Poetry Terms and Techniques Vocabulary List

Simile: Compares two unlike things with the word like or as. Dry earth cracked like a jigsaw puzzle.

The swollen river stampedes past. Metaphor: Compares two unlike things without using a comparison word (such as like or as). The swollen river stampedes past.

Personification: Treats a nonhuman subject as if it were a person. Puddles beg me to stop and play.

Hyperbole: Uses exaggeration for a special, often humorous, effect. A million degrees on the thermometer, and I still can’t go swimming.

The wicked wind laughs long and loud. Alliteration: The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words. The wicked wind laughs long and loud.

Assonance: The repetition of vowel sounds anywhere in words. Blustery autumn drums our door.

Consonance: The repetition of consonant sounds anywhere in words. Stark stones caressed by mist.

Line breaks: Control the rhythm of a poem as it is read Line breaks: Control the rhythm of a poem as it is read. Readers tend to pause slightly at the end of a line. We crest the rise and then Plummet!

Onomatopoeia: The use of words that sound like what they name. Plop! Splat! Raindrops clap the roof and tap the skylight.

Repetition: The use of the same word or phrase more than once, for emphasis or for rhythm. Hot today, so very. Hot as a coal stove. Hot as a steam iron. Hot as hot can be.

Rhyme: The use of words whose endings sound alike. The dumpster lids are loaded down with white snow; in the street it’s brown.

An earthworm wiggles after rain. Rhythm: The pattern of syllables in a poem. Poetic rhythm should flow naturally, like speaking. An earthworm wiggles after rain.