8th Grade ELA
Poetry Terms
Couplet: two lines of verse the same length that usually rhyme
Nature puts on little shows
Every time it rains or snows
End rhyme: the rhyming of words that appear at the ends of two or more lines of poetry
“shows” and “snows” in the example above
Enjambment: the running over of a sentence or thought from one line to another
We real cool. We
Left school.
Internal rhyme: occurs when the rhyming words appear WITHIN the same line of poetry
“You break my eyes with a look that buys sweet cake.”
Meter: the rhythmic pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry
"Come live | with me | and be | my love" -- pattern is unaccented /accented
Mood: the feeling a poem produces in the reader
Slant rhyme: rhyme in which there is close but not exact correspondence of sound
(lid/lad; wait/made; soul/all; years/yours; eyes/light)
Stanza:a grouping of two or more lines of a poem in terms of length, metrical form, and often
rhyme scheme
Refrain: the repetition of a line or phrase of a poem at regular intervals, especially at the end of
each stanza (called the “chorus” in a song)
Repetition: the repeating of a word or phrase to create a sense of rhythm
His laugh, his dare, his shrug/sag ghostlike…
Tone: the implied attitude of the writer toward the subject of the poem
Verse:a single metrical unit of poetry, such as a line of poetry, a stanza, or the poem itself
Figurative Language
Alliteration: the repetition of initial sounds
"seven steaks sizzled"
Allusion: a reference to something in history or literature
"She had a Cinderella wedding."
Assonance: the repetition of vowel sounds
"My words like silent raindrops fell." – long i sound
Consonance: the repetition of consonant sounds
"pitter patter," "stroke of luck"
Imagery: language that appeals to the senses
"The squeals and laughter of childrenfilled the air."
"The sky glowed orange and gold."
"The aroma of perfume wafteddown the stairs."
Metaphor: a comparison between two things not using "like" or "as"
"Life is a game."
Onomatopoeia: words whose sounds suggest their meaning
buzz, click, snap, chop
Hyperbole: an extreme exaggeration for effect
"I've told you a hundred times"; "I'mstarving"; "The suspense is killing me."
Oxymoron:the joining of two words of opposite meaning
burning cold, workingvacation, jumbo shrimp, screaming whisper
Paradox: an apparent contradiction that is nevertheless true
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."
Personification: giving human characteristics to an animal, object, or idea
"The hours crawled by like years.”
Pun: a play on words
"When a clock is hungry, it goes back for seconds.”
Symbol:a thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object
representing something abstract
A wedding ring represents commitment, honor, love, etc.
Understatement: saying less than what is meant
"He's a bit upset" is an understatementif someone is furious.