Simile  A comparison of two things using like or as  Example – My love is like a red, red rose.  It is a comparison of the qualities of a rose and the qualities of his love.

Metaphor  A comparison of two things using is or are  Example – You are the honey on my pancakes. It is a comparison of how well honey and pancakes go together and how well the speaker gets along with the other person.

Alliteration  The repetition of initial sounds in a series of words.  Ex. Silver bark of beech, and sallow bark of yellow birch and yellow bark of yellow birch and yellow

Assonance  The repetition of vowel sounds in a series of words.  Ex. All is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil

Meter  The regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables each repeated unit of which is called a foot.  Ex. Ronnie, Ricky, Bobby and Mike If I like the girl who cares who you like If I like the girl who cares who you like

Imagery  Words and phrases that describe the concrete experience of the five senses.  Ex. Nothing is so beautiful as spring When weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and When weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush, lush, Thrush’s eggs look like low heavens Thrush’s eggs look like low heavens

Consonance  Repeated consonant sounds within words  Ex. I’ll look to like if looking liking move

Onomatopoeia  When words sound like what they are describing  Ex. Snap, crackle and pop

Personification  Giving human qualities to things that are not human.  Ex. Today the light is in love And proposes to anyone And proposes to anyone

Oxymoron  Phrases that combine two opposites  Ex. Jumbo Shrimp

Hyperbole  Intentional overstatement or exaggeration  Ex. If there were world enough and time he’d spend centuries adoring each part of his lover’s body he’d spend centuries adoring each part of his lover’s body

enjambment  When the flow of a verse runs over into the next line Ex. In that blest moment from his oozy bed Old Father Thames advanc’d his head Old Father Thames advanc’d his head

Symbol  An object that represents a concept, idea or emotion.  Ex. Red roses symbolize romantic love.

Connotation  Feelings or associations made with certain words that may be different than the literal definition.  Ex. The word molest simply means to annoy or irritate, but whenever we hear the word we usually give it a sexual meaning.

Denotation  The literal definition of a word

Allusion  A reference to a historical figure or character or events from well-known literature or history

End rhyme  When rhyme occurs at the end of two verses  Ex.George was fat He wore an ugly hat He wore an ugly hat

Internal Rhyme  When the rhyming sounds occur within the lines of poetry  John went and spent his money for the rent

Irony  When the expected meaning of words or actions is different than the actual meaning

Speaker  The person that appears to be speaking in the poem  Hint: The speaker in the poem is not always the author. In fact, it is a mistake to assume that the person speaking in the poem is supposed to be the author. The speaker in a poem is most often a character other than the author himself.

Stanza  A block of lines similar to a paragraph in prose

Verse  A single line of poetry  Also used as another word for poetry