Elements of a Poem

The rhythm created by the combination of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line.

• line

• stanza

• meter

• rhythm

Words that end with the same sound.

• rhythm

• repetition

• rhyme

• onomatopoeia

Use of descriptive words and phrases to create a mental picture that appeals to one or more of the five senses-sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.

• alliteration

• imagery

• meter

• onomatopoeia

A group of words arranged in a row. It is the most important part of a poem. It is essential to the meaning and rhythm of a poem.

• meter

• stanza

• alliteration

• line

A pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry used to bring out the musical part of a poem.

• stanza

• rhythm

• meter

• onomatopoeia

A group of two or more lines that may have the same number of lines or the number of lines may be different lengths. It looks like a paragraph, but it is not prose.

• line breaks

• stanza

• voice

• couplet

Uses a repeated sound, word, phrase, or line to help strengthen a poem's meaning, importance, and to create a rhythm that is appealing to the reader.

• alliteration

• repetition

• onomatopoeia

• voice

Words that make or imitate sounds. A poet uses the sounds of these words to echo their meanings.

• personification

• onomatopoeia

• voice

• rhyme

The speaker in the poem who is created by the poet. Oftentimes, the speaker is the poet. With his use of language, the poet enables the reader to hear a human personality through an imaginary person, animal, or object.

• personification

• voice

• imagery

• repetition

Repeated consonant sounds at the beginning of words in a poem.

• repetition

• voice

• alliteration

• rhyme