ELA 20AD Poetry Terms

begins with several words with the same sound

ex) twisting trout twinkled in the twilight

• Alliteration

• Allusion

• Anaphora

• Antithesis

a reference to mythological, literary, biblical, etc

• Alliteration

• Allusion

• Anaphora

• Antithesis

exact repetition of a word or group of words in successive lines

ex) switch fin hath...

Switch fin hath...

• Alliteration

• Allusion

• Anaphora

• Antithesis

the direct juxtaposition of structurally parallel words/phrases/clauses for the purpose of contrast ex) sink or swim, to be or not to be

• Alliteration

• Allusion

• Anaphora

• Antithesis

Anthropomorphism

• personification in which human characteristics are given to animals

• personification of an absent/dead person or an inanimate object is spoken to as if present or living

  ex) Death, take me now

• repetition of accented vowel sounds in a sentence ex) he cried a sigh of high denial

• omitting conjunctions, articles, or pronouns for speed or economy

  ex) the conjunction "&" is removed in I came, I saw, I conquered

Apostrophe

• personification in which human characteristics are given to animals

• personification of an absent/dead person or an inanimate object is spoken to as if present or living

  ex) Death, take me now

• repetition of accented vowel sounds in a sentence ex) he cried a sigh of high denial

• omitting conjunctions, articles, or pronouns for speed or economy

  ex) the conjunction "&" is removed in I came, I saw, I conquered

Assonance

• personification in which human characteristics are given to animals

• personification of an absent/dead person or an inanimate object is spoken to as if present or living

  ex) Death, take me now

• repetition of accented vowel sounds in a sentence ex) he cried a sigh of high denial

• omitting conjunctions, articles, or pronouns for speed or economy

  ex) the conjunction "&" is removed in I came, I saw, I conquered

Asyndeton

• personification in which human characteristics are given to animals

• personification of an absent/dead person or an inanimate object is spoken to as if present or living

  ex) Death, take me now

• repetition of accented vowel sounds in a sentence ex) he cried a sigh of high denial

• omitting conjunctions, articles, or pronouns for speed or economy

  ex) the conjunction "&" is removed in I came, I saw, I conquered

Cacophony

• use of harsh sounding words or a discord of sounds

• balancing pattern where the main elements are reversed ex) fair is foul & foul is fair

• repetition of consonant sounds in a sentence, especially at the ends of words ex) each slow dusk a drawing down of blinds

• opposite of euphemism, a crude/shocking word/expression

Chiasmus

• use of harsh sounding words or a discord of sounds

• balancing pattern where the main elements are reversed ex) fair is foul & foul is fair

• repetition of consonant sounds in a sentence, especially at the ends of words ex) each slow dusk a drawing down of blinds

• opposite of euphemism, a crude/shocking word/expression