Poetry Vocabulary Terms

figurative language

uses words or expressions with a different meaning than literal understanding

voice

the imaginary speaker in a poem, the narrator. generally not the same as the author

simile

comparing two unlike things using like or as

metaphor

comparing two unlike things without using like or as

tone/mood

how a poem "feels", the poets attitude towards a topic

personification

giving human characteristics to non-human things

symbolism

when a word or object is used to represent something else

hyperbole

an extreme exaggeration

line

one set of words in a poem, similar to a sentence

stanza

a group of lines in a poem

rhyme

when words have the same ending sound at the end of lines of poetry

rhythm

the pattern of stressed/unstressed syllables in a line of poetry, like a "beat" in a song

imagery

words, phrases and descriptions that spark the 5 senses (taste, sight, touch, sound, smell)

oxymoron

when two opposite words are joined together, example- deafening silence

alliteration

repetition of beginning sounds in words

onomatopoeia

words that represent sounds, words that sound like the thing being described

repetition

repeating a word, phrase or idea throughout a poem or part of a poem

enjambment

when a sentence, phrase, or thought does not end at the end of a line of poetry

prose

text and words written in complete sentences and paragraphs, following grammar and punctuation rules

poetry

text and words that includes, rhythm, rhyme and pattern. Does not always follow grammar and punctuation rules, not written in complete sentences or paragraphs

poet

the author of a poem

connotation

the meaning of a word or phrase beyond its literal, dictionary definition. The feeling a word or phrase creates

denotation

the literal, dictionary definition of a word or phrase