Poetry Literary Terms

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Alliteration

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Alliteration happens when words that begin with the same sound are placed close to one another. For example, “the silly snake silently slinked by” is a
form of alliteration. Try saying that ten times fast.

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Rhyme Scheme

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the pattern of rhyming lines in a poem

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Irony

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Irony involves saying one thing while really meaning another, contradictory
thing.

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Metaphor

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A metaphor happens when one thing is described as being another
thing.

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Internal Rhyme

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the rhyme occurs inside a line, such as “Let’s BEAT the HEAT.”

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Imagery

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Imagery is intense, descriptive language in a poem that helps to trigger our senses and our memories when we read it.

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Poetic Meter

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the number of feet in a line of poetry

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Simile

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Similes compare one thing directly to another. using "like" or "as"

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Stanza

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A stanza is a group of two or more lines that form a unit in a poem. A stanza is comparable to a paragraph in a prose. Each stanza may have the same
number of lines, or the number of lines may vary.

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Slant Rhyme

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Two words are nearly rhymed but slightly different, such as “Lake” and “Fate”.

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Allusion:

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An allusion happens when a speaker or character makes a brief and casual reference to a famous historical or literary figure or event.

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Sight Rhyme

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Two words look alike but don’t sound alike, such as “Love” and “Jove” or “Daughter” and “Laughter.”

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Symbolism

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when the author uses an object or reference to add deeper meaning to a story.

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Hyperbole

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A hyperbole is a gross exaggeration. For example, “tons of money” is a hyperbole.

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Allegory

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An allegory is a kind of extended metaphor (a metaphor that weaves throughout the poem) in which objects, persons, and actions stand for another
meaning.