Glossary of Poetic Terminology for IGCSE.

Allegory is a figure of speech in which abstract

ideas and principles are described in terms of
characters, figures and events. The objective of
Allegory
its use is to preach some kind of a moral lesson.
Example would be characters being used to
represent virtues such as generosity, faith etc..
The repetition of the same consonant sound,
Alliteration
especially at the beginning of words.
A reference to another event, person, place or
work of literature. The allusion is usually implied
rather than explicit and provides another layer of
Allusion
meaning to what is being said. Example the
revolution in Animal Farm is an allusion to the
Russian Revolution.
Use of language where the meaning is unclear or
Ambiguity has two or more possible meanings or
interpretations.
Assonance The repetition of similar vowel sounds
The feelings or vibes created in the reader by a
Atmosphere or Mood
literary work through words and descriptions.
A narrative poem, often of folk origin and
Ballad intended to be sung, consisting of simple stanzas
and usually having a refrain.
A natural pause, a break in a line of poetry,
usually indicated by a punctuation mark. For
Caesura example: When will the bell ring, and end this
weariness? (D. H. Lawrence, Last Lesson of
theAfternoon)
A trite, dull expression that has lost its originality
and humour through constant use. The English
Cliché language is full of clichés, often expressed as
metaphors or similes. For example: It’s as hot as
an oven in here.
Colloquial Ordinary, everyday speech and language
An implication or association attached to a word
Connotation or phrase. It is suggested or felt rather than being
explicit
The choice of words a writer uses. Another Word
Diction
for “vocabulary”
A feeling on the part of the reader of sharing the
Empathy particular experience being described by the
character or writer
Endstopped line A verse line with a pause or stop at the end of it
A line of verse that flows on into the next line
Enjambment
without a pause
Elegy Poem or song composed as a lament for a

Extended Metaphor / Conceit
Figurative language
Hyperbole
deceased person
The comparison between two things is continued
beyond the first point of comparison. For
example: In Lover’s Infiniteness by John Done,
Throughout the poem, Donne compares love to a
financial transaction, as if it were a form of good
to be bought and sold.
Language that is symbolic or metaphorical and
not meant to be taken literally
A deliberate exaggeration used to emphasise a
feeling or produce a humorous effect.
Forexample: I could eat a horse.
The use of words to create a picture or “image” in
the mind of the reader. Images can relate to any
of the senses, not just sight.

Oral= hearing

Visual= sight
Imagery
Kinasthetic= touch, temperature, movement, and
feelings.

Olfactory= smell

Gustatory= taste
Rhyming words within a line rather than at the
Internal rhyme
end of lines
At its simplest level, it means saying one thing
while meaning the opposite.. Irony is often
Irony confused with sarcasm. Sarcasm in contrast is a
form of irony tended to be amusing by mocking
or hurting a person or group in society.
The fact of two things being seen or placed close
Juxtaposition
together with contrasting effect.
Expressing deep personal emotion or
Lyrical observation.
A comparison of one thing to another to make the
Metaphor
description more vivid.
The regular use of unstressed and stressed
Metre
syllables in poetry
Message A basic thesis or lesson; a moral.
Narrative Consisting of or characterized by telling a story.
A lyricial poem, typically addressed to a
Ode particular subject, with lines of varying length
and complex rhythm.
The use of words whose sounds copies the thing
Onomatopoeia
or process they describe
Oxymoron Two words or phrases of opposite or contrasting
 meaning placed together for effect. For example:
Parting is such sweet sorrow. (William
Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet)
The attribution of human feelings, emotions, or
sensations to an inanimate object. Personification
Personification
is a type of metaphor where human qualities are
given to things or abstract ideas
Plot The story or plan
The use of identical or equivalent syntactic constructio
Paralellism ns in corresponding clauses or phrases.
A story can be told by one of the characters or
from another point of view. The point of view
Point of View can change from one part of the story to another
when events are viewed through the minds of two
or more characters.
A play on words that have similar sounds but
Pun
quite different meanings
Where words and/or phrases are repeated for
Repetition emphasis or special effect. For example: It was
cold that night, very, very, cold.
A question that is designed to make a vivid
suggestion rather than demand an answer. The
speaker is inviting the agreement of the audience.
If the answer is not immediately obvious to the
Rhetorical question
audience it will be provided by the questioner
directly after the question. Rhetorical questions
are used to involve the audience and make them
consider the idea proposed
Corresponding sounds in words, usually at the
Rhyme
end of each line, but not always
Rhymescheme The pattern of rhymes in a poem
The ‘movement’ of the poem as created through
Rhythm the meter and the way that language is stressed
within the poem
The highlighting or exposing of human failings
Satire
or foolishness through ridiculing them.
The repetition of the consonant s or z to give a
hissing sound. The effect of sibilance is to slow
the reader as s and z are more difficult to say.
Sibilance This, in turn, emphasises the idea and can also
create an onomatopoeic effect. For example:
suggesting snake movement and sound –
‘slippery, slithering, sliding snake’.
A type of metaphor in which two things are
Simile
compared using as or like.
A fourteen-line poem, usually with 10 syllables
in each line. There are several ways in which the
Sonnet
lines can be organised, but they often consist of
an octave and a sestet
 The blocks of lines into which a poem is divided.
[Sometimes these are, less precisely, referred to
Stanza
as verses, which can lead to confusion as poetry
is sometimes called ‘verse’]
The way a poem or play or other piece of writing
Structure
has been put together
The individual way in which the writer has used
Style
language to express his or her ideas
Like the use of images, symbols present things
which represent something else. In very simple
terms, a red rose can be used to symbolise love;
Symbol
distant thunder can symbolise approaching
trouble. Symbols can be very subtle and multi-
layered in their significance
The way in which sentences are structured.
Syntax Sentences can be structured in different ways to
achieve different effects
The central idea or ideas that a writer explores
Theme
through a text, such as love, hate, anger etc..
Shows the writer’s attitude about the topic of the
Tone piece. It may be angry, sarcastic, passionate or
sad, and so on.