Prosody
collective term that describes the technical aspects of verse relating to rhythm, stress, and meter
Scansion
the process of analyzing and marking the type and the number of feet in each line of verse
Meter
the recurring pattern of sounds that gives poems written in verse their distinctive rhythms
Foot
the metrical unit by which a line of poetry is measured
Pyrrhus
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Iamb
a metrical foot made up of an unstressed followed by a stressed syllable
Trochee
a metrical foot of a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable
Spondee
a foot consisting of two stressed syllables in a row
Anapest
a metrical foot of two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable
Dactyl
a metrical foot of a stressed syllable followed by two that are unstressed
Amphibrach
a metrical foot consisting of a stressed syllable between two unstressed syllables
Monometer
a line of verse with just one metrical foot
Dimeter
a line of verse consisting of two metrical feet
Trimeter
a line of verse consisting of three metrical feet
Tetrameter
a verse of four measures
Pentameter
a line of verse consisting of five metrical feet
Hexameter
a line of verse consisting of six metrical feet
Octameter
a line of verse consisting of eight metrical feet
Substitution
Any variant foot within a line that consists mainly of another metrical pattern
Catalexis
a missing unstressed syllable at the end of a trochaic or dactylic line (the absence of a syllable in the last foot of a line or verse)
Masculine Ending
Lines that end with a strong stress (stressed syllable)
Feminine Ending
Lines that end in an unstressed syllable (like regular trochaic and dactylic lines)
End-stoppage
lines that contain a complete sentence or independent clause and so have a distinct pause at the end, usually indicated by a mark of punctuation
Enjambment
run-on lines, lines where the sentence or clause continues for two or more lines of verse (no punctuation appears the end)
Caesura
a pause in the midst of a verse line, indicated by a mark of punctuation ( creates a shift in rhythmic pattern of line)
Rhyme
the repetition in two or more nearby words of the last stressed vowel and all the syllables that follow it
End Rhyme
rhyme that occurs at the end of poetic lines
Internal Rhyme
rhyme that occurs within a line, rather than at the end
Rhyme Scheme
the ordered pattern of rhymes at the ends of the lines of a poem or verse
Perfect Rhyme
when rhyming sounds match exactly
Half Rhyme
rhymes created out of words with similar but not identical sounds, partial rhyme
Eye Rhyme
rhyme that appears correct from spelling but does not rhyme because of pronunciation
Alliteration
the repetition of letter or sounds in nearby words or stressed syllables
Consonance
the repetition of consonant sounds in two or more successive words or stressed syllables with different vowel sounds
Assonance
the repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds in nearby words or stressed syllables
Onomatopoeia
using a word or phrase that seems to imitate the sounds it denotes: bang, creek, murmur when relating to consonance and assonance, effect comes from meaning not just sound
Repetition
Repeated use of sounds, words, verse, or sentence
Stanza
A group of lines in a poem that share a common pattern of meter, line length, and rhyme
Couplet
A pair of rhymed lines of the same length and meter
Heroic Couplet
rhymed pairs of lines in iambic pentameter (five feet of alternating unstressed and stressed syllables) frequently used in epics and heroic plays
Tercet/Triplet
A group of three lines, usually sharing the same rhyme
Quatrain
A four line stanza (abcb usually)
Cinquain
a five line stanza
Sestet
(1) A six-line stanza (2) The last six lines of a sonnet structured on the Italian model
Septet
seven line stanza
Octave
8 line stanza
Refrain
A word, a phrase, a line, or a group of lines repeated at intervals in a poem
Lyric Poetry
A poem in which a single speaker expresses personal thoughts and feelings (feels, thinks, sees)
Blank Verse
unrhymed iambic pentameter, a line of five feet of an unstressed followed by a stressed syllable
Free Verse
Poetry that does not have a regular meter or rhyme scheme
Figurative Language
Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning
Figures of thought
words or phrases used in ways that effect an obvious change in their standard meaning
Figures of speech
words or phrases that depend upon a change in the standard order or usual syntax of words to create special effects
Simile
A comparison of two unlike things using like or as
Metaphor
A comparison without using like or as