Name: __________________________________

Poetic Devices Worksheet 1

https://www.ereadingworksheets.com/figurative-language/poetic-devices/poetic-
devices-worksheets/

Directions: Read the lines of poetry. Slashes represent line breaks. Identify two or more poetic
techniques being used in each example and write them on the line. There may be more than two
techniques being used. In the boxes below, explain each of your answers.
Answers: Alliteration, Consonance, Onomatopoeia, Repetition, Rhyme, Rhythm
1. A child sitting under the piano, in the boom of the tingling strings
And pressing the small, poised feet of a mother who smiles as she sings.
Which techniques are being used (list two or more)? ________________________________________________
Alliteration, Consonance, Onomatopoeia, Repetition, Rhyme, and/or Rhythm
How do you figure?
Explain how you got your answer

2. Click-clack, click-clack, the hoofs went past,

Who takes the dead coach travels fast,
Which techniques are being used (list two or more)? ________________________________________________
Alliteration, Consonance, Onomatopoeia, Repetition, Rhyme, and/or Rhythm
How do you figure?
Explain how you got your answer

3. And I begged the little leaves to lean

Low and together for a safe screen;
Which techniques are being used (list two or more)? ________________________________________________
Alliteration, Consonance, Onomatopoeia, Repetition, Rhyme, and/or Rhythm
How do you figure?
Explain how you got your answer

4. Big-voiced lassies made their banjos bang,

Which techniques are being used (list two or more)? ________________________________________________
Alliteration, Consonance, Onomatopoeia, Repetition, Rhyme, and/or Rhythm
How do you figure?
Explain how you got your answer

5. Lord, confound my surly sister, / Blight her brow with blotch and blister,
Cramp her larynx, lung, and liver, / In her guts a galling give her.

Which techniques are being used (list two or more)? ________________________________________________

 Alliteration, Consonance, Onomatopoeia, Repetition, Rhyme, and/or Rhythm
How do you figure?
Explain how you got your answer

6. Booth led boldly with his big bass drum--

Ingles waved the flag with no lag from the front.

Which techniques are being used (list two or more)? ________________________________________________

Alliteration, Consonance, Onomatopoeia, Repetition, Rhyme, and/or Rhythm
How do you figure?
Explain how you got your answer

7. Beautiful friendship tried by sun and wind,

Durable from the daily dust of life.
Which techniques are being used (list one)? ________________________________________________
Alliteration, Consonance, Onomatopoeia, Repetition, Rhyme, and/or Rhythm
How do you figure?
Explain how you got your answer

8. Will no one stop that tapping? / I cannot sleep for it.

I think that someone is shut in somewhere, / And trying to get out.
Will no one let them out, / And stop the tapping?
It keeps on tapping, tapping.... / Tap ... tap ... tap ... tap....
Which techniques are being used (list two or more)? ________________________________________________
Alliteration, Consonance, Onomatopoeia, Repetition, Rhyme, and/or Rhythm
How do you figure?
Explain how you got your answer

9. Did they love the leaves and wind,

Grass and gardens long ago
With a love that draws them home
Where things grow?
Which techniques are being used (list two or more)? ________________________________________________
Alliteration, Consonance, Onomatopoeia, Repetition, Rhyme, and/or Rhythm
How do you figure?
Explain how you got your answer

10. "Tlot-tlot; tlot-tlot!" Had they heard it?

The horse-hoofs ringing clear--
"Tlot-tlot, tlot-tlot" in the distance?
Were they deaf that did not hear?
 Which techniques are being used (list two or more)? ________________________________________________
Alliteration, Consonance, Onomatopoeia, Repetition, Rhyme, and/or Rhythm

How do you figure?

Explain how you got your answer

Poetic Devices Worksheet 1

Directions: Read the lines of poetry. Identify two or more poetic techniques being used in each example and write
them on the line. There may be more than two techniques being used. In the boxes below, explain each of your
answers.

Answers: Alliteration, Consonance, Onomatopoeia, Repetition, Rhyme, Rhythm

1. A child sitting under the piano, in the boom of the tingling strings

And pressing the small, poised feet of a mother who smiles as she sings.

Which techniques are being used (list two or more)? ________________________________________________

Alliteration, Consonance, Onomatopoeia, Repetition, Rhyme, and/or Rhythm

How do you figure?

Explain how you got your answer

Answers

Onomatopoeia, consonance, alliteration, rhyme, rhythm

Answer Explanations

Onomatopoeia: The words tingling and boom imitate their pronunciations.

Consonance: The words tingling, strings, and pressing end in the same consonant sound and nearly rhyme.

Alliteration: The words smiles, she, and sings all begin with the S sound.

Rhyme: The words strings and sings rhyme.

Rhythm: The lines are long but the poem has a sort of rolling rhythm.

2. Click-clack, click-clack, the hoofs went past,

Who takes the dead coach travels fast,

Which techniques are being used (list two or more)? ________________________________________________

Alliteration, Consonance, Onomatopoeia, Repetition, Rhyme, and/or Rhythm

How do you figure?

Explain how you got your answer
Answers

Alliteration, onomatopoeia, repetition, rhyme, rhythm

Answer Explanations

Alliteration: The words click and clack both begin with a hard C sound.

Onomatopoeia: The words click and clack have pronunciations that imitate their sounds.

Repetition: The words click and clack repeat. This invokes the image of a galloping horse.

Rhyme: The words fast and past have the same final vowel and consonant sounds.

3. And I begged the little leaves to lean

Low and together for a safe screen;

Which techniques are being used (list two or more)? ________________________________________________

Alliteration, Consonance, Onomatopoeia, Repetition, Rhyme, and/or Rhythm

How do you figure?

Explain how you got your answer

Answers
Alliteration, rhyme

Answer Explanations

Alliteration: the words little, leaves, lean, and low all begin the with L sound. The words safe and screen both
begin with the S sound.

4. Big-voiced lassies made their banjos bang,

Which techniques are being used (list two or more)? ________________________________________________

Alliteration, Consonance, Onomatopoeia, Repetition, Rhyme, and/or Rhythm

How do you figure?

Explain how you got your answer
Answers

Alliteration, onomatopoeia

Answer Explanations

Alliteration: the words big, banjos, and bang begin with the B sound.

Onomatopoeia: the pronunciation of the word bang imitates its sound.

5. Lord, confound my surly sister,

Blight her brow with blotch and blister,

Cramp her larynx, lung, and liver,

In her guts a galling give her.

Which techniques are being used (list two or more)? ________________________________________________

Alliteration, Consonance, Onomatopoeia, Repetition, Rhyme, and/or Rhythm

How do you figure?
Explain how you got your answer
Answers

Alliteration, rhyme, rhythm

Answer Explanations

Alliteration: The words surly and sister begin with the S sound. The words blight, brow, blotch, and blister begin
with the B sound. The words larynx, lung, and liver begin with the L sound. The words guts, galling, and give
begin with the hard G sound.

Rhyme: The words sister, blister, liver, and give her all end with the same final vowel and consonant sound.

Rhythm: The poem has a short, punctuated, and very obvious rhythm.

6. Booth led boldly with his big bass drum--

Ingles waved the flag with no lag from the front.

Which techniques are being used (list two or more)? ________________________________________________

Alliteration, Consonance, Onomatopoeia, Repetition, Rhyme, and/or Rhythm

How do you figure?

Explain how you got your answer
Answers

Alliteration, consonance, rhyme, rhythm

Answer Explanations

Alliteration: The words Booth, boldly, big, and bass begin with the B sound. The words flag, from, and front
begin with the F sound.

Consonance: The words drum and front have similar vowel and consonant sounds but do not quite rhyme.

Rhyme: The words flag and lag form a nice internal rhyme.
Rhythm: These lines have a sort of marching rhythm to them.

7. Beautiful friendship tried by sun and wind,

Durable from the daily dust of life.

Which techniques are being used (list one)? ________________________________________________

Alliteration, Consonance, Onomatopoeia, Repetition, Rhyme, and/or Rhythm

How do you figure?

Explain how you got your answer

Answers

Alliteration, consonance

Answer Explanations

Alliteration: The words durable, daily, and dust begin with the D sound.

Consonance: The words tried and wind end in the D sound.

8. Will no one stop that tapping?

I cannot sleep for it.

I think that someone is shut in somewhere,

And trying to get out.

Will no one let them out,

And stop the tapping?

It keeps on tapping, tapping....

Tap ... tap ... tap ... tap....

Which techniques are being used (list two or more)? ________________________________________________

Alliteration, Consonance, Onomatopoeia, Repetition, Rhyme, and/or Rhythm

How do you figure?

Explain how you got your answer

Answers

Onomatopoeia, repetition

Answer Explanations

Onomatopoeia: The word tap imitates its pronunciation.

Repetition: The words out, tapping, and tap are all repeated, perhaps to add a sense of anxiety to the mood.

9. Did they love the leaves and wind,

Grass and gardens long ago

With a love that draws them home

Where things grow?

Which techniques are being used (list two or more)? ________________________________________________

Alliteration, Consonance, Onomatopoeia, Repetition, Rhyme, and/or Rhythm

How do you figure?

Explain how you got your answer
Answers

Alliteration, repetition, rhyme

Answer Explanations

Alliteration: The words love and leaves begin with the L sound. The words grass and garden both begin with a
hard G sound.

Repetition: The word love is repeated.

Rhyme: The words ago and gro have the same final sound.

10. "Tlot-tlot; tlot-tlot!" Had they heard it?

The horse-hoofs ringing clear--

"Tlot-tlot, tlot-tlot" in the distance?

Were they deaf that did not hear?

Which techniques are being used (list two or more)? ________________________________________________

Alliteration, Consonance, Onomatopoeia, Repetition, Rhyme, and/or Rhythm

How do you figure?

Explain how you got your answer

Answers

Alliteration, onomatopoeia, repetition, rhyme, rhythm

Answer Explanations

Alliteration: The words had, heard, and horse-hoofs all begin with the H sound. The words distance, deaf, and did
begin with a D sound.

Onomatopoeia: The word Tlot-tlot imitates its pronunciation. It sounds like a horse galloping.

Repetition: The words tlot-tlot repeat. This is to represent the sound of the horse galloping, but it also creates a
sense of tension, as though something were coming closer.

Rhyme: The words clear and hear share the same final sound.

Rhythm: The poem has a bouncing rhythm.