1. Elements of Poetry
Vocabulary

2. stressed and unstressed syllables
Term
Definition
Example
poetry
verse written to create a response of thoughts and feelings
words
titles
line breaks
line break
where the line of text ends
Grandma sent the hammock,
The good Lord sent the breeze.
I’m here to do the swinging –
Now, who’s gonna move the trees?
stanza
a grouping of lines like a paragraph
Yes I’ll tame the buckin’ bronco,
You can see me settin’ easy.
Here’s the buckin’ bronco,
Here is me.
stressed and unstressed syllables
the syllable that is said slightly louder, with a higher pitch, and longer duration is stressed. the other syllable is unstressed.
PRES ent pre SENT

3. Term
Definition
Example
rhythm
the beat created by stressing some words (syllables) and not others
I must go down to the seas again
meter
a repeated pattern or rhythm, measured in the basic unit of feet
Tiny turtles along the beach,
Rushing toward water out of reach
rhyme
words that have the same ending sounds, often the last word of the poem’s line
My beard grows to my toes,
I never wears no clothes,
I wraps my hair
Around my bare,
And down the road I goes.
repetition
words or phrases that are repeated (written in the poem over and over again)
Snowflakes, snowflakes
Dance all around.
Tough the ground.

4. Term
Definition
Example
alliteration
repetition of the same beginning sound
Hadley hops happily home
personification
giving human characteristics to objects and ideas
The trees danced back and forth in the wind.
imagery
author’s use of language that appeals to the five senses in order to help the reader imagine what is being described
sight: sparking, dull, colorful, bright
smell: buttery, rich, old, fishy
taste: spicy, sour, sweet, salty
touch: smooth, slimy, rough, silky
hear: booming, popping, loud, soft
onomatopoeia
sound words that make the actual sound when you read them
sizzle
zip
ding
whoosh

5. Term
Definition
Example
acrostic
spells out the person or thing vertically and uses the letter to begin words or phrases that describe it
J oker
A theletic
C aring
O utgoing
B rave
concrete
draws a picture using the words of the poem, the shape of the picture
couplet
two lines with ending words that rhyme
My grandmother sits in her wheel chair,
Looking out window while she sits there.
haiku
a three-line poem with a total of 17 syllables. The first and last lines have 5. The middle line has 7.