Sonnet and Poetry Vocabulary

Front

What is a rhyme scheme?

Back

The pattern of rhyme at the end of each line of a poem, often described using letters to denote which lines rhyme with each other.

Front

What is an English/Shakespearean sonnet?

Back

A 14-line poem written in iambic pentameter, typically following the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.

Front

What is free verse?

Back

Poetry that does not adhere to any specific meter or rhyme scheme, allowing for greater freedom of expression.

Front

What is the most common motif in Shakespearean sonnets?

Back

Love.

Front

What is an iamb?

Back

A metrical foot consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable, resembling a heartbeat.

Front

What is a foot in poetry?

Back

A repeated sequence of meter composed of two or more syllables.

Front

What is iambic pentameter?

Back

A type of meter in poetry that consists of five iambs per line, totaling ten syllables.

Front

What is a stanza?

Back

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

Front

What is a metaphor?

Back

A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as'.

Front

What is a simile?

Back

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