Poetry Literary Terms Ms. Coy English 11

Metaphor Figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things without using a connective words such as like or as Example: I am soft sift/ In an hourglass

Extended Metaphor A metaphor that is extended or developed as far as the writer wants to take it Ex. Fame is a bee. It has a song It has a sting Ah, too, it has a wing

Simile Figure of speech that makes a comparison between two seemingly unlike things by using a connective word such as like or as Ex. The Roman Road runs straight and bare, as the pale parting-line in hair.

Rhyme Repetition of accented vowel sounds and all sounds following them in words that are close together in a poem Ex. When she I loved looked every day Fresh as a rose in June, I to her cottage bent my way, Beneath the evening moon

SLANT RHYME/ FORCED RHYME Words that sound similar but do not rhyme exactly Ex. “With glory richly furnished, Stands permanent through this be fled.”

Internal rhyme Rhyme that occurs in the same line of poetry Ex. “But they can’t see the light, that’s right.”

Alliteration Repetition of the same or similar consonant sounds at the beginning of words Ex. Where the quail is whistling betwixt the woods.

CONSONANCE Repetition of the same or similar final consonant sounds Ex. Ticktock, or singsong or singing and whistling

ASSONANCE Repetition of the same or similar vowel sounds within words Ex. The tide rises, the tide falls

ONOMATOPOEIA The use of a word whose sound imitates or suggests its meaning Ex. Buzz, smack, jab, croak

Ex. Sweet sorrow, deafening silence, jumbo shrimp, or walking dead OXYMORON   A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase Ex. Sweet sorrow, deafening silence, jumbo shrimp, or walking dead

personification  Type of metaphor in which a nonhuman thing or quality is talked about as if it were human Ex. The trees are undressing, and fling in many places— On the gray road, the roof, the window sill— Their radiant robes and ribbons and yellow laces

hyperbole Figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion or create a comic effect Ex. I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse!

imagery Language that appeals to the senses. Imagery appeals to all senses including sight, sound, touch, taste and smell.

Tone The attitude a writer takes toward the reader, a subject or a character Ex. Macabre (death-like or gruesome), mocking, morose (gloomy or despondent), dramatic, arrogant