Poetic Devices: Subject Terminology

1. A group of words linked by a common topic or theme.
2. Language that helps the reader picture, hear, smell, taste, or feel something.
4. When a sentence continues onto the next line without punctuation stopping it.
6. The repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words.
8. Deliberate exaggeration for effect.
10. Two opposite or contradictory words placed together.
13. Deliberately using a word, phrase, or idea more than once.
16. A grouped section of lines in a poem, similar to a paragraph.
18. Lines that end with punctuation, creating a pause before the next line.
23. Informal language that people use in everyday conversation.
25. A group of three words, phrases, or ideas used together for effect.
26. When several nearby words begin with the same consonant sound.
28. Repeating the same word or phrase at the end of successive lines or sentences.
29. The pattern of beats or stresses in language.

1. A comparison using “like” or “as”.
3. A comparison where one thing is described as being another thing.
5. A word that sounds like the noise it describes.
7. Two lines of poetry that belong together.
9. A milder or less direct way of saying something unpleasant or uncomfortable.
11. Giving human qualities or actions to something non-human.
12. A pause within a line of poetry, often created by punctuation.
14. A metaphor that is developed and sustained over several lines, sentences, or throughout a whole poem or text.
15. Repeating the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines or sentences.
17. When two contrasting ideas, characters, or images are placed close together.
19. The voice or persona telling the poem, not necessarily the poet.
20. The turning point where a poem changes direction, idea, or mood.
21. A stanza made up of four lines.
22. A sound effect created by repeated “s” or “sh” sounds.
24. The pattern of rhyming words in a poem, often shown using letters.
27. Repeated hard sounds such as “p”, “b”, “t”, or “k” that create impact.