Poetry Analysis Glossary

Repetition of initial consonant sounds in nearby words.

Repetition of vowel sounds within words.

Harsh, discordant sounds used for effect.

A pause within a line of poetry, often marked by punctuation.

Repetition of consonant sounds, especially at word ends.

A poem with a single speaker addressing a silent listener.

A poem of mourning for the dead.

A line ending with punctuation, creating a pause.

Running a sentence across line breaks without pause.

Pleasant, harmonious sounds.

A metaphor developed across multiple lines or stanzas.

Poetry without regular meter or rhyme scheme.

A metrical foot: unstressed-stressed (da-DUM).

The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables creating rhythm.

A formal poem addressing a subject with elevated language.

Words that imitate the sounds they describe.

An adopted voice or character through which a poet speaks.

A 14-line poem, usually in iambic pentameter with a volta.

A grouped set of lines in a poem, similar to a paragraph in prose.

A metrical foot: stressed-unstressed (DUM-da).

A 19-line form with two refrains and specific repetition pattern.

The turn or shift in a poem, especially in a sonnet.