1. Poetry Terms and Techniques
Vocabulary List

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

3. 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.

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

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

6. 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.

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

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

9. 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!

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

11. 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.

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

13. 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.