POETR
Y
TERMS
MR
S.
BO
L GE
R 2
01
4
A. TYP
ES OF
POEMS
1. FREE VERSEPoetry that does not rhyme or
follow a predictable pattern
2. PERSONA POEMPoet becomes
someone/something else
3. APOSTROPHE POEMSpeaker of poem addresses
something not living
4. NARRATIVE/BALLAD POEMPoem tells a story
5. IMAGIST POEMA snapshot of a moment in
time
6. LYRIC POEMPoem expresses strong
emotions
7. DRAMATIC POEMCharacters talk
8. CONCRETE POEMA poem that takes the shape of
the subject
9. ODEPoetic form in which one
describes how/why someone/something is to be revered (loved)
10. CLERIHEWPoetic form of 4 lines with an
AABB rhyme scheme about a famous person, often humorous
11. LIMERICKPoetic form of 5 lines with an
AABBA rhyme scheme that is often humorous
12. HAIKUJapanese style poem of 3 lines
and 17 syllables (5-7-5) usually about nature
B. FORM
13. LINEA horizontal group of words in
a poem, like a sentence
14. STANZAA vertical group of lines of a
poem, like a paragraph
15. LINE BREAKWhere a line ends
C. DIC
TION (W
ORD
CHOICE)
16. SPEAKERThe person/thing in a poem
who is expressing an idea
17. MOODThe feeling associated with a
poem, such as happy, angry, hopeful, etc.
18. POETIC LICENSECreating new words,
sometimes by combining existing words
19. INVERSIONChanging the usual order of
words
20. IMAGERYCreating a picture with words
through sensory details
21. CONNOTATIONEmotional associations of
words
22. DENOTATIONThe literal meaning of words
(dictionary definition)
23. SIMILEComparing 2 unlike things with
like or as
24. METAPHORComparing 2 unlike things
without like or as
25. PERSONIFICATIONSomething nonhuman is given
human qualities
D. SOUND
EFFECTS
26. ONOMATOPOEIAWords that make the sound of
their action/definition
27. ALLITERATIONRepeating initial consonant
sound
28. REFRAINRepeating line/phrase at same
place in each stanza
29. RHYME/RHYME SCHEMERepeating the same sound in
2+ words (boy/toy); a set pattern of rhyme throughout a poem
30. RHYTHMA pattern of stressed and
unstressed syllables in a poem
31. REPETITIONRepeating a word or phrase for
emphasis
