Poetry Terms

Front

What is onomatopoeia?

Back

A word that sounds like what it means, e.g., buzz, swish, clink, hiss.

Front

What does tone refer to in poetry?

Back

The attitude the poem's narrator takes towards a subject or character.

Front

Define rhythm in poetry.

Back

The recurrence of stresses and unstressed sounds in poetry; it can be fast or slow, choppy or smooth.

Front

What is enjambment?

Back

A poetic device where one line ends without a pause or punctuation and continues onto the next line.

Front

What is the theme of a poem?

Back

The central meaning or dominant message the poet is trying to deliver to the reader.

Front

What is a stanza?

Back

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

Front

Define metaphor.

Back

A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things by stating one is the other.

Front

What is a simile?

Back

A figure of speech that compares two different things using 'like' or 'as'.

Front

What does imagery mean in poetry?

Back

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses and creates visual representations in the reader's mind.

Front

What is alliteration?

Back

The repetition of the same initial consonant sounds in a sequence of words.