Poetry Terms

Front

Allusion

Back

A brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, literary, or political significance.

Tags

CCSS.L.7.5A

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

Front

Ballad

Back

A type of poem that tells a story and was traditionally set to music.

Tags

CCSS.L.8.6

CCSS.L.9-10.6

CCSS.W.7.2D

CCSS.W.8.2D

CCSS.W.9-10.2D

Front

Alliteration

Back

Repetition of a sound at the beginning of two or more neighboring words.

Tags

CCSS.L.4.5

CCSS.L.5.5

CCSS.L.6.5

CCSS.RL.2.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

Front

Enjambment

Back

A term used in poetry to refer to lines that end without punctuation and without completing a sentence or clause.

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

Front

Consonance

Back

The repetition of the same consonant sounds in a line of text, usually found at the end or middle of words.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

Front

Metaphor

Back

A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things by stating one is the other.

Tags

CCSS.L.4.5A

CCSS.L.5.5A

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.W.11-12.2D

Front

Simile

Back

A figure of speech that compares two different things using the words 'like' or 'as'.

Tags

CCSS.L.4.5A

CCSS.L.5.5A

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.W.11-12.2D

Front

Onomatopoeia

Back

A word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound it describes.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

Front

Imagery

Back

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses and creates mental images.

Tags

CCSS.L.4.5

CCSS.L.5.5

CCSS.L.6.5

CCSS.L.7.5

CCSS.L.8.5

Front

Theme

Back

The central idea or message in a literary work, often a universal truth.

Tags

CCSS.L.8.6

CCSS.L.9-10.6

CCSS.W.7.2D

CCSS.W.8.2D

CCSS.W.9-10.2D