Post on 21-Jan-2015
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Poetry Terms
“The poet doesn’t invent. He listens.” - Jean Cocteau
All definitions from wikipedia.org
Verse Vs. Prose
Verse
Formal structure with meter and rhyme, though it doesn’t always need rhyme“the best words in the best order”Seen in poetry
Prose
Resembles everyday speechSet up in paragraphs and sentencesSeen in novels, short stories, and most any other form of writing
Free Verse
A form of verse that is written without rhyme or meter. It can still be recognized as poetry because it has a complex pattern of sorts. Shakespeare wrote a lot of plays in this type.
Stanza
A group of lines in a poem set off by a space, somewhat like a paragraph in prose.
Example:Roses are Red, Violets are Blue
They both smell good, unlike my shoe
Types of Stanzas
Two lines = Couplet
Three lines = Tercet
Four lines = Quatrain
Five lines = Quintain
Eight lines = Octave
Rhyme
The repetition of similar sounds in two or more different words.
Example: Not, Hot, Shot
Internal Rhyme and Near Rhyme
Internal Rhyme
Rhyme that occurs within a line of poetry.
Example:
I carry a locket in my pocket.
Near Rhyme
Words that nearly have the same rhyming sound.
Example:
Soul and All
Rhyme Scheme
A pattern of rhyming lines in poetry. The pattern is found by looking at the last word of a line of poetry. It is labeled with letters.
For Example:A,A,B,A,B
Refrain
A line or lines in verse that is repeated throughout. It is like a chorus of a song.
Example: Yo ho yo ho a pirate’s life for me
Alliteration
The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of several words near each other.
Example:Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers
Assonance
The repetition of vowel sounds in several words near each other. It is like alliteration, but vowel sounds, and can appear anywhere in a word.
Example:Make a cake for your date.
Consonance
The repetition of consonant sounds in several words near each other. This is like alliteration, but can appear anywhere within a word.
Example:Write a great paper on a great topic.
Hyperbole
A great exaggeration to make a point, but is not meant to be taken seriously.
Example:I could sleep for a year. (Meaning that the person is extremely tired)
Simile and Metaphor
Simile
A comparison of two unlike things using the words like or as.
Example:Fast as lightning
Metaphor
A direct comparison of two unlike things, saying that something is another.
ExampleShe is an angel
Personification
Giving human characteristics to non-living things.
Example: The wind whistled through the trees.
Onomatopoeia
A word that imitates the sound it describes.
Example:Boom!