(For a description of poetic forms, see A (Brief) Descrption of Poetic Forms. (coming soon) )
Poetry based on patterns of stressed and unstressed syllables. The pattern determines the meter of the poem.
AcrosticA poem with a hidden message formed by various letters throughout the poem. Usually, the first letter of each line, when read down, forms the message.
AdonicA line made up of a dactyllic foot followed by either a trochaic or spondaic foot.
AlliterationThe repetition of consonant sounds.
AnapesticA meter consisting of anapests. An anapest is a three-syllable foot, the first two syllables unstressed, the third syllable stressed, as in: | I have COME | to the END | of my ROPE |
AssonanceThe repetition of vowel sounds.
Blank VerseUnrhymed poem of a specific meter, traditionally iambic pentameter.
CaesuraAn enforced pause within a line. A caesura is usually formed by beginning a word with the same consonant or consonants as the preceeding word.
CoupletTwo consecutive lines of rhymed verse.
DactyllicA meter consisting of dactyls. A dactyl is a three-syllable foot, the first syllable stressed, the second and third unstressed, as in: | SYL-la-ble |
DimeterA line with a length of 2 metrical feet.
English SonnetA sonnet composed of 3 quatrains and an ending couplet, with rhyme scheme: a/b/a/b c/d/c/d e/f/e/f gg. English sonnets are traditionally written in iambic pentameter, and include a pivot, sometimes falling between lines 8 and 9, sometimes delayed until the final couplet. (Also called a Shakespearean Sonnet.)
EnjambmentThe spilling over of a line of a poem from one line to the beginning of the next line. An enjambment occurs when the sense of a sentence is not completed within one line and continues into the next line.
EuphonyThe pleasing sound of a poem, acheived by the careful use of word-sounds and how they are positioned within the poem.
FeetThe basic unit of poetic meter, made up of a combination of stressed and unstressed syllables.
Top of PageA line with a length of 6 metrical feet.
IambicA meter consisting of iambs. An iamb is a two-syllable foot, the first syllable unstressed, the second syllable stressed, as in: | in-CLUDE |
Italian SonnetA sonnet composed of an openning octet, with a rhyming scheme of a/b/b/a/a/b/b/a, followed by a closing sestet, with a rhyming scheme of c/e/f/g/e/f. (The sestet rhyming scheme may vary.) The pivot or volta occurs between the octet and sestet.
MeterIn English Language poetry, the formal measure of the natural rhythm of language, in terms of the patterns formed by stress. Meter in poetry refers to a specific pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. Basic meters found in English poetry are: iambic, trochaic, anapestic, dactyllic, and spondaic. Metrics is determined by a process called scansion.
MonometerA line with a length of 1 metrical foot.
OctameterA line with a length of 8 metrical feet.
OctetA stanza made up of 8 lines. Often refers to the first two quatrains of a sonnet. Also called an octave in Italian.
PentameterA line whose length is divided into 5 metrical feet.
PivotA point in a sonnet where there is a slight shift or turn in meaning, point of view or perspective from the main thought expressed in the octet. (Also called a volta in Italian.)
Quantitative VersePoetry based on long and short syllables arranged in a systematic way. The long and short sounds are determined by how long it takes to naturally pronounce a given syllable. Classical Greek and Latin poetry is based on quantitative verse. Poems in English use a combination of syllabic and accentual verse.
QuatrainA stanza made up of 4 lines.
RefrainA line or lines that repeat throughout a poem.
Top of PageThe formal process by which the metrics of a poem is read. Scansion involves analyzing the individual feet of a poem for patterns of stress.
SeptameterA line with a length of 7 metrical feet.
SestetA stanza made up of 6 lines. Often refers the final 6 lines of a sonnet.
Shakespearean SonnetSee English sonnet
SonnetA fourteen line poem, usually in a specific meter, traditionally divided into an octet/ sestet formation, and often using a specific rhyme scheme. A pivot is often included. An extended sequence of sonnets is called a crown of sonnets. There are many sonnet variants.
SpondaicA meter consisting of spondees. A spondee is a two-syllable foot, both syllables stressed, as in: | GIFT HORSE |
StanzaA group of poetic lines, usually (but not always) with a rhyming pattern and/or specific meter.
StropheIn modern poetry, any loose grouping of stanzaic lines.
Syllabic VersePoetry based on the number of syllables used in a line, and not on how the syllables are accented or stressed. A Haiku written in English is an example of syllabic verse.
TetrameterA line with a length of 4 metrical feet.
TrimeterA line with a length of 3 metrical feet.
TrochaicA meter consisting of trochees. A trochee is a two-syllable foot, the first syllable stressed, the second syllable unstressed, as in: | LOV-er |
VoltaSee pivot
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