Understanding Poetic Devices and Structure

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Rhythm

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The repetition of syllables, typically at the end of a verse line.

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Stressed Syllables

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A syllable that is given more emphasis than any of the other syllables in a word.

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Unstressed Syllables

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Softer and less pronounced.

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Refrain

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A phrase or line repeated at intervals within a poem, especially at the end of a stanza.

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Couplet

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A pair of successive rhyming lines, usually of the same length.

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Internal rhythme

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Rhyme that occurs in the middle of lines of poetry, instead of at the ends of lines.

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Free verse

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Nonmetrical, nonrhyming lines that closely follow the natural rhythms of speech.

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Imagery

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Elements of a poem that invoke any of the five senses to create a set of mental images.

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Iambic

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The rhythm, or meter, established by the words in each line.

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Iambic pentameter

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A poetic meter consisting of ten syllables arranged in five metrical feet.