Poetry Terms: Reading And Language Arts Terms Explained
Plain-language definitions of every poetry terms term your child meets in school, each with kid-friendly explanations, worked examples, and common mistakes to watch for.
Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of the same beginning sound in two or more nearby words, such as "busy buzzing bees," used to make language more musical, memorable, or fun to say.
Assonance
Assonance is the repetition of the same vowel sound in nearby words, used to create a musical effect, mood, or emphasis in poetry and other writing.
Ballad
A ballad is a poem that tells a story, usually in short, regular stanzas with a strong beat and simple rhymes, and it is often meant to be sung or easily remembered.
Couplet
A couplet is a pair of lines in a poem that go together, usually right next to each other, that often rhyme and express one complete idea or thought.
Elegy
An elegy is a poem that expresses sadness about loss, often written to remember someone who has died or something important that has ended.
Epic
An epic is a long, serious poem that tells the story of a heroic figure or a group of people, often involving dangerous journeys, battles, or important events for an entire nation or culture.
Figurative language in poetry
Figurative language in poetry is when a poet uses words in creative, non-literal ways, such as comparisons and vivid images, to help the reader see, feel, or imagine something more strongly than plain language would.
Free verse
Free verse is a type of poetry that does not follow a regular pattern of rhyme or rhythm, so the poet can arrange words and line breaks more freely to sound like natural speech or strong feelings.
Haiku
A haiku is a very short poem that usually has 3 lines with a pattern of 5 syllables, then 7 syllables, then 5 syllables, and often describes nature or a moment in time.
Internal rhyme
Internal rhyme is when words inside a single line of poetry rhyme with each other, or when a word in the middle of a line rhymes with a word at the end of the same or a nearby line.
Limerick
A limerick is a short, funny poem with 5 lines that follow a special rhythm and rhyme pattern, usually telling a quick, silly story or joke.
Line break
A line break is the place in a poem where one line ends and the next line begins, often used on purpose by the poet to control rhythm, meaning, and how the poem looks on the page.
Meter in poetry
Meter in poetry is the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a poem that creates its beat or rhythm, similar to the steady count in a song or a chant.
Narrative poem
A narrative poem is a poem that tells a story with characters, a setting, and a sequence of events, using poetic language, rhythm, and sometimes rhyme.
Ode
An ode is a type of poem that uses formal, often musical language to praise, celebrate, or deeply reflect on a person, thing, idea, or event.
Poem
A poem is a piece of writing that uses carefully chosen words, sounds, and rhythm to share feelings, ideas, or a story, often in shorter lines and groups of lines.
Poetry
Poetry is a type of writing that uses carefully chosen words, sounds, rhythm, and sometimes rhyme to express ideas, feelings, or tell a story in a concentrated, powerful way.
Repetition
Repetition is a poetry technique where a poet uses the same word, phrase, line, or sound more than once to create a pattern, add emphasis, or make the poem more musical and memorable.
Rhyme scheme
A rhyme scheme is the pattern of end sounds in a poem's lines, labeled with letters (A, B, C, and so on) to show which lines rhyme with each other.
Rhythm
Rhythm is the pattern of strong and weak beats you hear when words are spoken or read, especially in poetry, that makes the language sound musical and steady.
Sonnet
A sonnet is a 14-line poem with a regular rhythm and a set rhyme pattern, often used to explore strong emotions, ideas, or arguments in a tightly organized way.
Sound devices
Sound devices are writing tools that use the sounds of words, such as repeating letters, syllables, or whole words, to make language more musical, interesting, and memorable, especially in poetry.
Speaker of a poem
The speaker of a poem is the voice that is talking in the poem, the "I" or narrator who tells the thoughts, feelings, or story, which is not always the same as the poet who wrote it.
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