Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of closely connected words. This technique is often used to create rhythm, mood, or emphasis in a poem. For example, in the line “She sells seashells by the seashore,” the repetition of the ‘s’ sound creates a musical effect.
Assonance
Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds within closely connected words, often used to create internal rhyming within phrases or sentences. This technique can enhance the musical quality of a poem. An example of assonance is found in the phrase “Hear the mellow wedding bells” where the ‘e’ sound is repeated.
Ballad
A ballad is a type of poem that narrates a story in short stanzas. Ballads were traditionally set to music, making them a form of narrative folk song. They often feature simple language and a refrain. An example is Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” which tells a dramatic story in verse.
Blank Verse
Blank verse is poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter. This form is often used in English dramatic, epic, and reflective poetry. William Shakespeare frequently used blank verse in his plays. For instance, many of the lines in “Hamlet” are written in blank verse, such as “To be, or not to be: that is the question.”
Caesura
A caesura is a pause or break within a line of poetry, often marked by punctuation. It can create a shift in the rhythmic pattern, emphasize a word or phrase, or add a dramatic effect. An example is in Alexander Pope’s “The Rape of the Lock”: “To err is human; to forgive, divine.” Here, the semicolon represents a caesura.
Couplet
A couplet is a pair of consecutive lines of poetry that typically rhyme and have the same meter. Couplets often serve to make a point or to provide a sense of closure. A famous example is found in Shakespeare’s sonnets, such as the ending of Sonnet 18: “So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, / So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.”
Dactyl
A dactyl is a metrical foot in poetry consisting of one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables. It creates a rhythmic pattern that can add a dynamic, flowing quality to a poem. An example of a dactylic word is “beautiful” (BEAU-ti-ful).
Elegy
An elegy is a poem of serious reflection, usually lamenting the death of an individual. This form of poetry often explores themes of loss, mourning, and contemplation. A well-known example is “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” by Thomas Gray, which meditates on the lives and deaths of the people buried in the churchyard.
Enjambment
Enjambment is the continuation of a sentence or clause across a line break in poetry, without a pause. This technique can create a sense of movement and urgency, drawing the reader into the poem’s flow. An example is from John Keats’ “Endymion”: “A thing of beauty is a joy for ever: / Its loveliness increases; it will never / Pass into nothingness.”
Free Verse
Free verse is a form of poetry that does not adhere to any regular meter or rhyme scheme. This style allows poets greater freedom in expression and structure. Walt Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass” is a prime example of free verse poetry, characterized by its natural, speech-like rhythms and lack of formal constraints.
Ghazal
A ghazal is a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain, with each line sharing the same meter. Traditionally, ghazals are focused on themes of love, loss, and longing. This form originated in Arabic poetry and was popularized in Persian literature. An example of a ghazal is “Even the Rain” by Agha Shahid Ali.
Haiku
A haiku is a traditional Japanese form of poetry consisting of three lines with a syllable pattern of 5-7-5. Haikus often capture a moment in nature or a seasonal reference, emphasizing simplicity and depth. An example of a haiku by Matsuo Bashō is: “An old silent pond… / A frog jumps into the pond— / Splash! Silence again.”
Hyperbole
Hyperbole is a figure of speech that involves exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally. Poets use hyperbole to create emphasis, humor, or dramatic effect. An example is in Andrew Marvell’s “To His Coy Mistress”: “Love you ten years before the Flood, / And you should, if you please, refuse / Till the conversion of the Jews.”
Iamb
An iamb is a metrical foot in poetry consisting of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable. It is the most common metrical foot in English poetry, creating a natural rhythm akin to everyday speech. An example is the word “destroy” (de-STROY).
Imagery
Imagery refers to the use of descriptive language that appeals to the senses, creating vivid mental pictures for the reader. Poets use imagery to evoke emotions and enhance the thematic depth of their work. An example is in Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”: “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, / And sorry I could not travel both.”
Limerick
A limerick is a humorous five-line poem with a distinct rhythm (anapestic meter) and an AABBA rhyme scheme. Limericks are known for their playful, often nonsensical content. An example is Edward Lear’s famous limerick: “There was an Old Man with a beard, / Who said, ‘It is just as I feared! / Two Owls and a Hen, / Four Larks and a Wren, / Have all built their nests in my beard!'”
Metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech that makes a direct comparison between two unlike things by stating one thing is another. Metaphors are used to add meaning and symbolism to poetry. An example is in William Shakespeare’s “As You Like It”: “All the world’s a stage, / And all the men and women merely players.”
Meter
Meter is the structured rhythm of a poem, determined by the number and types of metrical feet in each line. Different meters create different effects and moods in poetry. Common types of meter include iambic pentameter, trochaic tetrameter, and anapestic trimeter.
Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia refers to words that imitate natural sounds. Poets use onomatopoeia to bring their descriptions to life, making the sound of the word mimic the sound it describes. Examples include words like “buzz,” “whisper,” and “clang.”
Oxymoron
An oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines two contradictory terms to create a paradoxical effect. Poets use oxymorons to convey complex, nuanced ideas. An example is found in John Milton’s “Paradise Lost”: “Darkness visible.”
Personification
Personification is a literary device where human qualities are attributed to non-human entities, such as animals, objects, or abstract concepts. This technique helps to create vivid imagery and emotional connections. An example is in Emily Dickinson’s poem: “Because I could not stop for Death, / He kindly stopped for me.”
Quatrain
A quatrain is a stanza of four lines, often with a specific rhyme scheme such as ABAB or AABB. Quatrains are common in English poetry and can be used to build narrative, emphasize themes, or create rhythm. An example is from “The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam”: “The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ, / Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit / Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line, / Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.”
Refrain
A refrain is a repeated line or group of lines in a poem, typically at the end of a stanza. Refrains can emphasize important ideas, create rhythm, and make the poem more memorable. An example is the repeated phrase “Nevermore” in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven.”
Simile
A simile is a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things using the words “like” or “as.” Similes are used to create vivid imagery and draw connections between different concepts. An example is in Robert Burns’ poem: “O my Luve’s like a red, red rose / That’s newly sprung in June.”
Sonnet
A sonnet is a 14-line poem with a specific rhyme scheme and meter, traditionally iambic pentameter. There are different types of sonnets, including the Shakespearean (or English) sonnet with the rhyme scheme ABABCDCDEFEFGG, and the Petrarchan (or Italian) sonnet with the rhyme scheme ABBAABBACDCDCD. An example is Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18: “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? / Thou art more lovely and more temperate.”
Stanza
A stanza is a grouped set of lines in a poem, often separated from other stanzas by a blank line. Stanzas function similarly to paragraphs in prose, organizing ideas and adding structure to the poem. The length and rhyme scheme of stanzas can vary, with common forms including quatrains, tercets, and couplets.
Symbol
A symbol is a word, object, or action that represents a larger meaning or concept beyond its literal definition. Poets use symbols to convey deeper meanings and enhance the thematic complexity of their work. An example is the use of the raven in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven,” which symbolizes death and mourning.
Trochee
A trochee is a metrical foot consisting of one stressed syllable followed by one unstressed syllable. This pattern creates a rhythm that contrasts with iambic meter. An example of a trochaic word is “garden” (GAR-den).
Villanelle
A villanelle is a 19-line poem consisting of five tercets followed by a quatrain, with two repeating rhymes and two refrains. The first and third lines of the opening tercet alternate as the final lines of the subsequent tercets and are both repeated in the final quatrain. An example is Dylan Thomas’s “Do not go gentle into that good night.”
