Metaphor
When a word is identified with something different from what the word literally denotes. Without like or as
Oxymoron
a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction
Simile
the comparisons of two unlike things using like or as
Personification
human qualities being given to inanimate objects or abstract concepts
Pun
a play on words based on the similarity of sound between two words with different meanings
Hyperbole
language which greatly overstates or exaggerates facts, whether in earnest or for comic effect
Cesura
a break in the flow of sound usually in the middle of a line of verse
Onomatopoeia
words which resemble in sound what they represent, or words that correspond in other ways with what they describe:"Hiss" "Rattle"
Iambic Pentameter
a line of verse composed of ten syllables arranged in five metrical feet (iambs), each of which consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable
Anaphora
the repetitions of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses or lines
Apostrophe
words spoken to a person who is absent or imaginary, or an object or abstract idea
Enjambment
a sentence or thought running into the next couplet or line without a pause at the end of the line; a run-on line
Allusion
a brief reference to a famous historical or literary figure or event, or place, real of fictitious, or to a work of art. It may be drawn from history, geography, literature, mythology, music or religion
Imagery
use of details and description to create a vivid sensory experience for the reader
Personifications
human qualities being given to inanimate objects or abstract concepts
Persona
the person created by the author to speak or to convey a story. "I am the grass, let me work".
Alliteration
the repetition of initial identical consonant sounds in words close together, particularly using letters at the beginning of words or stressed syllables
Anaphora
the repetitions of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses or lines
Assonance
the same or similar vowel sounds, particularly in stressed syllables, that end with different consonant sounds
Consonance
the repetition of a patter of stressed consonants within words in which the separating vowels differ. "leaf" and "loaf" or "wind" and "behind"
Parellelism
when an author constructs parts of a sentence to be grammatically similar, often repeating a specific word, phrase, or idea
End rhyme
words at the end of successive lines which rhyme with each other
Free Verse
verse with no rules whatsoever. The lines are irregular and may or may not rhyme. It is sometimes confused with blank verse, which does not rhyme but has a set metrical pattern.
Repetition
using the same word or phrase over and over again in a piece of writing or speech
Couplet
a pair of lines that rhyme directly
Stanza
a unified group of lines in poetry. Lines can be unified by length, metrical form, and often, rhyme scheme, but also by thought, like a paragraph