Poetic Terms and Figurative Language

Repetition of initial consonant sounds: “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.”

• assonance

• consonance

• alliteration

• onomatopoeia

Repetition of interior vowel sounds: “Fleet feet sweep by sleeping geese."

• alliteration

• assonance

• consonance

• onomatopoeia

Repetition of interior consonant sounds: “The fickle kicker chuckled as he clunked the ball down.”

• consonance

• assonance

• meter

• repetition

Words that show sound: Snap! Crackle! Pop!

• alliteration

• onomatopoeia

• rhyme

• repeition

The pattern of syllables in a line of poetry, which includes the number of syllables and the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables.

• rhyme

• meter

• repetition

• consonance

Repeating a word, phrase, or line for emphasis.

• rhyme

• repetition

• meter

• alliteration

Words that end in the same sound have this trait: The fairy named Mary was known for being merry - and hairy!

• repetition

• rhyme

• meter

• alliteration

Stating one thing is another to create a comparison: “He’s a sly fox.”

• metaphor

• simile

• personification

• hyperbole

Use of the word like or as to create a comparison between two things: “My love is like a red, red rose that’s newly sprung in June” (Robert Burns).

• metaphor

• simile

• personification

• hyperbole

Giving an object human traits or characteristics, often to create imagery: The daisies danced in the breeze.

• metaphor

• simile

• personification

• hyperbole