Poetry “Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.” ~Robert Frost

Poetic Devices The Sounds of Poetry

Onomatopoeia When a word’s pronunciation imitates its sound. Examples BuzzFizzWoof HissClinkBoom BeepVroomZip

Repetition Repeating a word or words for effect. Example When you, my Dear, are away, away, How wearily goes the creeping day.

Rhythm When words are arranged in such a way that they make a pattern or beat. Example There once was a girl from Chicago Who dyed her hair pink in the bathtub I own a solace shut within my heart, A garden full of many a quaint delight Hint: hum the words instead of saying them.

Rhyme When words have the same end sound. Happens at the beginning, end, or middle of lines. Examples Where Fair Air Bear Glare

Alliteration When the first sounds in words repeat. Example Peter Piper picked a pickled pepper. Slim-pinioned swallows sweep and pass

Other Useful Information about poems

Couplets: A pair of rhyming lines in a poem often set off from the rest of the poem. Shakespeare’s sonnets all end in couplets.

Atmosphere: The overall feeling of a work, which is related to tone and mood.

Blank verse: Unrhymed lines of poetry usually in iambic pentameter. Plenty of modern poetry is written in blank verse.

Stanza: A section of poetry separated from the sections before and after it; a verse “paragraph.”

Quatrain: A four-line stanza.

Symbolism: The use of one things to represent another. For example, a dove is a symbol of peace.

Theme: The central idea of a work.

Tone: The author’s attitude toward his or her subject. For example, a tone could be pessimistic, optimistic, or angry.

Voice: The narrative point of view whether it’s in the first, second, or third person.

Types of Poems

Lyric: A type of poetry that expresses the poet’s emotions. It often tells some sort of brief story, engaging the reading in the experience.

Elegy: A poem mourning the dead.

Epic: A long poem narrating the adventures of a heroic figure—for example, Homer’s The Odyssey.

Fable: A story that illustrates a moral often using animals as the character—for example, The Tortoise and the Hare.

Figurative Language: For example, you can call someone who is very angry “steaming.” Unless steam was actually coming out of your ears, you were using figurative language. He’s a fox. Literally you don’t mean that the person is an animal. What you mean is that the person possesses qualities that of the fox – being cunning and selfish Language that does not mean exactly what it says.

Some very useful Literary Devices

A huge exaggeration. For example, “Dan’s the funniest guy on the planet!” or “That baseball card is worth a zillion dollars!” Hyperbole: I'd rather take baths with a man-eating shark, or wrestle a lion alone in the dark, eat spinach and liver, pet ten porcupines, than tackle the homework, my teacher assigns.

Language that conveys a certain ideas by saying just he opposite. Irony:

A comparison that doesn’t use “like” or “as”—such as “He’s a rock” or “I am an island.” Metaphor:

Giving inanimate object human characteristics. For example, “The flames reached for the child hovering in the corner.” Personification:

A comparison that uses “like” or “as” For example, “I’m as hungry as a wolf,” or “My love is like a rose.” Simile:

Figurative Language Game Can you discover the missing picture by answering questions about figurative language? Click here to read the directions.

Game Directions 1.Read each clue and click the type of figurative language that matches it. 2.If you are right, small squares will disappear from the picture on the right. Try to guess the picture with each clue. 3.If you are wrong, try again. 4.When you get to the end, enjoy your celebration. Click the magnifying glass to start the game!

START  “happy as a clam” You are a bear in the morning. “pretty as a picture” Sally sells sea shells. The sun sang in the sky. BANG! I’m hungry; I could eat a horse. Red roses rock. FINISH! The dog is a princess. Buzz “ugly as an ogre” The paper screamed. metaphorsimile alliteration personification onomatopoeia hyperbole alliteration metaphor onomatopoeia simile personification metaphor simile metaphor onomatopoeia metaphor simile personification metaphor simile hyperbole metaphor onomatopoeia Answer the questions correctly to reveal the surprise picture! simile

START  “happy as a clam” You are a bear in the morning. “pretty as a picture” Sally sells sea shells. The sun sang in the sky. BANG! I’m hungry; I could eat a horse. Red roses rock. FINISH! The dog is a princess. Buzz “ugly as an ogre” The paper screamed. simile metaphorsimile alliteration personification onomatopoeia hyperbole alliteration metaphor onomatopoeia simile personification metaphor simile metaphor onomatopoeia metaphor simile personification metaphor simile hyperbole metaphor onomatopoeia Answer the questions correctly to reveal the surprise picture!

START  “happy as a clam” You are a bear in the morning. “pretty as a picture” Sally sells sea shells. The sun sang in the sky. BANG! I’m hungry; I could eat a horse. Red roses rock. FINISH! The dog is a princess. Buzz “ugly as an ogre” The paper screamed. simile metaphorsimile alliteration personification onomatopoeia hyperbole alliteration metaphor onomatopoeia simile personification metaphor simile metaphor onomatopoeia metaphor simile personification metaphor simile hyperbole metaphor onomatopoeia Answer the questions correctly to reveal the surprise picture!

START  “happy as a clam” You are a bear in the morning. “pretty as a picture” Sally sells sea shells. The sun sang in the sky. BANG! I’m hungry; I could eat a horse. Red roses rock. FINISH! The dog is a princess. Buzz “ugly as an ogre” The paper screamed. simile metaphorsimile alliteration personification onomatopoeia hyperbole alliteration metaphor onomatopoeia simile personification metaphor simile metaphor onomatopoeia metaphor simile personification metaphor simile hyperbole metaphor onomatopoeia Answer the questions correctly to reveal the surprise picture!

START  “happy as a clam” You are a bear in the morning. “pretty as a picture” Sally sells sea shells. The sun sang in the sky. BANG! I’m hungry; I could eat a horse. Red roses rock. FINISH! The dog is a princess. Buzz “ugly as an ogre” The paper screamed. simile metaphorsimile alliteration personification onomatopoeia hyperbole alliteration metaphor onomatopoeia simile personification metaphor simile metaphor onomatopoeia metaphor simile personification metaphor simile hyperbole metaphor onomatopoeia Answer the questions correctly to reveal the surprise picture!

START  “happy as a clam” You are a bear in the morning. “pretty as a picture” Sally sells sea shells. The sun sang in the sky. BANG! I’m hungry; I could eat a horse. Red roses rock. FINISH! The dog is a princess. Buzz “ugly as an ogre” The paper screamed. simile metaphorsimile alliteration personification onomatopoeia hyperbole alliteration metaphor onomatopoeia simile personification metaphor simile metaphor onomatopoeia metaphor simile personification metaphor simile hyperbole metaphor onomatopoeia Answer the questions correctly to reveal the surprise picture!

START  “happy as a clam” You are a bear in the morning. “pretty as a picture” Sally sells sea shells. The sun sang in the sky. BANG! I’m hungry; I could eat a horse. Red roses rock. FINISH! The dog is a princess. Buzz “ugly as an ogre” The paper screamed. simile metaphorsimile alliteration personification onomatopoeia hyperbole alliteration metaphor onomatopoeia simile personification metaphor simile metaphor onomatopoeia metaphor simile personification metaphor simile hyperbole metaphor onomatopoeia Answer the questions correctly to reveal the surprise picture!

START  “happy as a clam” You are a bear in the morning. “pretty as a picture” Sally sells sea shells. The sun sang in the sky. BANG! I’m hungry; I could eat a horse. Red roses rock. FINISH! The dog is a princess. Buzz “ugly as an ogre” The paper screamed. simile metaphorsimile alliteration personification onomatopoeia hyperbole alliteration metaphor onomatopoeia simile personification metaphor simile metaphor onomatopoeia metaphor simile personification metaphor simile hyperbole metaphor onomatopoeia Answer the questions correctly to reveal the surprise picture!

START  “happy as a clam” You are a bear in the morning. “pretty as a picture” Sally sells sea shells. The sun sang in the sky. BANG! I’m hungry; I could eat a horse. Red roses rock. FINISH! The dog is a princess. Buzz “ugly as an ogre” The paper screamed. simile metaphorsimile alliteration personification onomatopoeia hyperbole alliteration metaphor onomatopoeia simile personification metaphor simile metaphor onomatopoeia metaphor simile personification metaphor simile hyperbole metaphor onomatopoeia Answer the questions correctly to reveal the surprise picture!

START  “happy as a clam” You are a bear in the morning. “pretty as a picture” Sally sells sea shells. The sun sang in the sky. BANG! I’m hungry; I could eat a horse. Red roses rock. FINISH! The dog is a princess. Buzz “ugly as an ogre” The paper screamed. simile metaphorsimile alliteration personification onomatopoeia hyperbole alliteration metaphor onomatopoeia simile personification metaphor simile metaphor onomatopoeia metaphor simile personification metaphor simile hyperbole metaphor onomatopoeia Answer the questions correctly to reveal the surprise picture!

START  “happy as a clam” You are a bear in the morning. “pretty as a picture” Sally sells sea shells. The sun sang in the sky. BANG! I’m hungry; I could eat a horse. Red roses rock. FINISH! The dog is a princess. Buzz “ugly as an ogre” The paper screamed. simile metaphorsimile alliteration personification onomatopoeia hyperbole alliteration metaphor onomatopoeia simile personification metaphor simile metaphor onomatopoeia metaphor simile personification metaphor simile hyperbole metaphor onomatopoeia Answer the questions correctly to reveal the surprise picture!

START  “happy as a clam” You are a bear in the morning. “pretty as a picture” Sally sells sea shells. The sun sang in the sky. BANG! I’m hungry; I could eat a horse. Red roses rock. FINISH! The dog is a princess. Buzz “ugly as an ogre” The paper screamed. simile metaphorsimile alliteration personification onomatopoeia hyperbole alliteration metaphor onomatopoeia simile personification metaphor simile metaphor onomatopoeia metaphor simile personification metaphor simile hyperbole metaphor onomatopoeia Answer the questions correctly to reveal the surprise picture!

START  “happy as a clam” You are a bear in the morning. “pretty as a picture” Sally sells sea shells. The sun sang in the sky. BANG! I’m hungry; I could eat a horse. Red roses rock. FINISH! The dog is a princess. Buzz “ugly as an ogre” The paper screamed. simile metaphorsimile alliteration personification onomatopoeia hyperbole alliteration metaphor onomatopoeia simile personification metaphor simile metaphor onomatopoeia metaphor simile personification metaphor simile hyperbole metaphor onomatopoeia You have found my dog Chloe! Click the finish button for a surprise!

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