Today we will begin our exploration of poetry structure...

stanzas

lines

line breaks

rhyme scheme

Stanza

A stanza is a grouped set of lines. A stanza is usually separated from other lines with a blank line

Line break

A line break happens when one line ends and another begins. They are very important in poetry, because they cause the reader to pause between the last word of one line and the first word of the next line.

Lines

A line is just a group of words arranged in a row.

Rhyme scheme

A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhymes at the end of each line of a poem or song. It is usually referred to by using letters to indicate which lines rhyme; lines designated with the same letter all rhyme with each other.

What do you think the rhyme scheme of this poem is?

What do you think the rhyme scheme of this poem is?

Figurative Language

Figurative Language are words or

expressions that mean something

different from their dictionary

definitions.

Metaphor

1.    Her laughter was music to his ears. - This compares the sound of laughter to music, suggesting it was pleasant and soothing.

2.    He is a night owl. - This compares a person who stays up late to an owl, a nocturnal creature.

3.    The classroom was a zoo. - This compares a chaotic classroom to a zoo, implying a lot of noise and disorder.

4.    Time is a thief. - This compares time to a thief, suggesting that it steals moments and opportunities.

Simile

1.    Her eyes sparkled like diamonds. - This compares her eyes to diamonds, suggesting they were bright and shiny.

2.    He is as strong as an ox. - This compares his strength to that of an ox, implying he is very strong.

3.    The snow was as white as a sheet. - This compares the snow to a sheet, suggesting it was very white.

4.    She sings like an angel. - This compares her singing voice to that of an angel, implying it is beautiful and heavenly.

Metaphor vs Simile

Personification

1.    The wind whispered through the trees. - This gives the wind human-like qualities, suggesting it can whisper softly.

2.   The sun smiled down on the earth. - This gives the sun human-like qualities, suggesting it can smile warmly.

3.   The rain danced on the windowpane. - This gives the rain human-like qualities, suggesting it can dance playfully.

4    The flowers nodded their heads in agreement. - This gives the flowers human-like qualities, suggesting they can nod and agree.

Hyperbole

1.    I'm so hungry I could eat a horse. - This exaggerates the speaker's hunger.

2.    I've told you a million times. - This exaggerates the frequency of the speaker's telling.

3.    That book is a thousand pages long. - This exaggerates the length of the book.

4.    She's as old as the hills. - This exaggerates the person's age.

Alliteration

Onomatopoeia