poetry terms

Front

What is an idiom?

Back

An idiom is a phrase or expression that has a figurative meaning different from its literal meaning. For example, 'Time flies by' means that time passes quickly.

Tags

CCSS.L.4.5B

CCSS.L.5.5B

Front

What is a simile?

Back

A simile is a figure of speech that compares two different things using the words 'like' or 'as'. For example, 'I sang like a bird'.

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.5.5

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

Front

What is onomatopoeia?

Back

Onomatopoeia is a word that imitates a sound. Examples include 'buzz', 'pop', and 'bang'.

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.5.5

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

Front

What is personification?

Back

Personification is a literary device where human qualities are attributed to animals, inanimate objects, or abstract concepts. For example, 'The sun smiled at us'.

Tags

CCSS.L.6.5A

Front

What is a metaphor?

Back

A metaphor is a figure of speech that makes a direct comparison between two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as'. For example, 'Time is a thief'.

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.5.5

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

Front

What is alliteration?

Back

Alliteration is the repetition of the same initial consonant sound in a series of words. For example, 'She sells sea shells by the sea shore'.

Tags

CCSS.L.4.5

CCSS.L.5.5

CCSS.L.6.5

CCSS.RL.2.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

Front

What is a rhyme?

Back

A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds in two or more words, often used in poetry. For example, 'cat' and 'hat'.

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.4

Front

What is a stanza?

Back

A stanza is a grouped set of lines in a poem, often separated by a space from other stanzas.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.5

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

Front

What is a theme in poetry?

Back

The theme is the central idea or message that the poet conveys through the poem.

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

Front

What is imagery in poetry?

Back

Imagery is the use of descriptive language that appeals to the senses, creating mental images for the reader.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.5

CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5