Poetry Terms

Non-rhyming poetry that usually does not have a regular rhythm or format

• ballad

• epic

• free-verse

• sonnet

A narrative poem - usually containing much repetition and often repeated refrain - often tell a single dramatic episode

• ballad

• ode

• free verse

• lyric

A long narrative poem which tells of the adventures of heroic characters, over a long period or describes some monumental task. Often, supernatural forces play a part in the action 

• ode

• ballad

• epic

• elegy

A lyric poem of 14 lines in iambic pentameter following one of several possible rhyme schemes. The 2 main types are Italian (Petrarchan) and English (Shakespearean)

• sonnet

• ballad

• ode

• free verse

A short poem expressing the internal and emotional thoughts of a single speaker. They are usually an expression of the poet’s feelings about a person, an object, event or idea. They originated as songs and retain their melodic patterns through various forms or rhythm and rhyme.

• lyric

• elegy

• ode

• sonnet

A formal poem, often written as a lament for a departed friend or respected person. The poet usually sets forth his or her ideas about death or some other serious subject.

• ode

• elegy

• lyric

• ballad

a lyric poem in the form of an address to a particular subject, often elevated in style or manner and written in varied or irregular meter.

• elegy

• ode

• ballad

• sonnet

A set of lines grouped together in a poem

• verse

• stanza

• line

• couplet

Two rhyming lines in a verse with the same meter Makes poetry interesting and rhythmic

• verse

• quatrain

• couplet

• refrain

Verse with 4 lines Gives a regular rhythm

• quatrain

• couplet

• verse

• stanza