Poetry Terms

Flashcard deck · A.P. English Literature and Composition · Language Arts

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49 AP English Literature poetry terms covering meter, scansion, conceit, enjambement, dramatic monologue, elegy, sonnet, and rhyme types like feminine, masculine, and half rhyme.

Terms in this deck

Conceit: An extended metaphor comparing two unlike objects with powerful effect.
Allusion: A reference to an outside fact, event, or other literary or historical source.
Litote: Understatement used for effect.
Feminine Rhyme: Rhyme in which two consecutive syllables of the rhyme-words correspond, with the first syllable carrying the accent; double rhyme.
Dramatic Monologue: A lyric poem in which a speaker addresses those around him during a dramatic moment, revealing his character.
Epic: A long, dignified narrative poem that recounts the story of a hero important to his nation or race.
Alliteration: The repetition of two or more initial sounds in words within a line.
Euphony: The use of compatible, harmonious sounds to produce a pleasing, melodious effect.
Cacophony: The use of inharmonious sounds in close conjunction for effect; the opposite of euphony.
End Rhyme: Rhyme occurring at the end of a verse line; the most common rhyme form.
Apostrophe: Addressing a person or personified object that is not present.
Hyperbole: Gross exaggeration used for effect; overstatement.
Imagery: The use of words to represent things, actions, or ideas through sensory description.
Free Verse: Unrhymed lines of poetry without a regular rhythm.
Light Verse: A general category of poetry written primarily to entertain.
Masculine Rhyme: Rhyme in which only the last, accented syllable of the rhyming words corresponds exactly; the most common kind of end rhyme.
Internal Rhyme: Rhyme contained within a single line of verse.
Ballad: Simple, narrative verse that tells a story meant to be sung or recited.
Limerick: Humorous nonsense verse in five anapestic lines rhyming aabba.
Dramatic Irony: Two levels of meaning—what the speaker says versus what he means, and what the speaker says versus what the author means.
Irony: The contrast between the actual meaning and the suggestion of another meaning.
Lyric Poetry: Subjective, reflective poetry with regular rhyme and meter that reveals the poet's thoughts and feelings to create a single unique impression.
Elegy: A poem of lament that meditates on the death of an individual.
Assonance: The repetition of two or more vowel sounds within a line of poetry.
Consonance: The repetition of two or more consonant sounds within a line of poetry.
Idyll: Lyric poetry describing the life of a shepherd in pastoral, bucolic, and idealistic terms.
Haiku: A Japanese verse form in three lines of five, seven, and five syllables, often depicting a delicate image.
Half Rhyme: Imperfect, approximate rhyme; also called slant rhyme.
Enjambement: A run-on line in poetry that continues into the next line without a grammatical break.
Blank Verse: Unrhymed lines written in iambic pentameter.
Meter: Poetry's rhythm, or its pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables, measured in units called feet.
Sonnet: A 14-line verse form with variable structure and rhyme scheme according to type.
Synecdoche: A figure of speech in which a part represents the whole object or idea.
Symbolism: The use of one object to suggest another, hidden object or idea.
Paradox: A statement that appears self-contradictory but underlies a basis of truth.
Verbal Irony: Saying one thing but meaning another.
Oxymoron: Contradictory terms brought together to express a paradox for strong effect.
Onomatopoeia: The technique of using a word whose sound suggests its meaning.
Scansion: The analysis of a poem's mechanical elements to determine its meter.
Metonymy: Substitution of a word that relates to a person or object in place of the name itself.
Ode: An elaborate lyric verse that deals seriously with a dignified theme.
Simile: A direct comparison of two unlike objects using the words 'like' or 'as.'
Metaphor: A figure of speech that makes a direct comparison of two unlike objects by identification or substitution.
Situational Irony: When the reality of a situation differs from the anticipated or intended effect; when something unexpected occurs.
Quatrain: A stanza that has four lines.
Villanelle: A French verse form strictly calculated to appear simple and spontaneous, with five tercets and a final quatrain.
Narrative Poetry: Non-dramatic, objective verse with a regular rhyme scheme and meter that relates a story.
Personification: A figure of speech in which objects or animals are given human qualities.
Rhyme Scheme: The pattern of rhymes within a unit of verse; each end rhyme-sound is represented by a letter.

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