Poetry Terminology Review
Lesson 179th Lit
ELA9RL1 (poetry) a
The student identifies and responds to the aesthetic effects of subject matter,
sound devices (i.e., alliteration, onomatopoeia, rhyme scheme), figurative language (i.e., personification, metaphor,
simile, hyperbole) and structure (i.e., fixed and free forms, rhymed and
unrhymed, narrative and lyric) in a variety of poems.
Here is a list of words. Write down the numbers of all that you think you understand.
1. oxymoron2. couplet3. assonance4. consonance5. personification6. simile7. hyperbole8. onomatopoeia9. metaphor
10. alliteration 11. allusion12. paradox13. apostrophe14. symbol15. internal rhyme16. exact rhyme17. approximate
rhyme
The EOCT will require you to use your knowledge of these terms to answer
questions like the ones we will discuss today.
oxymoron• a combination of two words that are
seemingly opposites – usually an adjective-noun
Examples:dark lightliving deadnoisy silencenew classicopen secretsuccessful failurevirtual reality
from Idylls of the Kingby Tennyson
"And faith unfaithful kept him falsely true.“
What are the two examples in this phrase?
couplet•a pair of rhyming lines, usually of the same length and meter
I THINK that I shall never see,A poem as lovely as a tree.
assonance• the repetition of vowel sounds to create internal rhyming
within phrases or sentences
• For example, in the phrase "Do you like blue?", the /u:/ sound ("o"/"ou"/"ue“) is repeated within the sentence
and is assonant.
Where is assonance in these two examples from literature?
Ex: Dead in the middle of little Italy, little did we know that we riddled two middle men who didn't do diddily.“
Ex: I bomb atomically—Socrates' philosophies and hypotheses can't define how I be droppin' these mockeries.
consonance• most commonly used in poetry and songs
and characterized by the repetition of the same consonant two or more times in
short succession
Examples:#1. "pitt patter" #2. "all mammals named Sam are clammy".
#1. “When the men sent children off to
war, Linda knew emptiness that didn’t
end anymore.”
A. oxymoronB. coupletC. assonanceD. consonance
personification•a nonhuman subject is given human characteristics
simile•comparison between two unlike ideas using “like” or “as”
He walked on stage as
bold as a lion.
hyperbole•a deliberate exaggeration
or overstatement
She uses so much makeup she
needs a chisel to get it off.
onomatopoeiause of words that
imitate soundsEx: buzz, crash, whirr,
clang, hiss, purr, squeak, boom, tinkling
#2. “Splish, splash, the water fell
Trickling slowly down the well.”
A. personificationB. simileC. hyperboleD. onomatopoeia
personification•a nonhuman subject is given human characteristics
simile•comparison between two unlike ideas using “like” or “as”
He walked on stage as
bold as a lion.
metaphor•one thing spoken of as though it were something else
His brain was a wall.
=
couplet•a pair of rhyming lines, usually of the same length and meter
I THINK that I shall never see,A poem as lovely as a tree.
#3. “I wandered lonely as a
cloud.” (William Wordsworth)
A. personificationB. simileC. metaphorD. couplet
alliteration•Repetition of initial consonant soundsCherry Blossoms AdriftPink petals passingScents above so highPainted porcelain perfectionBlossoms caress the sky
paradox• a statement that
seems to be contradictory but
that actually presents a truth
A Cretan says: "All Cretans
are liars".
How is this statement a
paradox?
metaphor•one thing spoken of as though it were something else
His brain was a wall.
=
allusion•a reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art
#4. He moved the tree with
Herculean strength.
A. alliterationB. paradoxC. metaphorD. allusion
paradox• a statement that
seems to be contradictory but
that actually presents a truth
A Cretan says: "All Cretans
are liars".
How is this statement a
paradox?
personification•a nonhuman subject is given human characteristics
simile•comparison between two unlike ideas using “like” or “as”
He walked on stage as
bold as a lion.
metaphor•one thing spoken of as though it were something else
His brain was a wall.
=
#5. “His fear was a prison, stronger
than any more visible barricade.”
A. paradoxB. personificationC. simileD. metaphor
hyperbole•a deliberate exaggeration
or overstatement
She uses so much makeup she
needs a chisel to get it off.
personification•a nonhuman subject is given human characteristics
apostrophe• a figure of speech in which
someone absent or dead or something nonhuman is
addressed as if it were alive and present and was able to reply
Example of ApostropheThe Sun Risingby John Donne
Busy old fool, unruly sun,Why dost thou thus,
Through windows, and through curtains call on us?
symbol
stands for somethin
g else
#6. My blood boiled as I listened
to the gossip.
A. hyperboleB. personificationC. apostropheD. symbol
hyperbole•a deliberate exaggeration
or overstatement
She uses so much makeup she
needs a chisel to get it off.
couplet•a pair of rhyming lines, usually of the same length and meter
I THINK that I shall never see,A poem as lovely as a tree.
internal rhyme•rhyming words appear in the same line
I bring fresh showers for the thirsting flowers.
personification•a nonhuman subject is given human characteristics
Exact Rhymes
• Exact rhymes are the same in everything but the first sound. Exact rhymes are the most common type of rhyme and can be formed easily with common sounds in English.
• pay / day / way / say / may / bay / play / pray / stay ...
• me / we / be / see / tree / knee ...
#7 I have a million things to do today
So hurry up and get out of my way!
A. hyperbole, coupletB. personification, coupletC. hyperbole, internal rhymeD. personification, exact
rhyme
simile•comparison between two unlike ideas using “like” or “as”
He walked on stage as
bold as a lion.
personification•a nonhuman subject is given human characteristics
couplet•a pair of rhyming lines, usually of the same length and meter
I THINK that I shall never see,A poem as lovely as a tree.
approximate rhyme• words that are similar in sound
but do not rhyme exactly
examples:
• send and when• sun and plum• day and made
• fellow and hollow
metaphor•one thing spoken of as though it were something else
His brain was a wall.
=
#8. “And the land was a pretty woman
Smiling at us, looking at her” (Ortiz)
A. simile, personificationB. couplet, personificationC. approximate rhymeD. metaphor, personification
hyperbole•a deliberate exaggeration
or overstatement
She uses so much makeup she
needs a chisel to get it off.
onomatopoeiause of words that
imitate soundsEx: buzz, crash, whirr,
clang, hiss, purr, squeak, boom, tinkling
oxymoron• a combination of two words that are
seemingly opposites – usually an adjective-noun
Examples:dark lightliving deadnoisy silencenew classicopen secretsuccessful failurevirtual reality
from Idylls of the Kingby Tennyson
"And faith unfaithful kept him falsely true.“
What are the two examples in this phrase?
paradox• a statement that
seems to be contradictory but
that actually presents a truth
A Cretan says: "All Cretans
are liars".
How is this statement a
paradox?
#9. The car creaked forward once the
old engine began to wheeze.
A. hyperboleB. onomatopoeiaC. oxymoronD. paradox
oxymoron• a combination of two words that are
seemingly opposites – usually an adjective-noun
Examples:dark lightliving deadnoisy silencenew classicopen secretsuccessful failurevirtual reality
from Idylls of the Kingby Tennyson
"And faith unfaithful kept him falsely true.“
What are the two examples in this phrase?
paradox• a statement that
seems to be contradictory but
that actually presents a truth
A Cretan says: "All Cretans
are liars".
How is this statement a
paradox?
#10. He ordered jumbo shrimp
for dinner.
A. oxymoronB. paradox
ELA9RL1 (poetry) a
The student identifies and responds to the aesthetic effects of subject matter,
sound devices (i.e., alliteration, onomatopoeia, rhyme scheme), figurative language (i.e., personification, metaphor,
simile, hyperbole) and structure (i.e., fixed and free forms, rhymed and
unrhymed, narrative and lyric) in a variety of poems.
In your group of three, choose three of these terms and agree on an example for each one. Write these down and be prepared to share.
1. oxymoron2. couplet3. assonance4. consonance5. personification6. simile7. hyperbole8. onomatopoeia9. metaphor
10. alliteration 11. allusion12. paradox13. apostrophe14. symbol15. internal rhyme16. exact rhyme17. approximate
rhyme
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