Poetry Definitions Words you need to know Alliteration

Poetry Definitions Words you need to know

Alliteration The repetition of consonant sounds, especially at the beginning of words. Examples: "Fetched fresh, as I suppose, off some sweet wood. " “Polly planted plenty of pretty pansies. ”

Free verse Poetry without a regular pattern of meter or rhyme Example: Fog by Carl Sandburg The fog comes on little cat feet. It sits looking over harbor and city on silent haunches and then moves on.

Line The basic structural component of a poem. Lines can be arranged in free form, by syllables (as in a haiku), or by meter.

Line break The place where a line of poetry ends. It does not always have traditional punctuation. Line breaks are important because they often affect meaning. Poets use line breaks to lead readers into multiple understandings and surprising ideas, as well as to control the flow at which they encounter ideas and images.

Metaphor Figure of speech that compares two completely different objects (without using like or as) suggesting they are similar Examples: Her eyes were fireflies Time is money Time is a thief You are my sunshine He has a heart of stone America is a melting pot

Onomatopoeia Use of words that mimic sounds, or sound like what they mean. Example: buzz and crack or "murmur of innumerable bees"

Personification Giving human characteristics to objects, animals, or ideas. Examples: “The sun played hide and seek with the clouds” “The vines wove their fingers together to form a braid” “The yellow leaves flaunted their color gaily in the breeze. "

Rhyme The matching of final vowel or consonant sounds in two or more words. Example: Mary quite contrary, How does your garden grow? With silver bells and cockle shells And pretty maids all in a row.

Rhythm/meter The measured pattern of rhythmic accents in poems; a pattern of syllables, a beat. Example (~=unaccented, /=accented): ~ / ~ / All I could see from where I stood ~ / ~ / Was three long mountains and a wood;

Sensory Images Help the reader visualize things using the five senses Example: An apple, for example, might be described "juicy and tart. "

Simile A figure of speech that compares unlike things using “like, ” “as, ” or “as though” Examples: “As dry as a bone” “As easy as shooting fish in a barrel” “They fought like cats and dogs” “Stand out like a sore thumb”

Stanza One or more lines that make up the basic units of a poem - separated from each other by spacing