PoetryPoetry PoetryPoetry Terms and ExamplesTerms and Examples

Poetry• The art or work of a poet• A piece of literature written in

meter or verse

Figurative Language

• Conveys a meaning beyond the literal meaning

Figuratively: figure out what it means

I’ve got your back.

You’re a doll.

Form• The way a poem’s lines and words

are arranged on the page is its form.

Lines & Stanzas• Poems are written in lines, which can

vary in length. The poet chooses the line length to fit the rhythm, feeling, or thought expressed in the poem.

• Lines are grouped together in stanzas. Stanzas are sections of the poem separated by a space.

Repetition• Sounds, words, phrases, or lines

that are stated or used more than once in a poem. – Example: Humpty Dumpty

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,Humpty Dumpty had a great fall;All the King's horses and all the King's

menCouldn't put Humpty together again

Tone• The tone of a poem is the poet’s

attitude towards his or her subject.– The tone might be serious, sad,

humorous, or angry. You can identify the tone by paying attention to the images in a poem and to the poet’s word choice.

Rhyme• Repetition of sounds at the end of

words.

• Example:

Idiom• An expression that means

something different from what it says. It is not meant to be taken seriously. Idioms are culturally

based.• Ex:

Alliteration• The repetition of consonant

sounds at the beginnings of words.– Example: Nancy never learned new

nouns.

Metaphor• A comparison of two things with a

common quality, but it does not use the words like or as.– Example: She is a clown.

Simile• A comparison of two things with a

common quality.• Use the words like or as

– Example: He is as dumb as a dog. – Example: She is skinny like a twig.

Theme• The meaning, moral, or message

about life or human nature. • Example: The theme of Rainbow

Fish would be that material possessions don’t make you happy.

Hyperbole• Obvious exaggeration used to

emphasize a point or add excitement and humor to a story.

• Ex:

Pun• A phrase that uses words in a way

that gives them a funny effect; homophone errors (words sound same, different meaning); a play on words.

• Ex:

Imagery• Words and phrases that appeal to

the five senses.• Create a picture in the reader’s

mind.

Oxymoron•A two-or three-word phrase

that contains opposite words or ideas.

•Ex:

Onomatopeia• Words that imitate the sound they

are naming:– Example:

• Hiss!• Kerackk!• Buzz

Personification• When a poet gives

animals, plants, or nonliving things personal traits or humans attributes.– Example: The tea

cups in Beauty and the Beast are examples of personification.

Symbolism• A person, place, an object, or an

action that stands for something beyond itself.– Example: Prison would be a symbol

for confinement.

Speaker• The speaker is the voice that talks

to the reader in a poem like a narrator in a story; not necessarily the poet.

Voice• The distinctive style or manner of

expression• Can reveal much about the

author’s or narrator’s personality