Poetry Terms

Rhythm Meter – the repetition of a regular rhythmic unit in a line of poetry. Poetic Foot – Two or more syllables that create a regular rhythm. Iambic aB D eF gH iJ Trochaic Ab Cd Ef Gh Ij Anapestic abC deF ghI jkL Dactylic Abc Def Ghi Jkl

Examples of scansion (feet and meter iambic pentameter That time | of year | thou mayst | in me | behold trochaic tetrameter Tell me | not in | mournful | numbers anapestic trimeter And the sound | of a voice | that is still dactylic hexameter This is the | forest pri | meval, the | murmuring | pine and the | hemlocks

Rhyme Rhyme Scheme- a pattern of rhymes in a stanza Steps for marking rhyme scheme: 1. Write a lower case "a" to the side of the last word of the first line. Roses are red a

Rhyme, continued 2. If the last word of the second line rhymes with the first line, mark it with an "a" as well. Roses are red, a That's what I said. a If it does not rhyme with the first line, mark it with the next letter of the alphabet. Do this again for the third line. Roses are red, a Violets are blue, b Sugar is sweet, c

Rhyme 3. If the fourth line rhymes with any previous line, mark it with the same letter. If it does not, mark it with the next unused letter. Roses are red, a Violets are blue, b Sugar is sweet, c And so are you. b 4. The rhyme scheme of this poem is a b c b.

Sound Devices Alliteration – the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words. Gnus never know pneumonia. Consonance – the repetition of consonant sounds usually at the end of words The con man ran down to get a pen. Assonance – the repetition of vowel sounds. Hear the mellow wedding bells Onomatopoeia – words that sound like their meaning. The bees buzzed while the clock ticked.

Poetical Forms Stanza – a group of lines with the same meter Couplet – two line stanza Quatrain – four line stanza Refrain – group of lines repeated at regular intervals End-Stopped – a line with a pause at the end Enjambment – a line that doesn’t pause at the end, but continues to the next line

Figurative Language Simile – comparison of two objects using “like” or “as” His anger is like a fire burning his heart. Metaphor – direct comparison of two objects The night was a black cat creeping in the door. Hyperbole – outrageous exaggeration I could sleep for a month! Personification – gives inanimate objects or abstract ideas human qualities The rain kissed my cheeks as it fell.

Figurative Language, cont. Symbol – something that represents more than itself. wedding ring, skull and crossbones Theme – the main thought of the poem usually an abstract concept. Love will triumph.