Poetry Toolbox Terms/Devices

Front

What is the structure of poetry?

Back

The structure of poetry is made up of lines and stanzas.

Tags

CCSS.L.6.6

CCSS.L.7.6

CCSS.L.8.6

CCSS.W.6.2D

CCSS.W.7.2D

Front

What do you call words whose sounds suggest their emotions, like Pow! Bang! Ouch!?

Back

These words are called onomatopoeia.

Tags

CCSS.L.4.5

CCSS.L.5.5

CCSS.L.6.5

CCSS.L.7.5

CCSS.L.8.5

Front

What is the term for the associations and emotional overtones attached to a word beyond its literal definition?

Back

This is known as connotation.

Tags

CCSS.L.6.5C

CCSS.L.7.5C

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

Front

What is a unified group of lines in poetry, often marked by spacing between sections?

Back

This is called a stanza.

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.5

Front

What is the term for repeating words, phrases, lines, or stanzas to emphasize a feeling or idea?

Back

This is known as repetition.

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.5

Front

What is the term for the pattern of rhymes at the end of each line in a poem?

Back

This is called a rhyme scheme.

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.4

Front

What is the term for the attitude or emotional quality of a poem?

Back

This is known as tone.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

Front

What do you call a comparison between two unlike things using 'like' or 'as'?

Back

This is called a simile.

Tags

CCSS.L.4.5A

CCSS.L.5.5A

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.W.11-12.2D

Front

What is a figure of speech that involves an exaggeration for emphasis?

Back

This is known as hyperbole.

Tags

CCSS.L.11-12.5A

Front

What do you call a direct reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, literary, or political significance?

Back

This is known as allusion.