun dips low,a slow goodbye to the day.

every time/the lines end/a thought

A reference to a well-known person, event, place, literary work, or work of art

I will be the gladdest thing a Under the sun! b I will touch a hundred flowers c And not pick one.

The clouds covered the sky like a warm blanket, making everyone feel safe.

The use of words that imitate sounds (it helps put the reader in the action of a poem)

Poetry not written in a regular, rhythmical pattern, or meter

Poetry in which every line must have a certain length and a certain number of stresses

Love is a battlefield.

A writer’s or speaker’s word choice

Ivan will try to light the fire.

A poem that includes story elements such as characters, conflict, plot, etc.

A unified group of lines in poetry, often marked by spacing between sections of the poem

The repetition of a consonant sound at the beginning, middle, or end of nearby words

A poem in which a single speaker expresses his or her thoughts and emotions

The feeling created in the audience through the author’s use of imagery, word choice, descriptive details, etc.

A poem’s rhythmical pattern that is determined by the number of stresses, or beats, in each line

O where ha' you been, Lord Randal, my son? And where ha' you been, my handsome young man?

Anything that stands for or represents something else to highlight certain elements the author wishes to emphasize

The central message that the poet is trying to deliver

Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater

He is as strong as Superman.

The author’s attitude toward his or her audience and subject

a four leaf clover

The use of vivid word pictures that appeal to one of the five senses

It was a dark and stormy night.

metaphors, similes, personification

formal/informal, serious/playful, bitter, ironic

Shall I / com pare / thee to / a sum / mer's day?"

The repetition of sounds at the ends of words

crash, buzz, screech, hiss, neigh, jingle

Boots of Spanish Leather

I will be the gladdest thing a Under the sun! b I will touch a hundred flowers c And not pick one.