Types of Poetry
Poem Words organized in such a way that there is a pattern of rhythm, rhyme and/or meaning.
Lyric Poem A short poem of intense feelings and emotion that DOES NOT tell a story. Roses are red, Violets are blue… I love you!
Ballad A long poem that rhymes and tells a story. It is often set to music. Example: Puff the Magic Dragon
Free Verse A poem that is written in a completely modern way, having no rhyme, no rhythm, and no set number of lines per stanza. My cat Purring By the Fire On a pillow
Limerick A short, funny poem that is five lines long and always follows the same pattern of rhythm and rhyme. The following is a typical limerick:
Limerick - Example There once was a fat orange cat His best friend was a black bat One day the cat decided to try to fly He leapt out of the window and gave a great cry He made a jolly ginger splat on the welcome mat
Haiku A three line Japanese poem that doesn’t rhyme. It has rigid rules regarding the number of syllables in each line, which is 5, 7, and 5. Most haiku poems are about nature.
Haiku - Example Fish jump with a splash Moon gleams on the water rings Made by the salmon
Cinquain A five-line verse poem that talks about one topic. Each line has its own special purpose and a particular number of syllables.
Cinquain Example Kitty (2) Orange, Black, White (4) Looks at me with eyes bright (6) My heart melts when she looks like that (8) My cat (2)
Diamante A poem that in each line has specific parts of speech. Noun Adjective, Adjective Verb, Verb, Verb Noun, Noun, Noun, Noun
Diamante Example Mother Smart, Kind Helping, Listening, Loving Fairies, Books, Clothes, Flowers Gardening, Walking, Singing Beautiful, Strong Mummy
Rhyme Scheme The pattern of rhyme in a poem, indicated with letters of the alphabet or other symbols. For example, the following is an aa bb rhyme scheme (wall (a), fall (a), men (b), again (b)): Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall (a) Humpty Dumpty had a great fall (a) All the king’s horses and the all the king’s men (b) Couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty together again. (b)
Poetic Arrangements Verse/Stanza – a paragraph or chunk of writing in a poem Couplet – two lines of poetry that rhyme. The following example is a couplet: I run like I’m on fire (a) Blood pulsing like an electric wire (a)
Quatrain Four lines of poetry that have a rhyme scheme. “Humpty Dumpty” is an example of a quatrain. Quatrains often have an abab or abcb rhyme scheme, as well as the aabb shown in Humpty Dumpty.
Poetry Vocabulary Book – Types of Poetry Create a poetry vocabulary book that includes: A definition of each poetic arrangement and type of poem. A picture/illustration that represents each poetic arrangement and each type of poem. An example of each type of poem and poetic arrangement. Write your own examples for the poetic arrangements and for lyric, free verse, limerick, haiku, cinquain, and diamante.
Poetry Vocabulary Book – Types of Poems Verse/Stanza Rhyme Scheme Quatrain Couplet Lyric Ballad Free Verse Limerick Haiku Cinquain Diamante