Poetry Unit Vocab

Onomatopoeia

using words that imitate the sound they denote

Vowels

a, e, i, o, u, sometimes w, y

Semivowels

f, h, j, l, m, n, r, s, v, w, c, g, z - contributes to a euphonious sound

Mutes

k, p, t, b, d, q, c - contributes to a cacophonous sound

Alliteration

repetition of initial consonant sounds

Assonance

repetition of vowel sounds

Consonance

repetition of consonant sounds

Euphony

a pleasing sound through a harmonious combination of words

Cacophony

a harsh sound through a discordant mixture of sounds

Explosive

a mute followed by a vowel

Liquid Consonants

l, m, n, r - contributes to a euphonious sound

Prosody

the metrical composition of a poem

Scansion

the action of scanning a line of verse to determine its rhythm

Metrical Lines

collections of syllables with a particular emphasis

Iambic

a metrical foot consisting of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable

Trochee

a metrical foot consisting of one long or stressed syllable followed by one short or unstressed syllable

Dactyl

a metrical foot consisting of one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables

Anapest

a metrical foot consisting of two short or unstressed syllables followed by one long or stressed syllable

Spondee

a foot consisting of two long (or stressed) syllables

Caesura

a break between words within a metrical foot

Iambic Pentameter

a line of verse with five metrical feet, each consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable

Longer Line Effect

A feeling of epicness,

Shorter Line Effect

A feeling of excitement and agitation

True Rhyme

Rhymes on the final syllable (Can be masculine - ends with stressed syllable, or feminine - ends with unstressed syllable)

Slant Rhyme

Similar but not identical vowel/consonant sounds that rhyme

Blank Verse

A verse without rhyme (Overall meter is iambic pentameter)

Enjambment

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

Self-enclosed

A line with punctuation at the end, stopping the reader before they move on to the next line

Couplet

A pair of successive rhyming lines

Tercet

A triplet of successive rhyming lines

Quatrain

A quadruplet of successive rhyming lines

English (Shakesperean) Sonnet

A sonnet that usually uses iambic pentameter, and has no octave/sestet structure to it. The final couplet is the defining feature. Usually as the following rhyme scheme (ababcdcdefef gg)

Italian (Petrarchan) Sonnet

A sonnet that usually uses iambic pentameter, and has an octave of eight lines followed by a sestet of six. Possible rhyme schemes include: ababcdcd cdecde abbaabba cddcee

Free Verse

Poetry that doesn't use a strict rhyme scheme or meter

Connotation

The meaning behind a word - beyond its literal meaning

Denotation

The literal meaning of a word

Imagery

Elements of a poem that invoke any of the 5 senses

Figurative Language

Non-literal language: metaphor, simile, hyperbole etc.

Simile

A comparison between two objects using "as" or "like"

Metaphor

A comparison between two objects by describing them as being the same as each other (no like/as)

Personification

A figure of speech in which the poet describes an non-living object as having human features

Allusion

A brief, intentional reference to a historical, mythic, or literary person, place, event, or movement

Metonymy

A figure of speech in which a related term is substituted for the word itself. (ex: Referring to the President and their administration as "The White House")

Synecdoche

A figure of speech in which a part of something stands for the whole. (ex: “I've got wheels” for “I have a car,”)

Apostrophe

An address to a dead or absent person, or personification as if he or she were present

Form

the physical structure of the poem: the length of the lines, their rhythms, their system of rhymes and repetition - ALL POEMS HAVE THIS!