Glossary
U�een Poeamration �ntholog y
Prep
Glossary
accent
emphasis given to a syllable or word, or a particular way of pronouncing words
specific to a geographic area
acrostic verse
a form of poetry in which the first letter (or sometimes syllable or word) in each
line spells out a word or hidden message
adjective
a word which describes a noun, e.g. sweet, red, flat
adverb
a word that describes a verb or adjective, e.g. quickly, very
alliteration
two or more words close together beginning with the same consonant,
e.g. slow silent slugs slithered
allusion
a subtle or hidden reference
ambiguity
being open to more than one interpretation
antonym
word with the opposite meaning to another, e.g. bad is the antonym of good
assonance
the repetition of a vowel sound or stressed syllable, e.g. to hear them shriek,
you’d think
ballad
a poem or song which tells a story
blank verse
poem with regular meter (often iambic pentameter) that does not rhyme
caesura
a pause in the middle of a line of poetry, usually indicated by a punctuation mark
consonance
the recurrence of similar sounding consonant sounds, e.g. The straight stone
walls defy the steep grey slopes
connotation
an idea or feeling suggested by a word, in addition to its primary meaning
cultural context
or background
the circumstances or setting for the poem
dialect
a form of language particular to specific region or group of people
elegy
a mournful, sad poem mourning someone who has passed on. Often written
for and read at funerals
emotive vocabulary
words or phrases which stir emotions
empathy
the ability to understand and share the feelings of another
enjambment
the continuation of a sentence or phrase without a pause beyond the end of a
line or stanza
end stopped line
when there is a punctuation mark at the end of a line of poetry
extended metaphor
a technique used where, over an extended period, a word, phrase, or image is
used to represent something else to which it is not directly related
full rhyme
also known as perfect rhyme; when the later part of a word or phrase is
identical in sound to another, e.g. fat cat
form
the visible shape of a poem
heroic couplet
two lines of iambic pentameter with the same end rhyme that form a whole
thought; entire poems can be written in this way
historical background information about the time or context in which a piece of work was written
which helps you to understand it
iambic pentameter
ten syllables, alternatively unstressed and stressed
imagery
involves one or more of the five senses; authors and poets use a number of
literary devices to stimulate memory of these senses
internal rhyme
rhyme that occurs in a single line of verse, e.g. There are none to decline your
nectared wine
©Pearson Education Limited 2013
U�een Poeamration �ntholog y
Prep
irony
using words, themes or images in the opposite way to that expected for effect,
often humorous
lexical field
words close together which share a common subject
linguistic feature
an attribute, part or aspect of language
literal meaning
words interpreted at their usual or most basic sense
metaphor
a link and comparison drawn between two different things by calling one by
the other’s name, e.g. the man was a beast
noun
a person, place, thing, idea or quality
octave
the first part of a Petrarchan sonnet consisting of eight lines of verse
ode
a poem of praise consisting of three parts
onomatopoeia
words or phrases which include the sounds associated with what they
describe, e.g. the snake’s hiss
personification
human characteristics or personal nature that are attributed to something not
human, e.g. the trees waved their hands
quatrain
a stanza consisting of four lines of verse
repetition
repeating ideas or actual words or phrases
rhetorical question
a question asked for effect and which does not expect an answer
rhyme
a word with the same sound as another
rhythm
a flow of words and phrases determined by use of stressed and unstressed syllables
sestet
the second part of a Petrarchan sonnet; six lines that follow the octave
simile
a comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind using ‘like’ or
‘as’, e.g. happy as a lark
sonnet
a short poem with 14 lines divided into 2, 3 or 4 sections, usually with a strong
rhyming pattern and written in iambic pentameter and often written about love
structure
how different parts of a poem fit together
tone
the feeling or mood a writer evokes
verb
a word expressing an action or state of being
voice
the poet’s opinions or attitudes and how these are expressed
Rhythmic patterns (metrical feet):
anapaestic
two unstressed syllables, one stressed syllable
dactylic
one stressed syllable, two unstressed syllables
iambic
one unstressed syllable, one stressed syllable
spondaic
two stressed syllables
trochaic
one stressed syllable, one unstressed syllable
Terms describing the number of feet in a line:
dimeter
a line consisting of two metrical feet
pentameter
a line consisting of five metrical feet
tetrameter
a line consisting of four metrical feet
trimeter
a line consisting of three metrical feet
iambic pentameter
the most common line-form of British poetry where there are five metrical feet,
each a short syllable followed by a long syllable
e.g.which alters when it alteration finds
hexameter
a line consisting of six metrical feet
©Pearson Education Limited 2013