ballad
a poem that tells a story and is meant to be sung or recited; narrative poem
blank verse
unrhymed iambic pentameter
caesura
a pause or sudden break in a line of poetry
couplet
two line stanza (rhyme)
elegy
a poem that expresses sorrow or lamentation, usually for one who has died
epic
a long narrative poem about the adventures of a hero whose actions reflect the ideals and values of a nation or group
epigram
a short witty poem or saying that seeks to ridicule a single thought or event, usually with witticism or sarcasm
epitaph
a short poem or verse written in memory of someone
foot
a unit of meter within a line of poetry
free verse
poetry without regular patterns of rhyme and rhythm. Often used to capture the sounds and rhythms of ordinary speech.
haiku
a traditional form of Japanese poetry, usually dealing with nature. Has three lines and describes a single moment, feeling, or thing. The first and third lines contain five syllables and the second line contains seven syllables.
end/terminal rhymes
words that rhyme at the end of a verse-line
ode
a lyric poem of some length, usually of serious or meditative nature and having an elevated style and formal structure
lyric poetry
a song-like poem written mainly to express the feelings or emotions of a single speaker
limerick
a short humorous poem composed of five lines that usually has the rhyme scheme aabba; typically has a sing-song rhythm.
heroic/closed couplet
a couplet consisting of two successive rhyming lines that contain a complete thought
sonnet
a 14-lined poem with a set rhyme scheme or pattern and written in iambic pentameter; two main styles: the Italian/Petrarchan (an octave (8 lines) that asks a question or states a problem with abba-abba, then a sestet (6 lines) that offers an answer cde-cd
triplet/tercet
3 line stanza
quatrain
4 line stanza
cinquain/quintet
5 line stanza
sestet/sextet
6 line stanza
septet
7 line stanza
octave
8 line stanza
eye rhymes
words that when written appear to rhyme but when spoken do not (ex: cough/enough/bough)
internal rhyme
rhyme found within a line poetry (alliteration, assonance, and consonance)
slant rhyme
rhyme in which the vowel sounds are nearly, but not exactly the same (i.e. the words "stress" and "kiss"); sometimes called half-rhyme, near rhyme, off rhyme, pararhyme, oblique rhyme, or partial rhyme
meter
the regular pattern of accented and unaccented syllables in all poems
iamb
unstressed-stressed: x /
trochee
stressed-unstressed: / x
anapest
unstressed-unstressed-stressed: x x /
dactyl
stressed-unstressed-unstressed: / x x
spondee
stressed-stressed: / /
pyrrhic
unstressed-unstressed: x x
monometer
one foot per line
dimeter
2 feet per line
trimeter
3 feet per line
tetrameter
4 feet per line
pentameter
5 feet per line
hexameter
6 feet per line
heptameter
7 feet per line
octameter
8 feet per line
consonance
the repetition of consonant sounds anywhere within a line of poetry
assonance
the repetition of vowel sounds within a line of poetry
enjambment
the running over of a line or thought into the next verse in poetry without any punctuation at the end of several lines