Poetry Vocabulary
Poem: A piece of writing in which words are chosen for their sound and meaning.
Literal Language: Taking words in their usual and most basic sense.
Figurative Language: Departing from the literal use of words.
Figurative Language Used in Poetry
Simile: Comparing two unlike objects using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’. (Example: As fast as the wind.)
Metaphor: Comparing two unlike objects without using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’. (Example: Her eyes are jewels sparkling in the sun.)
Alliteration: A similar sound at the beginning of words is repeated. (Example: She sells sea shells by the sea shore.)
Onomatopoeia: Words used to imitate sounds. (Example: Crack! Bang!)
Personification: Giving human characteristics to non-human things. (Example: The branches danced in the wind.)
Hyperbole: a major exaggeration used for emphasis. (Example: He was so hungry he could eat a horse.)
Characteristics of Poetry
Rhyme: The same or similar sounds at the end of the lines in a poem.
Slant Rhyme: A partial or imperfect rhyme for consonance (agreement) or assonance (near enough) sound.
Repetition: The act of repeating something to make it more meaningful.
Imagery: Writing that produces mental images using the five senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste)
Stanza: Two or more lines that make up a section of a poem.
Line Break: Empty line(s) that separate stanzas to give the poem visual appeal.
Rhythm: A pattern with regularly accented beats.
Types of Poems
Free Verse: A poem that does not rhyme or have a regular rhythm.
Haiku: A Japanese poem of seventeen syllables, in three lines. The first line has five syllables, the second line has seven syllables, and the last line has five syllables. A haiku is traditionally about nature.
Limerick: A humorous verse of three lone and two short likes with an A A B B A pattern.
Cinquain: A poem that has five lines. Line 1 is one word (the title), line 2 is two words that describe the title. line 3 is three words that tell the action, line 4 is four words that express the feeling, line 5 is one word that recalls the title.
Shape: A poem that written to form a shape in order to add more meaning and make the poem more powerful.
Diamante: A seven line poem comparing two nouns. The shape forms a diamond.
Acrostic: A poem in which certain letters in each line for a word or words that describes the vertical word formed.
Epitaph: A phrase written in memory of a person who has died.
Couplet: Two lines of verse, usually in the same meter and joined by rhyme, forming a unit
Literal Language: Taking words in their usual and most basic sense.
Figurative Language: Departing from the literal use of words.
Figurative Language Used in Poetry
Simile: Comparing two unlike objects using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’. (Example: As fast as the wind.)
Metaphor: Comparing two unlike objects without using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’. (Example: Her eyes are jewels sparkling in the sun.)
Alliteration: A similar sound at the beginning of words is repeated. (Example: She sells sea shells by the sea shore.)
Onomatopoeia: Words used to imitate sounds. (Example: Crack! Bang!)
Personification: Giving human characteristics to non-human things. (Example: The branches danced in the wind.)
Hyperbole: a major exaggeration used for emphasis. (Example: He was so hungry he could eat a horse.)
Characteristics of Poetry
Rhyme: The same or similar sounds at the end of the lines in a poem.
Slant Rhyme: A partial or imperfect rhyme for consonance (agreement) or assonance (near enough) sound.
Repetition: The act of repeating something to make it more meaningful.
Imagery: Writing that produces mental images using the five senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste)
Stanza: Two or more lines that make up a section of a poem.
Line Break: Empty line(s) that separate stanzas to give the poem visual appeal.
Rhythm: A pattern with regularly accented beats.
Types of Poems
Free Verse: A poem that does not rhyme or have a regular rhythm.
Haiku: A Japanese poem of seventeen syllables, in three lines. The first line has five syllables, the second line has seven syllables, and the last line has five syllables. A haiku is traditionally about nature.
Limerick: A humorous verse of three lone and two short likes with an A A B B A pattern.
Cinquain: A poem that has five lines. Line 1 is one word (the title), line 2 is two words that describe the title. line 3 is three words that tell the action, line 4 is four words that express the feeling, line 5 is one word that recalls the title.
Shape: A poem that written to form a shape in order to add more meaning and make the poem more powerful.
Diamante: A seven line poem comparing two nouns. The shape forms a diamond.
Acrostic: A poem in which certain letters in each line for a word or words that describes the vertical word formed.
Epitaph: A phrase written in memory of a person who has died.
Couplet: Two lines of verse, usually in the same meter and joined by rhyme, forming a unit