Poetry Terms

Front 1

the repetition of sounds, usually consonant sounds, at the beginning of words in the same line or in successive lines

Back 1

Alliteration

Front 2

the repetition of vowel sounds followed by different consonants. these sounds may appear in the same line or successive lines.

Back 2

assonance

Front 3

a relatively short poem that tells a story; there are two types

Back 3

ballad

Front 4

ballad meant to be sung

Back 4

folk ballad

Front 5

ballad meant to printed and read

Back 5

literary ballad

Front 6

unrhymed poetry, usually iambic pentameter in which each line has ten syllables. Five of the syllables are stressed-- generally the second, forth, sixth, and eighth, and tenth syllables.

Back 6

blank verse

Front 7

all the meanings, associations, or emotions that a word suggests

Back 7

connotation

Front 8

repetition of consonant sounds in conjunction with a dissimiliar vowel

Back 8

consonance

Front 9

two successive lines, usually rhymed, which form a single unit of verse

Back 9

couplet

Front 10

the literal meaning of words

Back 10

denotation

Front 11

poetry in which one or more characters speak to other characters who may or may not answer

Back 11

dramatic poetry

Front 12

a poem mourning the death of an individual

Back 12

elegy

Front 13

long narrative poem that relates the great deeds of a larger-than-life hero who embodies the values of a particular society

Back 13

epic

Front 14

language that is not meant to be interpreted on a strict, literal level because it would make no sense

Back 14

figurative language

Front 15

poetry that does not have a strict or fixed rhythmic pattern or equal line lengths, and which does not rhyme

Back 15

free verse

Front 16

(blank verse) a line of poetry with five iambic feet, each one with an unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable

Back 16

iambic pentameter

Front 17

a deliberate exaggeration or overstatement that is not meant to be taken literally

Back 17

hyperbole

Front 18

a word or phrase which brings a picture to the reader's mind or appeals to the senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste, or smell

Back 18

imagery

Front 19

a poem whose sole purpose is the expression of an individual's emotions or attitudes. It is usually short and musical.

Back 19

lyric