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Questions and Answers
What is the purpose of poetic devices in the English language?
What is the purpose of poetic devices in the English language?
What is the difference between a metaphor and a simile?
What is the difference between a metaphor and a simile?
What is imagery in poetry?
What is imagery in poetry?
What is the purpose of an allegory?
What is the purpose of an allegory?
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What is an oxymoron?
What is an oxymoron?
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What is the main difference between blank verse and free verse?
What is the main difference between blank verse and free verse?
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What is euphemism in poetry?
What is euphemism in poetry?
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What is irony in poetry?
What is irony in poetry?
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What is the purpose of a symbol in poetry?
What is the purpose of a symbol in poetry?
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What is the purpose of a caesura in poetry?
What is the purpose of a caesura in poetry?
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Which poetic device compares two unlike things without using the words 'like' or 'as'?
Which poetic device compares two unlike things without using the words 'like' or 'as'?
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What is the term for a reference to another book or body of literature within a poem?
What is the term for a reference to another book or body of literature within a poem?
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Which poetic device uses words to say the opposite of what a person truly means?
Which poetic device uses words to say the opposite of what a person truly means?
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What is the term for poetry written with a regular meter but no rhyme?
What is the term for poetry written with a regular meter but no rhyme?
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Which poetic device creates a non-offensive way of expressing something?
Which poetic device creates a non-offensive way of expressing something?
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What is the term for a dash that marks a strong pause in a poem?
What is the term for a dash that marks a strong pause in a poem?
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Which poetic device compares two unlike things using the words 'like' or 'as'?
Which poetic device compares two unlike things using the words 'like' or 'as'?
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What is the term for poetry written without rhyme or a regular meter?
What is the term for poetry written without rhyme or a regular meter?
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Which poetic device represents another person, place, or thing?
Which poetic device represents another person, place, or thing?
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What is the term for two words that seem contradictory but are not?
What is the term for two words that seem contradictory but are not?
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Study Notes
What are Poetic Devices?
- A poetic device is a special literary tool that shapes words, sounds, and phrases to convey meaning.
- Poetic devices empower speakers and writers to enhance the literal meaning of words by drawing attention to the sound, form, and function of words.
- The English language contains dozens of poetic devices.
Importance of Poetic Devices
- Poetic devices add to the reader's enjoyment, understanding, and experience of poetry.
- Poetic devices were used in famous works of poetry, such as The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Aeneid, Beowulf, and The Divine Comedy.
- Poetic devices help to:
- Add rhythm and sound to a poem
- Enhance the imagery in a poem
- Intensify feelings and emotions in a poem
- Create greater meaning in a poem
- Add structure to a poem
Types of Poetic Devices
- Allusion: A reference to one work of literature in another work of literature.
- Anaphora: The repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or verses.
- Antithesis: The juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in balanced phrases.
- Apostrophe: Directly addressing a nonexistent person or an inanimate object as though it were a living being.
- Assonance: The identity or similarity in sound between internal vowels in neighboring words.
- Chiasmus: A verbal pattern in which the second half of an expression is balanced against the first but with the parts reversed.
- Climax: Any use of language that is characterized by a feeling of mounting intensity across three or more successive words, phrases, clauses, or sentences.
- Dysphemism: The use of a somewhat negative or derogatory term for another word.
- Euphemism: The use of an inoffensive or more socially acceptable term for a word that may be considered offensive, explicit, or impolite.
- Hyperbole: The use of exaggerated terms for the purpose of emphasis or heightened effect.
- Irony: The use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning.
- Litotes: An understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite.
- Merism: A pair of contrasting words or phrases used to express totality or completeness.
- Metaphor: An implied comparison between two unlike things that have something in common.
- Metonymy: A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is substituted for another word that is closely related to it or a word that represents it.
- Oxymoron: A figure of speech in which contradictory terms appear side by side.
- Paradox: A statement of two things that appear to be contradictory, but are actually both true.
- Parallelism: A literary device in which parts of the sentence are grammatically similar or identical in construction.
- Personification: A figure of speech in which an inanimate object or quality is given human qualities or abilities.
- Pun: A play on words.
- Simile: A comparison using "like" or "as" between two unlike things that have certain qualities in common.
- Synecdoche: A figure of speech in which a part is used to represent the whole.
- Understatement: A figure of speech in which a writer or speaker deliberately makes a situation seem less important or serious than it is.
Devices That Create Rhythm and Meter
- Iamb: Contains one unstressed and one stressed syllable.
- Trochee: Contains one stressed and one unstressed syllable.
- Spondee: Contains two stressed syllables.
- Anapest: Consists of three beats, two unstressed and one stressed.
- Dactyl: Consists of three beats, one stressed and two unstressed.
- Amphibrach: Consists of one stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable and ending with another stressed syllable.
- Pyrrhic: Consists of two unstressed syllables.
- Couplet: Two lines of poetic verse that form a unit, usually with the same meter and rhyme.
- Internal Rhyme: The use of a rhyme involving a word in the middle of a line and another either at the end of that line or in the middle of the next line.
- Repetition: The use of a word or phrase more than once in order to emphasize meaning.
Devices That Intensify Mood
- Alliteration: The repetition of an initial consonant sound.
- Assonance: The repetition of internal vowel sounds in words that are near each other.
- Cacophony: The use of nonsense words or certain sounds to create harsh and hard tones.
- Caesura: A noticeable pause within a single line of poetry, designed to amplify an emotion or bring an idea to the audience's attention.
- Consonance: The repetition of the same consonant sound within a group of words.
- Euphony: The use of words and phrases to create a smooth, pleasing, and melodious effect.
- Onomatopoeia: The use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to.
Devices That Enhance Meaning
- Metaphor: The comparison of two unlike things without using the words "like" or "as."
- Simile: The comparison of two unlike things using the words "like" or "as."
- Imagery: The use of descriptive language that engages the five senses.
- Allusion: A reference to another book or body of literature within a poem.
- Symbol: A reference to a person, place, or thing that represents another person, place, or thing.
- Oxymoron: Two words that seem contradictory but actually aren't.
- Irony: The use of words to say something opposite of what a person actually means.
- Allegory: A work of literature, like a fable, in which characters or animals represent other characters.
- Euphemism: A non-offensive way of expressing something that might otherwise be offensive.
Devices Based on Poetic Form
- Blank verse: Poetry written with meter but without rhyme.
- Fixed verse: Poetry written using a type of template or formula.
- Free verse: Poetry written without rhyme or a regular meter.
What are Poetic Devices?
- A poetic device is a special literary tool that shapes words, sounds, and phrases to convey meaning.
- Poetic devices empower speakers and writers to enhance the literal meaning of words by drawing attention to the sound, form, and function of words.
- The English language contains dozens of poetic devices.
Importance of Poetic Devices
- Poetic devices add to the reader's enjoyment, understanding, and experience of poetry.
- Poetic devices were used in famous works of poetry, such as The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Aeneid, Beowulf, and The Divine Comedy.
- Poetic devices help to:
- Add rhythm and sound to a poem
- Enhance the imagery in a poem
- Intensify feelings and emotions in a poem
- Create greater meaning in a poem
- Add structure to a poem
Types of Poetic Devices
- Allusion: A reference to one work of literature in another work of literature.
- Anaphora: The repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or verses.
- Antithesis: The juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in balanced phrases.
- Apostrophe: Directly addressing a nonexistent person or an inanimate object as though it were a living being.
- Assonance: The identity or similarity in sound between internal vowels in neighboring words.
- Chiasmus: A verbal pattern in which the second half of an expression is balanced against the first but with the parts reversed.
- Climax: Any use of language that is characterized by a feeling of mounting intensity across three or more successive words, phrases, clauses, or sentences.
- Dysphemism: The use of a somewhat negative or derogatory term for another word.
- Euphemism: The use of an inoffensive or more socially acceptable term for a word that may be considered offensive, explicit, or impolite.
- Hyperbole: The use of exaggerated terms for the purpose of emphasis or heightened effect.
- Irony: The use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning.
- Litotes: An understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite.
- Merism: A pair of contrasting words or phrases used to express totality or completeness.
- Metaphor: An implied comparison between two unlike things that have something in common.
- Metonymy: A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is substituted for another word that is closely related to it or a word that represents it.
- Oxymoron: A figure of speech in which contradictory terms appear side by side.
- Paradox: A statement of two things that appear to be contradictory, but are actually both true.
- Parallelism: A literary device in which parts of the sentence are grammatically similar or identical in construction.
- Personification: A figure of speech in which an inanimate object or quality is given human qualities or abilities.
- Pun: A play on words.
- Simile: A comparison using "like" or "as" between two unlike things that have certain qualities in common.
- Synecdoche: A figure of speech in which a part is used to represent the whole.
- Understatement: A figure of speech in which a writer or speaker deliberately makes a situation seem less important or serious than it is.
Devices That Create Rhythm and Meter
- Iamb: Contains one unstressed and one stressed syllable.
- Trochee: Contains one stressed and one unstressed syllable.
- Spondee: Contains two stressed syllables.
- Anapest: Consists of three beats, two unstressed and one stressed.
- Dactyl: Consists of three beats, one stressed and two unstressed.
- Amphibrach: Consists of one stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable and ending with another stressed syllable.
- Pyrrhic: Consists of two unstressed syllables.
- Couplet: Two lines of poetic verse that form a unit, usually with the same meter and rhyme.
- Internal Rhyme: The use of a rhyme involving a word in the middle of a line and another either at the end of that line or in the middle of the next line.
- Repetition: The use of a word or phrase more than once in order to emphasize meaning.
Devices That Intensify Mood
- Alliteration: The repetition of an initial consonant sound.
- Assonance: The repetition of internal vowel sounds in words that are near each other.
- Cacophony: The use of nonsense words or certain sounds to create harsh and hard tones.
- Caesura: A noticeable pause within a single line of poetry, designed to amplify an emotion or bring an idea to the audience's attention.
- Consonance: The repetition of the same consonant sound within a group of words.
- Euphony: The use of words and phrases to create a smooth, pleasing, and melodious effect.
- Onomatopoeia: The use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to.
Devices That Enhance Meaning
- Metaphor: The comparison of two unlike things without using the words "like" or "as."
- Simile: The comparison of two unlike things using the words "like" or "as."
- Imagery: The use of descriptive language that engages the five senses.
- Allusion: A reference to another book or body of literature within a poem.
- Symbol: A reference to a person, place, or thing that represents another person, place, or thing.
- Oxymoron: Two words that seem contradictory but actually aren't.
- Irony: The use of words to say something opposite of what a person actually means.
- Allegory: A work of literature, like a fable, in which characters or animals represent other characters.
- Euphemism: A non-offensive way of expressing something that might otherwise be offensive.
Devices Based on Poetic Form
- Blank verse: Poetry written with meter but without rhyme.
- Fixed verse: Poetry written using a type of template or formula.
- Free verse: Poetry written without rhyme or a regular meter.
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Description
Learn about poetic devices, literary tools that enhance the meaning of words by using sound, form, and function. Discover the various devices that impact the way a poem or written work looks or sounds.
