| CARPEDIEM | | A poem that tells a story similar to a folk tale or legend; often has a repeated refrain. |
| PASTORAL | | Reference to a person, place or event in history or literature |
| SONNET | | A mid-line pause in a line of poetry. |
| HYPERBOLE | | The pattern of rhyming words in a poem. |
| METER | | A figure of speech in which two things are compared using the word "like" or "as". |
| ODE | | A formal division of lines in a poem that is considered as a unit. |
| ONOMATOPOEIA | | The prominence or emphasis given to particular syllables. These syllables usually stand out because they have long, rather than short vowels, or because they have a different pitch or are louder than other syllables. |
| OXYMORON | | A figure of speech in which a positive is stated by negating its opposite -- ex: no small victory. |
| CONSONANCE | | The stressed and unstressed syllables of a line of poetry are divided into groups of these and the number determines the meter of a poem. |
| BALLAD | | The repetition of sounds at the ends of words. |
| HAIKU | | The writer's attitude toward his subject and the audience. |
| LITOTES | | Anything that stands for or represents something else. |
| ALLITERATION | | A line ending in which the sense continues, with no punctuation, into the next line or stanza. |
| FEET | | A phrase, line, or group of lines that is repeated throughout a poem, usually after every stanza. |
| COUPLET | | A rhyme that occurs in a final unstressed syllable -- pleasure/leisure, longing/yearning. |
| FEMININERHYME | | A poem that expresses the thoughts and feelings of the poet. |
| DENOTATION | | These poems urge the reader to "seize the day" and enjoy the pleasures of the moment. |
| SPEAKER | | Expresses a seeming contradiction. |
| RHYME | | A word's dictionary or literal meaning. |
| SYMBOL | | The use of any element of language more than once - in poetry it is used for musical effects and for emphasis. |
| NARRATIVE | | Japanese poem composed of three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables that reflects on some aspect of nature. |
| TONE | | Repetition of the same sound over and over. |
| CAESURA | | A light, humorous poem of five lines with the rhyme scheme of aabba. |
| METAPHOR | | A lyric poem that is serious and thoughtful in tone and has a very precise, formal structure. |
| IMAGERY | | A form of paradox which brings together contradictory terms -- wise fool, loud silence. |
| LYRIC | | A pair of rhyming lines, usually of the same length and meter; generally expresses a single idea. |
| MASCULINERHYME | | The set of meanings or ideas associated with a word; can be personal, cultural, or societal. |
| ELEGY | | The repetition or pattern of the same vowel sounds |
| RHYMESCHEME | | The imaginary voice assumed by the writer of a poem. |
| LIMERICK | | A figure of speech in which words are used to imitate sounds. |
| ALLUSION | | The descriptive or figurative language used to create mental pictures for readers; uses one or more of the senses. |
| REPETITION | | A figure of speech in which deliberate exaggeration is used for emphasis. |
| REFRAIN | | Poems that tell stories -- ballads, epics, and lays. |
| SIMILE | | A figure of speech in which two things are compared without using the words "like" or "as". |
| ENJAMBEMENT | | A poem that laments the death of a person or one that is simply sad and thoughtful. |
| PERSONIFICATION | | The repetition of consonant sounds at the ends of accented syllables; used to create musical effects. |
| ASSONANCE | | A lyric poem that is 14 lines long and is usually written in iambic pentameter. |
| PARADOX | | A poem's rhythmical pattern -- the number and types of stresses or beats in each line. |
| CONNOTATION | | A figure of speech in which nonhuman things are given human attributes. |
| STRESS | | A poem that pictures country life in a peaceful, idealized way. |
| STANZA | | A rhyme that occurs in a final stressed syllable -- cat/hat. |
