Literary elements often used in poetry
element
definition
example
Rhyme: End
rhyme Internal
rhyme
words rhyme at the end of lines
words rhyme within a line
Repetition
words or phrases are repeated
‘rage, rage ...’
Simile
a comparison of two unlike things using ‘like’ or ‘as’
‘as white as a sheet'
Metaphor
a comparison of two unlike things without using like or as
‘my sister was hopping mad’
Hyperbole
deliberate and obvious exaggeration used for effect
'I could eat a million of these'
Alliteration
using several words that begin with the same or similar consonants
'Whither wilt thou wander, wayfarer?'
Personification
representing an abstract quality or notion as a human being
‘The flowers danced in the gentle breeze’
Assonance
a repetition of vowels in words that are close together
‘to go before I sleep’
Consonance
a repetition of consonants in words that are close together
‘pitter patter’
Onomatopoeia
words that imitate the sound associated with something e.g. 'hiss'
and 'buzz'
'hiss', 'buzz', ‘ping pong’