Poetry Glossary
1. Poem
A piece of writing that expresses feelings or ideas, often with rhythm or rhyme.
2. Stanza
A group of lines in a poem, like a paragraph in prose.
3. Line
A single row of words in a poem.
4. Rhyme
Words that end with the same sound (e.g., cat and hat).
5. Rhythm
The beat or flow of a poem, created by stressed and unstressed syllables.
6. Meter
The pattern of rhythm in a poem, often measured in feet (like iambic pentameter).
7. Free Verse
Poetry without a fixed pattern of rhyme or rhythm.
8. Simile
A comparison using “like” or “as” (e.g., as brave as a lion).
9. Metaphor
A direct comparison (e.g., time is a thief).
10. Alliteration
Repetition of the same beginning sound in words (e.g., big blue balloon).
11. Imagery
Descriptive language that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, touch, etc.).
12. Personification
Giving human qualities to non-human things (e.g., the wind whispered).
13. Enjambment
When a line runs over into the next without punctuation or pause.
14. Haiku
A three-line poem with 5-7-5 syllables, usually about nature.
15. Sonnet
A 14-line poem with a set rhyme scheme, often about love.
16. Ode
A poem of praise, often serious and formal.
17. Limerick
A funny five-line poem with a specific rhythm and rhyme (AABBA).
18. Refrain
A line or group of lines repeated throughout a poem, like a chorus.
19. Theme
The main idea or message of the poem.
20. Narrative Poem
A poem that tells a story with characters, setting, and plot.
21. Lyric Poem
A short poem expressing personal feelings or thoughts.
22. Ballad
A narrative poem, often sung, with simple language and repeated lines.
23. Elegy
A mournful poem, often about someone who has died.
24. Epic
A long, serious poem about heroic deeds and adventures.
25. Blank Verse
Poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter.
26. Couplet
Two consecutive rhyming lines of poetry (e.g., The sun is bright, it gives me light).
27. Quatrain
A stanza of four lines, often with a rhyme scheme.
28. Hyperbole
An extreme exaggeration (e.g., I’ve told you a million times!).
29. Assonance
Repetition of vowel sounds within words (e.g., rise high in the bright sky).
30. Consonance
Repetition of consonant sounds (e.g., pitter-patter, slither-slather).
31. Onomatopoeia
Words that imitate sounds (e.g., buzz, clang, sizzle).
32. Irony
Saying the opposite of what is meant, often for humor or emphasis.
33. Paradox
A statement that seems contradictory but reveals a truth (e.g., less is more).
34. Pun
A humorous play on words with double meanings (e.g., Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana).
35. Acrostic
A poem in which the first letter of each line spells out a word or message.