poetry terms

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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.

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CCSS.L.5.5B

CCSS.L.4.5B

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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'.

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CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.5.5

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.4.3

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What is onomatopoeia?

Back

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

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CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.5.5

CCSS.RL.8.3

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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'.

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CCSS.L.6.5A

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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'.

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CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.5.5

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.4.3

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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'.

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CCSS.L.6.5

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.L.5.5

CCSS.L.4.5

CCSS.RL.2.4

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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'.

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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.

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CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.5.4

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What is a theme in poetry?

Back

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

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CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.4.9

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What is imagery in poetry?

Back

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

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CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.4.5