anaphora
the repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row. this is a deliberate form of repetition and helps make the writer's point more coherent
Caesura
A natural pause or break in a line of poetry, usually near the middle of the line.
Chiasmus
a type of rhetorical balance in which the second part is syntactically balanced against the first but with the parts reversed
Juxtaposition
poetic and rhetorical device in which normally unassociated ideas, words, or phrases are placed next to one another, creating an effect of surprise and wit
Metonymy
a figure of speech which is characterized by the substitution of a term naming an object closely associated with the word in mind for the word itself
Alliteration
the repetition of the same or similar consonant sounds in words that are close together
apostrophe
calling out to an imaginary, dead, or absent person, or to a place or thing, or a personified abstract idea
Assonance
the repetition of similar vowel sounds in words that are together
Asyndeton
commas used without conjunction to separate a series of words, thus emphasizing the parts equally
cacophony
A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds
Consonance
Repetition of a consonant sound within a group of words
Couplet
Two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme
elegy
a sustained and formal poem setting forth the poet's meditations upon death or another solemn theme
end stopped
a line with a pause at the end
Enjambment
the continuation of the sense and grammatical construction from one line of poetry to the next
euphony
a style in which combinations of words pleasant to the ear predominate
free verse
Poetry that does not have a regular meter or rhyme scheme
Hyperbole
a figure of speech that uses an incredible exaggeration or overstatement for effect
internal rhyme
rhyme that occurs within a line, rather than at the end
Oxymoron
form of paradox that combines a pair of contrary terms into a single expression, usually serves the purpose of shocking the reader into awareness
Paradox
a situation or action or feeling that appears to be contradictory but on inspection turns out to be true or least to make sense.
Polysndeton
sentence which uses a conjunction with NO commas to separate the items in a series. Instead of X, Y, and Z... Polysyndeton results in X and Y and Z...
refrain
a word, phrase, line, or group of lines that is repeated, for effect, several times in a poem
stream of consciousness
a style of writing that portrays the inner (often chaotic) workings of a character's mind.
Synecdoche
a form of metaphor which in mentioning part that signifies the whole