the ordered pattern of rhymes at the ends of the lines of a poem or verse.
rhyme scheme
A strong, regular, repeated pattern of movement or sound.
rhythm
the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza.
enjambment
Two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme
couplet
unrhymed iambic pentameter
blank verse
Poetry that does not have a regular meter or rhyme scheme
free verse
a quotation or aphorism at the beginning of a literary work suggestive of the theme.
epigraph
the basic unit of measurement in poetry having stressed or unstressed syllables
foot (poetry)
A regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry
meter
A four line stanza
quatrain
A line or set of lines repeated several times over the course of a poem.
refrain
The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage.
ambiguity
a poem or song narrating a story in short stanzas
ballad
intended to instruct
didactic
a sad or mournful poem
elegy
A long narrative poem telling of a hero’s deeds
epic poem
an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable
iambic
A word inside a line rhymes with another word on the same line
internal rhyme
expressing a poet’s inner feelings; emotional; full of images; song-like
lyrical
A long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on stage
soliloquy
a poem of fourteen lines consisting of 3 quatrains and a couplet
sonnet
The omission of an unstressed vowel or syllable to preserve the meter of a line of poetry.
elision
words at the ends of poem lines that almost but don’t quite rhyme.
slant rhyme (near rhyme or half rhyme)
the omission of words or phrases from a sentence because meaning can be inferred from context
ellipisis
