Poetry Terms and Definitions

A pattern of rhymes at the end of each line of a poem, often described using letters to represent sounds.

To create a musical quality.

The pattern of sounds and silences in a poem, often created by the arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables.

A type of meter in poetry that consists of five iambs (an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable) per line.

An exaggerated statement not meant to be taken literally, used for emphasis.

The repetition of the same initial consonant sounds in a sequence of words.

The continuation of a sentence or clause across a line break in poetry.

A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as'.

A figure of speech that compares two unlike things using 'like' or 'as'.

A literary device where human qualities are attributed to non-human things.