Poetry Terms

a repeated line or number of lines in a poem or song, typically at the end of each verse.

• REFRAIN/CHORUS

• SIMILE

• THEME

• PERSONIFICATION

Style of speaking or writing; an author's choice of words

• DICTION

• THEME

• TONE

• IMAGERY

exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally

• HYPERBOLE

• IMAGERY

• SIMILE

• METAPHOR

a dividing and organizing technique which places a group of lines in a poem together, separated from other groups of lines by line spacing or indentation.

• STANZA

• INTERNAL RHYME

• HYPERBOLE

• METAPHOR

a figure of speech in which a thing – an idea or animal - is given human attributes.

• PERSONIFICATION

• IMAGERY

• SIMILE

• TONE

The central idea, topic, or point of a story, essay, narrative, or poem.

• THEME

• PERSONIFICATION

• IMAGERY

• RHYME

The act of repeating, or doing, saying, or writing something again.

• REPETITION

• TONE

• THEME

• SIMILE

the general character, attitude or emotion of a place, piece of writing, situation, etc.

• TONE

• ALLUSION

• THEME

• PUN

the interplay of words that usually sounds similar; a play on words

• PUN

• PERSONIFICATION

• STANZA

• RHYME

when a poem has lines ending with words that sound the same.

• END RHYME

• STANZA

• IMAGERY

• PUN