Alliteration
repetition of the same sound (vowel or consonant) at the beginning of two or more consecutive or near words
Allusion
a reference to something the author expects the audience to know, either from Pop Culture Religion Literature or History
Assonance
repetition of vowel sounds
Consonance
repetition of the final consonant sounds (at the end and all letters that are not vowels)
Connotation
the suggestion or implication of a word in addition to the literal meaning; society's perception of the word
Denotation
the dictionary definition of a word
Hyperbole
an extreme overstatement or exaggeration to provide emphasis
Understatement
the downplaying of a situation; opposite of hyperbole
Imagery
the use of words or phrases that appeal to the senses
Metaphor
a comparison between two unlike things
Onomatopoeia
the use of words which sound like they mean
Personification
giving inanimate or non-living objects human characteristics
Pun
a humorous play on words either on different senses of the word or different spelling
Oxymoron
two opposing words placed together to create an effect (opposite meaning)
Simile
a comparison between two things using "like" or "as
Symbol
an object or thing that represents something else, particularly an idea
Irony
when one thing is expected, but something completely different occurs or the use of words that mean the opposite of what one really intends
Paradox
a statement that seems to contradict itself
Repetition
repeating the important words, phrases, lines, or stanzas for effect
Rhyme
the similarity of ending sounds between two words
Rhyme Scheme
the sequence in which rhyme occurs; represented with letters
Rhythm
when words in a poem are arranged in such a way that they create a particular pattern or beat
Line
a "sentence" in poetry
Stanza
a group of lines separated from other lines by breaks in the poem; the "paragraphs" of poetry
Meter
the set number of syllables in each line of poetry