Literary Terms: Poetry And Drama

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Poem

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A type of writing in which words are chosen and arranged to create a strong feeling, message, or image through meaning, sound, and rhythm.

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Prose

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Writing that uses sentences.

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Lines

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Rows of words in a poem that do not always follow the rules of capitalization and punctuation that you see in other types of writing.

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Stanzas

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Groups of lines set apart by spaces in a poem.

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Rhyme

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Words with the same ending sound.

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Rhyme Scheme

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Lines that end with words that rhyme.

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Rhythm

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The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry. It creates a beat.

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Meter

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A recurring pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables.

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Repetition

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Repeating of words or lines in poetry. Poets often use repetition to help unify a poem or to reinforce the meaning of theme.

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Alliteration

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The repetition of an initial consonant sound.

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Simile

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A comparison that uses the words like or as.

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Metaphor

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A comparison that does not use the word like or as.

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Personification

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When human qualities are assigned to nonhuman things.

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Symbolism

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The use of an object to stand for a thing or idea.

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Tone

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A speaker’s attitude toward the topic.

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Ballad

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A short poem that tells a story and consists of stanzas of two to four lines and a refrain, or a series of lines that repeats.

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Free Verse

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A poem that does not follow any rules of rhythm or rhyme.

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Lyric Poem

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A short poem focused on the speaker’s thoughts or feelings; often similar to a song.

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Ode

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A poem that includes two or more stanzas with similar structures; each line must rhyme with another line in the same stanza; usually a serious poem about a meaningful topic.

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Epic Poem

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A long poem that tells about adventures of a hero or a historic event, such as a great military victory.

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Sonnet

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A poem that has fourteen lines with ten to twelve syllables per line.

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Denotations

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Meanings or feeling suggested or implied by a word, separate from its dictionary definition.

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Drama

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A story written to be performed by actors.

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Cast

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A list of people or animals in a play.

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Act

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The main sections of a drama.

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Scene

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The smaller sections within an act.

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Dialogue

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The words spoken by the characters or narrator.

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Stage Directions

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Directions telling characters how to speak or act; directions telling how sound, lighting, or props are used.

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Exposition

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Introduces the characters, setting, and initial conflict the main character or characters face.

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Rising Action

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All the events that lead up to the climax.

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Climax

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The turning point in the story.

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Falling Action

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The result of the climax that leads to a resolution.

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Resolution

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Tells how the conflict was resolved.

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Hyperbole

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An exaggeration to make things appear greater or lesser than they really are.

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Pun

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A joke based on the different possible meanings of a word or what a word sounds like.

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Allusion

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A comparison to a historical, mythical, or literary person or event.