Poetry and Literary Terms

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onomatopoeia

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words that imitate sounds; example: buzz, beep, tweet

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alliteration

Back

repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words, such as the s in sleep-song

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stanza

Back

A group of lines in a poem that work together to express one idea; separated from other units by spaces (like paragraphs)

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imagery

Back

words that paint a picture in the reader's mind and appeal to the five senses

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metaphor

Back

comparison between two different things NOT using like or as

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personification

Back

giving human qualities to non-living objects

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repetition

Back

the use of a word, phrase, sound, or line more than once

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rhythm

Back

pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables, like a beat in a song; used to bring out the musical quality in poem

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simile

Back

comparison of two things using like or as

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tone

Back

the attitude the writer takes towards the audience, subject, or character