Poetry - Technical vocabulary

Select the correct definition of enjambment.

• The continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza

• A deliberate pause in the middle of a line, usually through the use of punctuation.

• A repetition of sentence structure in two or more lines of the same poem.

• A direct address to the reader / audience of a poem.

What is an end-stopped line? Select the correct definition.

• A repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of words placed closely together.

• Punctuation used in the middle of a line to intentionally break the rhythm.

• A line in verse which ends with punctuation, either to show the completion of a phrase or sentence or when the meaning does not continue to the next line.

• A form of rhythm that is often used in sonnets.

What is meant by the omission of words and unusual syntax? Select the correct definition.

• A rhythm in poetry where words are left out to make sure the number of syllables in each line stays the same.

• Where sentences are scrambled so they don't make any logical sense.

• Where the reader is asked to guess what a writer means.

• Where words are left out or the word order is different to what you might expect from prose or regular speech.

What is parallelism? Select the correct definition.

• Where the poem has the same number of syllables in each line.

• The repetition of similar sentence structure, sound, meter or meaning to create effect.

• A technique where the poet describes two very different images and places them next to each other.

• When a line is repeated exactly, twice or more.

What is repetition? Select the correct definition.

• When a word, phrase or line is repeated exactly in a poem.

• When vowel sounds are repeated close to each other.

• When images are described in detail to make it memorable.

• When the poem rhymes.

What is caesura? Select the correct definition.

• This is the slight natural pause in a line of poetry that comes in between a metrical foot, or near the middle of a line. Sometimes shown with a punctuation mark.

• The pause at the end of every line of poetry so the reader / audience knows that the line has ended.

• The pause in the middle of a line when there is punctuation such as a comma.

• The moments in a poem where the poet wants the reader to think and reflect on the meaning of a line.

In this extract, the blue lines show an example of...